Jennifer Nickels

Jennifer has a love for learning and traveling to other cultures. She has spent over a decade leading short-term experiences, working in churches and currently within a missions-sending agency. She is passionate about developing missions minded resources to be effectively used in a global context. She believes in equipping and building capacity into programs and people around the world. Jennifer and her husband, Mark, live with their three children in Gig Harbor, WA.

Laurie Dawson

Laurie Dawson was born and raised in Thailand, the daughter of Joan and Allan Eubank, the founders of the Thai Christian Foundation (TCF). She was educated in both Thai and International schools until she left Thailand in 1982 to attend Texas A&M University and Old Dominion University in Virginia. She graduated with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology in 1986 and taught high school social science.

Laurie has been involved in humanitarian work and conflict resolution. This has consisted of helping refugees from Cambodia into Thailand, in the 1970s to assisting internally displaced persons, refugees, and support for increased access to health care along the Thai-Burma (Myanmar) border for the past 26 years. Since 2012, she has become active in prison reform and restorative justice in Thailand and Washington State.

In 2013, Laurie helped found the Pan Rak Foundation (PRF) in Thailand to serve as the registered and direct partner for the Thai Christian Foundation USA, and served as the Co-Executive Director of TCF between 2016-2021.

She currently works part-time as the Co-Executive Director of PRF in support of the full-time Co-Executive Director in Thailand, Benjawan Thanyarach. They work together to help fulfill the mission and vision of both organizations. In this capacity, Laurie also supports the work of Amy Galetzka, the Managing Director of TCF, as well as the TCF Board, to strengthen relationships between organizations in support of the vision and mission of TCF and PRF.

Allan & Joan Eubank
Senior Advisors

In 1961 Allan and Joan Hovis Eubank were sent by the Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to serve as missionaries for the Church of Christ in Thailand. For over 58 years, they have worked in rural evangelism, church planning, among the Thai and other ethnic groups, and have taught evangelism, New Testament and music.

Allan grew up in Hillsboro, Texas and Joan grew up in Houston. Joan grew up in Texas, Allan graduated from Texas A & M in Geological Engineering. Allan served as a captain, company commander of a US Army Combat Engineer Company during the the Korean War. There he met Joan Hovis as a rising young singer. Joan continued her musical drama career in Hollywood and Broadway.

Allan resigned from the army and worked as a geological engineer in the oil business in Texas until God called him to the mission field in 1958. Joan felt the call to mission too. They married and continued studies together. Allan received an M.Div. at TCU and an STM at Yale. Joan received an MTS at SMU.

In 1975 they began working with Thai folk drama, which grew into the Christian Communication Institute (C.C.I.), to communicate the gospel in ways easily understood in Thai culture. Both modern and traditional methods are used. And founded TCF in 1980.

They continue to be involved in evangelism, education programs, health projects and relief work along the Thai -Burma (Myanmar) border.

Although retired from their mission board for 25 years, they feel that God has called them to Thailand and has not called them back. They expect to spend the rest of their lives in Thailand, in God’s service.

Cheryl Hamilton

Cheryl has supported TCF ever since her mother, Doris Redd, and sister, Brandy Thomas, worked with Allan and Joan in Thailand. She has served as Communication Chair and Archivist while on the Board. Cheryl has a master’s degree from Purdue University and a doctoral degree from the University of North Texas. In her career as a college professor, she has taught speech communication to more than 10,000 students and mentored numerous beginning teachers.

Obviously, Cheryl loves communication and teaching, but she also enjoys writing college textbooks. She has written Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (11th ed), Essentials of Public Speaking (6th ed), and an introductory text called Communicating for Success (2nd ed).
Cheryl and her husband Howard have a married daughter who lives in Seattle. So far, no grandchildren but they are hopeful!

Kay Orsini

Kay first came to Thailand in the 1960s as a US Peace Corps Volunteer. Afterwards, she raised her children there, while her husband worked with the United Nations.

It is Kay’s great desire to see the good news of Jesus Christ draw the people of Thailand to the Lord. After retiring, she served as a volunteer with Allan and Joan Eubank’s ministry to the ethnic Wa/Lawa people in northern Thailand. She is fluent in Thai. She joined the Board of TCF in 2018.

Kay takes delight in her grandchildren in Santa Cruz and Orinda, California.