Director of Fund Development

For several years, Nicole served as a magazine editor at The Upper Room. Then she moved to South Africa to become a missionary where she fell in love both literally and figuratively. Upon moving back to the States with her South African husband and their twin daughters, she returned to The Upper Room to do development work, a love she surprisingly discovered as a missionary. Nicole believes that people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and that is the primary reason why they give. Working together, donors and Upper Room staff can play a role in God’s work and that excites Nicole. In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling, listening to music, reading the classics and history, playing tennis, and going to art museums. But more than anything, she loves spending time with her family.

Donor Services Manager and Systems Analyst

Since 2013, Ben has served as part of the fund development teams for both The Upper Room and Discipleship Ministries. He became the donor services manager for The Upper Room in 2014, bringing with him a passion for learning and problem solving honed from his time as a mathematics teacher and as a fundraising campaign supervisor for his alma mater, LaGrange College. Ben is the “man behind the curtain” on the development team, offering an open mind and helping hand to donors and staff alike as he manages and reconciles our donor system. Whenever Ben isn’t troubleshooting technical support issues for donors or analyzing numbers, he can be found discussing football with colleagues or playing multiple musical instruments during Upper Room Chapel services.

Donor Services Associate

Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Junie moved to the U.S. to pursue higher education. She earned an MBA from Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern). Having a heart for God’s mission and a passion for supporting the global church, Junie worked for nearly five years on an e-Reader project, providing digital resources for ministers and seminary students in several African countries. Junie now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she serves as the Donor Services Coordinator of The Upper Room. She enjoys walking, going on road trips with her husband, Dan, and spending time with her family.

Donor Relations Coordinator

Barbie is a dedicated professional with over 35 years' experience, mainly with Ingram Content Group. She prides herself on excellent customer service, servant leadership, and people skills. As our Donor Relations Coordinator, Barbie manages our donor acknowledgement process, oversees new donor and new monthly donor gifts, tracks donor communications, and assists with our Chaplains' Ministry program. Outside of work, Barbie has one daughter, two grandchildren, three Bernedoodles, and a slider turtle. She loves cooking, baking, camping, and going to concerts.

Associate Director of Emmaus Ministries

Hess B. “Doc” Hall, Jr. is retired from being an active local pastor in The United Methodist Church after 26 years in the pulpit, first in north Georgia, then in Tennessee, and back to Georgia again. He began work with the International Emmaus Ministries Office in 2014 when he came to head up Face to Face, an event for older adults in the Walk to Emmaus tradition. In 2020, he was named the associate director of Emmaus Ministries. He has been collaborating with The Upper Room Development team since 2018, helping to raise awareness of giving opportunities within Emmaus Ministries. Doc has a background in musical theater, opera, and storytelling. He is married to Karen, and they have two adult children (both married) who are United States Marines, and three grandchildren.