Meet Our U.S. Team
Steve Mortland
Senior Director of Donor Operations
Steve grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Taylor University. Then, for over 20 years, he led recruitment efforts at the university. As a member of the Taylor community, Steve was well acquainted with the work of Love Justice and the wonderful ways that God was working. In 2011, his wife, Erika, led a group of Taylor students to Nepal to see the work of Love Justice firsthand. The following year, Steve joined her, along with a second Taylor team, for another trip to Nepal—and their hearts were forever changed. More trips followed, and Steve eventually joined the Love Justice Board in 2017 and then moved into the role of LJI's vice president of development in 2020. He is humbled by the opportunity to serve alongside the talented and committed people of Love Justice. Contact Steve.
Doug Dworak
Global Ambassador
Doug and his wife, Shirley, were high school sweethearts and are native Lincoln, Nebraskans. Their lives are busy spending time with their daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Doug graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.S. in psychology and sociology and a B.A. in business. He has worked for Love Justice since 2007 and visits the field in South Asia annually, watching the children in our family homes grow up into accomplished young adults over the years. Doug's two greatest passions are college football, particularly Nebraska football, and donuts! Contact Doug.
Jason Dukes
VP of Advancement
Jason has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for nearly 26 years. They reside in the Nashville, TN, area with their seven kids and yellow dog. His kids consider him to be an expert pancake and popcorn maker, although they highly question his dad-joke expertise. He cheers for the Saints and Devils (the blue kind), is moved by music and movies, and enjoys light roast coffee as well as local cuisine. Over the years, Jason has been affirmed as a strategist, futurist, creator, communicator, fund-raiser, team-builder, and multiplier. He has started churches, nonprofits, networks, residencies, and for-profit businesses, including a lawn mowing business when he was 13. Jason has also been an author, professor, basketball coach, and marketing leader. For three decades, he has leveraged words to empower people for life-giving purpose together. He is now thrilled to join the LJI team and share the story of their impactful work.
Cecilia Deschenes
Data Analyst
Cecilia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was one year old. She is the oldest of four children; grew up in a multicultural home; and speaks fluent Spanish. Today, Cecilia lives in Essex, Connecticut with her husband, Jim, and their dog, Charlie. At an early age, Cecilia had felt called to serve God as a missionary and therefore was quite surprised when He asked her to study mathematics as an undergraduate and to earn a PhD in applied mathematics after that. While Cecilia walked away from her faith for many years, God kept chasing her until His prodigal daughter finally came home to Him about ten years ago. During her time trying to be her own god, her entire focus was on raising her children, and developing her career working for various respectable and well know secular organizations in varying capacities performing data analytics. Until recently, she was an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business teaching business analytics. Thankfully, the Lord can redeem our past: during her tenure as a professor, Cecilia attended a Christian music festival called SoulFest in New Hampshire, and she heard about Love Justice International (LJI). This event awoke a passion for fighting human trafficking in Cecilia, and after receiving tremendous emotional support from her husband, Jim, led her to join LJI as a data analyst. Mark Twain said, “The two best days in your life are the day when you were born, and the day you find out why.” Cecilia has recently figured out the latter and is looking forward to serving full-time with LJI once she obtains full financial support. Give to support Cecilia.
Lisa Hughes
Marketing Manager
Lisa graduated with a bachelor's degree in English education. She was an English teacher for several years before she transitioned to the editing field, working with a publishing company as a proofreader, copy editor, compiler, and writer. In 2017, she joined Love Justice as content manager and editor and is grateful to be able to work with a team of fellow believers who are dedicated to fighting injustice. She and her husband, Greg, are passionate about global missions, and together, they co-founded a nonprofit missions organization. Whenever possible, Lisa loves to join him on international mission trips, leading small groups of teenagers and young adults and encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones to share the love of Christ. She and her husband live in Fort Collins, Colorado, and have four children. Contact Lisa.
Katie Polley
Special Projects Director
Katie has had marketing experience with diverse clients in both the nonprofit and for-profit space. However, she has never been able to work with an organization as aligned with her beliefs and values as Love Justice. It has been an honor to get to bring her skills and experience into this family of fellow believers with a passion for justice. She lives in Denver, Colorado, and loves hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors with her husband, their dog, and their two kids. Katie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and Spanish from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Contact Katie.
Cambri Driskell
Director of Volunteer Engagement, Donor Gratitude, and Collective Relations
After learning about the global injustice of human trafficking at the age of 13, Cambri knew the Lord was calling her to a lifetime dedicated to partnering with Him and His people in the fight against it. Since this revelation, her commitment to seeing the Lord’s freedom prevail has served as the thread of her service-minded, academic, and professional endeavors. After studying human and organizational development, public policy, and Spanish at Vanderbilt University, Cambri served in state government in Georgia, supporting First Lady Marty Kemp in her dedication to end human trafficking in the state. Cambri’s heart lights up about anything related to Spain (where she lived abroad), long coffee conversations, little joys like the color yellow and sunny mornings, and, more than anything, getting to see His kingdom touch earth as it is in Heaven. With a commitment to intentional collaboration, drawing strategically outside the lines, and prioritizing the stories of those she meets, Cambri is more than grateful to be a part of the team, committed to love in action through empowering the relationships among LJI’s stakeholders.
KC Orduna
Finance Assistant
KC came to Love Justice in August of 2008 on a very part-time basis to help out her dad, Doug Dworak, with the bookkeeping aspects of the ministry. KC trained herself in QuickBooks and worked to get all of the data entry and financials up to date. KC is now certified in bookkeeping and thoroughly enjoys the work she does at Love Justice. She considers it a joy to be a part of this ministry. In her spare time she loves to read and spend time with her family. She's been married to Nick Orduna for over 29 years, and together they have three children: Andre, Mariah, and Isaiah, and one absolutely perfect granddaughter named Mattley. Contact KC.
Cuc Kim Blessitt
Director of Human Resources
Cuc Kim graduated with her bachelor’s and master’s from University of Colorado at Denver. She has over 15 years of experience in human resources. She considers it a great honor that God would allow her to serve as the director of human resources with LJI. She is passionate about caring for the people within the organization so that they can be empowered to do the work they are called to do. She is excited about recruiting those who are called to join LJI in such a great mission. Contact Cuc Kim if you would like to learn more. She currently lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband, Joel Blessitt, and their awesome son, Axel. Contact Cuc Kim.
Amberle Mangis
Administrative Assistant
Amberle graduated from George Fox University with a bachelor's degree in Christian ministries and biblical studies. She is passionate about serving others to further kingdom work and has spent the greater part of the past decade working as an administrator in Christian education at both the collegiate and high school level. She is originally from the Pacific Northwest but now resides in Colorado. She enjoys reading, playing board games, and spending time with friends and family. Contact Amberle.
Zach Norman
Development Strategist
A native of the Atlanta area, Zach and his wife, Katie, met in high school and have been together for 16 years, celebrating 11 years of marriage and raising four beautiful children. The Norman family enjoys cooking new recipes, creating music and art, skateboarding, playing tennis, traveling, and exploring stunning landscapes like canyons and vineyards. Zach’s passion for innovation spans from starting garage bands in his youth to launching startups. Over the past 14 years, he has leveraged his skills in audio/visual creation, music composition, and entrepreneurship to inspire others and drive meaningful growth. Zach is excited to join the Love Justice Advancement Team, where he will focus on crafting compelling narratives for a web3 audience and cultivating relationships for traditional and non-traditional donors as well as strategic innovation partners.
Paula Cornell
Content Marketing and Social Media Specialist
Paula is from Seattle and joined Love Justice shortly after graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in journalism and public interest communications. Prior to college, she spent several years volunteering with Youth With A Mission, where she heard and witnessed incredible stories from around the world of healing and redemption in the face of injustice. Seeing how stories like these could inspire hope, bring understanding, and spur people into action, she began to dream of how stories could change the world. This dream eventually led her to return to college to pursue a writing degree and delivered her into the hands of Love Justice, where she is happily learning to write with an awesome team of people for a cause that she cares deeply about. Contact Paula.
Becca McLelland
Executive Assistant
Becca McLelland is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina. She went to Baylor University where she earned her bachelor's degree in child development, and she is currently pursuing her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Liberty University. Becca and her husband met in the mountains of Northern California and moved to Jinja, Uganda, shortly after getting married where they served at The Amazima School as houseparents to 17 Ugandan teenage girls. God used this time overseas to open Becca’s eyes and ignite a passion in her heart for international injustice. Becca considers it a joy and privilege to use her gifts to serve with LJI. Becca and her husband, Luke, live in Greenville, South Carolina, with their daughter, Davie.
Andy Ramirez
Regional Director of Donor Development
Andy has been married to his wife, Liseli, for over 20 years. He and his wife have two adult children who are pursuing studies in medicine. Growing up in a pastor's home, Andy quickly learned how important inner-city and international missions are in expanding God's kingdom. His heart's passion is to bring the love, truth, and forgiveness of Jesus to as many people as possible. He enjoys spending time with his family at the beach, playing volleyball in the backyard, and playing the piano.
Kyle Zehr
Creative Director
Kyle grew up in the Chicago area and eventually graduated college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He and his wife, Laura, live in Milwaukee, WI. Kyle has had numerous opportunities to see many different cultures through photography, music, and missions. It was on these trips that God began teaching Kyle about poverty, dignity, and the developing world while breaking his heart for the different injustices he witnessed. He became more familiar with the work of Love Justice by visiting Nepal and seeing various aspects of LJI’s work in action. Over the years, he’s worked in branding and storytelling with churches, nonprofits, and small businesses to help them better tell their stories and have greater impact. He’s humbled to be part of the creative and storytelling process of Love Justice. He’s a musician, a die-hard Cubs and Bears fan, and is always down for good coffee.