Linda Goode
Linda loves teaching, helping people match their personal talents and financial gifts with their passions and values. She works virtually with Stevens Financial Advisors in Green Valley, organizing monthly Tucson Kingdom Advisors Study Group lunches, networking events, client and marketing activities for the team from her home in Tucson or wherever there is an internet connection. A graduate of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Linda served for years as a professional fundraiser with various local and national nonprofit organizations. She earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2004 and has served on the local board of Association of Fundraising Professionals, Planned Giving Roundtable of Southern Arizona and in other leadership roles at her church.
Linda and her husband, Roger raised two beautiful adult daughters and now enjoy sharing their empty nest with their super-mutt, Leo family and friends traveling through Arizona. Linda learned about Tucson Refugee Ministry at International Kid’s Kamp in 2016 (and fell in love with the neighbors at our doorstep!) and has been a committed volunteer with International Kid’s Kamp and Teen Blast ever since.
Josette Kehl
Josette received a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Arizona and a Master’s of Social Work from Arizona State University. Josette is a Licensed Clinical Social worker and currently works as a mental health therapist at Joshua Tree Counseling. Josette and her husband Kenyon, also a U of A graduate, are proud parents of 3 adult children and have two wonderful sons-in-law. Their family has been involved with refugees and TRM since 2009. In her free time, Josette enjoys reading, baking, biking and spending time with friends and family.
Jennifer Thompson
Jennifer and her family have been supporters of Tucson Refugee Ministry for 17 years. From 2019 to 2024 Jennifer served as the Executive Director of Tucson Refugee Ministry, where she developed her love of leading people to show others the love of Jesus. Jennifer Is currently the Outreach Pastor at Casas Church.
Jennifer is currently a Doctoral Candidate for the Gateway Seminary Doctorate of Ministry program specializing in Ministry Leadership, has a Masters of Divinity from Gateway Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Pre-Medical Illustration from Iowa State University.
Jennifer is most passionate about living out her love for God and loving people in practical ways, making an impact for His kingdom, enjoying her husband and four children, creating community in Tucson, and helping people thrive.
In her free, time you can find Jennifer out camping and jeeping with her family. She also loves to study and eat foods of all kinds!
Walter Ries
Walter graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering. After 20 years in industry, he is back working at the university, as the IT manager over the student computer labs and classrooms A/V systems. He and his wife, Rica, have three children who are transitioning from high school to college. Walter has a love for the nations and has been on several overseas trips (Europe, Asia, and South America) as well as local outreach trips to Mexico. He is glad to be able to serve the nations that are at our doorsteps, serving the refugee community through Tucson Refugee Ministry since 2016. You will easily recognize him at the International Kids Kamp leading games or portraying one of the prophets/saints of old.
Gary Stokes
Gary’s passion is for serving ministries that are centered on Jesus and that reach out to every tongue and tribe and nation. He has degrees from Indiana University in Religious Studies and History, as well as an MBA in International Finance. Gary, his wife Susan, and their daughter Anna, arrived in Tucson in 2001 to restart Vineyard City Church. The church became the most diverse church in town, with folks from all economic, educational, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. During that time, Gary and Susan became leaders for the Vineyard church in Sri Lanka and currently work with six congregations there. Four years ago they helped start Goshen International Church, a diverse congregation aimed to be a community for young African refugees. Gary is now an advisor and mentor for the Tucson Refugee Ministry staff.
Dorothy Terrazas
Dorothy received her bachelor‘s and master’s degrees from the University of Arizona. She is a skilled nurse practitioner and is currently employed by Banner Healthy Together Care Partnership program and conducts home visits for preventive care. Her medical skills and her love for the nations has led her on trips to Afghanistan, Mexico, Thailand and other far away places. She is bilingual in Spanish and English and her hobbies are anything outdoors including hiking, biking and swimming. Dorothy has served with Tucson Refugee Ministry since 2005, first as a volunteer and now on the board.
Janet Gray
After graduating from Howard Payne College, marrying Fred Gray, and having two girls, Janet lived in Ratón, New Mexico for 10 years. After that, she made the move to Tucson, where she spent several years as the Elementary Youth Director and Nursery Director at Grace Chapel. She taught first grade for 15 years, starting at Grace Christian School and moving on to Pueblo Gardens Public School and Peter Howell Elementary School for 10 years. Janet then spent five years at the UA instructing teachers from Mexico and Central America. Her contribution was to teach English as part of the 20 groups’ year-long program to improve their teaching skills. She also spent a year and a half teaching Spanish to homeschoolers.
Throughout the years, Janet taught English to a number of refugees, often with her oldest daughter Cherie, particularly at the beginning of her ministry.
TRM means a lot to Janet because Cherie was the founder and director for 13 years and she saw the passion Cherie had working with refugees. Currently, Janet is teaching refugees from Afghanistan, Haiti, and a student from Mexico. Seeing how Cherie’s legacy is flourishing is a huge blessing.
Raena Janes
Raena is an entrepreneur, founder, CEO, Director, Real Estate Agent, and Business Owner. Her first introduction to entrepreneurship began in her early twenties when she was directing the preschool in her parent’s church in Tucson. This is when she began her lifelong commitment to offering the best possible education for every child, no matter their socioeconomic background. After scrambling to meet the needs of a very challenged two-year-old in a wheelchair with a feeding tube, she was determined to raise money in order to accommodate more children with special needs.
That success led to many others. In 2002, Raena sought funding to build her first tuition-free charter school. She is passionate about giving kids a choice in where they attend school and about enhancing their lives by laying a strong foundation for each child. As founder and charter-holder of eight successful charter schools and an online school, Raena is humbled and thrilled to know her positive impact on thousands of children and their families each year. She is quite literally helping to shape our future leaders.
Her community involvement in several non-profit organizations is evidence of her heartfelt investment in the welfare of all children, but particularly the underserved. Raena has donated so much of her time, talent and resources to Tucson Refugee Ministry.