Board of Directors

 
 
 
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James J. O´Brien, Esq., Chairman

Mr. O´Brien is founding partner of O´Brien Law, LLC, a specialty law firm serving employers in the areas of employment law and business immigration.  He graduated in 1987 from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, gained experience in private practice in three different law firms ranging in size from small to large, and in 1997 founded his own firm based on the principles of excellence in legal work, superior client service, and ethical integrity.  He says that his experience running his own business “makes him acutely sensitive to the needs of employers for practical, common sense solutions to legal challenges in the area of human resources management.

 
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Bryan L. Krizek, President/CEO

In March 2022, Christian Relief Services Charities President and CEO Bryan Krizek was recognized for his 30 years of service by the Board of Directors for his service to the nonprofit organization, which began on October 1, 1991.

The board resolved “To express its deep and abiding appreciation for Bryan Lad Krizek’s leadership, foresight, and tireless efforts for three decades on behalf of Christian Relief Services Charities, Inc. and its charitable programs, as well as his exemplary service as its Chief Executive Officer since 2005, as its President and Chief Executive Officer since 2019, and as its President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member since 2020.”

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Thomas M. (Tom) O´Brien, Treasurer

Thomas M. O´Brien is principally a private investor, and founder of a closely-held real estate company and a business engaged in youth sports training and fitness, both in northern Ohio. He held various executive roles at The RMR Group and its public company clients from 1996, and was the Chief Executive Officer and President of TravelCenters of America LLC, from 2007, until his retirement from those positions in 2017. Mr. O´Brien serves on the board of directors of VirnetX Holding Corporation, a public company engaged in the development of an extensive software patent portfolio concerned principally with internet communications security. Mr. O´Brien joined the Christian Relief Services Charities Board of Directors in 2008.

 
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Robert J. Hisel, Jr. 

Robert Joseph Hisel, Jr. is a co-founder of Seneca Resources, Inc., where he focuses primarily on strategic planning and corporate growth. Prior to co-founding Seneca Resources, Mr. Hisel was the founder, President and CEO of Preferred Systems Solutions in McLean, Virginia. Mr. Hisel, who is involved with several non-profit and organizations and other philanthropic activities including the National Defense Transportation Association and the Northern Virginia Technology Council, has been a member of the Christian Relief Services Charities Board of Directors since June 2007.

 
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Frank L. Stitely, C.P.A.

Mr. Stitely is a partner at Stitely & Karstetter, CPA. He graduated summa cum laude from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and received the Elijah Watt Sells certificate in recognition of his performance on the CPA Exam. Mr. Stitely serves small businesses and individuals in the areas of taxation, financial reporting and software support services. He is a certified accounting software consultant and trainer working primarily with Sage Software products. He formerly served as an officer for the Dulles Area Chamber of Commerce.

 
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Rear Admiral Eric C. Jones

Admiral Jones serves as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deputy for Personnel Readiness, directing all aspects of hiring, developing, and supporting the Service’s 57,000+ military and civilian personnel workforce. He also oversees the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and serves as the Chair of the Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees. Admiral Jones is a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Marine Engineering, a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Brown University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership. He is also a graduate of the Naval War College. Admiral Jones joined the Christian Relief Services Charities Board of Directors in 2014.

 
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The Right Rev. Ketlen A. Solak

Rev. Dr. Solak graduated from the Virginia Theological Seminary in May, 2005 and was ordained in the Diocese of Virginia in June of that year. She served as Associate Rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from August, 2005 to November, 2014. During her tenure at St. Luke’s, Rev. Solak was active in the Alexandria, Virginia area non-profit community and joined the Christian Relief Services Charities Board of Directors in 2014. She is currently serving as the Covenant Rector of three Episcopal churches in Wilmington, Delaware.

 
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Colonel (Ret) John F. Williams

John works with the Veterans Administration (VA) as a Management and Program Analyst with the Veteran Experience Office focused on leading programs to improve the Veteran’s customer experience. After retiring from active duty and prior to joining the VA, John worked with the Coca-Cola company as a global project manager, supporting the development of a corporate-wide system economics tool, which provided improved efficiencies for the Coca-Cola system value chain. While on active duty, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of the revised Blended Retirement System as a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Additionally, he is a member of the Economic Development Authority board of the City of Douglasville, Georgia. John earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech) and a Master of Business Administration degree from Capital University.

 
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Elayne Silversmith

Elayne Silversmith is the Librarian at the Vine Deloria, Jr. Library with the National Museum of the American Indian’s Cultural Resources Center (NMAI, CRC) in Suitland, Maryland. The Cultural Resources Center is the home for the museum, library and archives collections and serves as a place for respectful learning, understanding, and sharing of Native knowledge and lifeways. She feels fortunate to be in a place where the Native worldview guides the mission for the museum and library. To her this is one meaning of Indian Self-Determination.
 

 

Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook

An enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation of the Pine Ridge Reservation, SD, Loretta is an elder and Medicine Carrier for her tiospaye (extended family).

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Ashley Shultz

Ashley Shultz is from the Tuscarora Nation, Snipe Clan. A 2012 graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor’s degree in History where she also served as President of the Native American People’s Alliance. She has worked in the commercial residential industry, including as a Leasing Consultant for Christian Relief Services Residential (CRSC), a Property Manager for Bozzuto Management Company, and as a Service Manager in Benefits and Financial Strategies for the TrueNorth Companies. Ashley joined the Running Strong Advisory Committee in September 2022 and the Christian Relief Services Charities Board of Directors in June 2023.


 

CORPORATE OFFICERS (Non-voting)

Paul E. Krizek, Esq., Executive Director/General Counsel

Bieu Do, CFO

Nhi Ho-Cao, Secretary