Before joining the board with City Gates Ministries in 2019, Ed served as project manager on several City Gates mobile home renovation projects. He loves the enthusiasm and generosity of the local faith community in contributing to this work, and the incredible impact this has on the lives of individuals and families who may otherwise be without stable housing. As a board member, Ed’s appreciation has grown for the unique role City Gates has in bringing local church, business and municipal resources to the many needs in our community, always with a “hand up” rather than “hand out” approach.

Ed has a Masters of Divinity degree and served in pastoral ministry from 1989-1994 in the Chicago area. He joined State Farm Insurance in 1995, and is now an Estimatics Section Manager with responsibility for 14 states in the Northwest, Mountain States and Upper Midwest regions. Since 2008, Ed has been an active member of Olympia Christian Reformed Church in a variety of leadership and ministry roles.

Ed and his wife Dona a special needs preschool teacher with Olympia City Schools have two sons, Justin and Kevin, and a daughter Erin. Justin and his wife Liz have given them two beautiful grandkids, Nora and Isaac.

Carlos Mejia Rodriguez was born in Honduras and graduated as Family Physician at Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala and was incorporated to practice in Honduras by the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras where practiced for 17 years in the private and public sector as Emergency Room and Labor and Deliveries (LDR) doctor. His focus as a professional have been providing quality health services to children and families, disadvantaged groups such as indigenous, refugees and migrants, miners, farmworkers, rural, and low income neighborhoods.

Dr. Carlos moved to USA in 2002 invited as an adviser to the board of Shelbyville Free Clinic. In Shelbyville Carlos supervised the Healthy Families program to prevent child abuse and neglect and brought Fatherhood Initiatives and prenatal Education to the Family Development Center to help families and children to thrive connecting them to resources in the community including clinical care.

In 2009 Carlos working for the Washington Association of Community & Migrant Health Centers (WACMHC) who advance quality of care for more than 27 Community Health Centers with over 320 clinics, managed and developed a network of community health centers and community based organizations to work in tobacco prevention statewide focusing on policy and system change and using technology and evidence based approaches to tackle tobacco use.

Carlos also worked for the Washington State Department of Health developing a hybrid training system for Community Health Workers consisting of an initial 8 weeks curriculum with in-presence and on-line trainings and followed by multiple disease specific provided to the safety net across the state. Actually Carlos works for Molina Healthcare in Community Engagement, also as Medical Officer of Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrant and Refugees providing support, education, and creating partnerships and collaborations to multiple Community Health Centers and their staff.

Additionally, Carlos brings capacity building to the community by providing his knowledge, skills, education, and experience to community based organizations and government as board member for Family Education and Support Services, City Gates Ministries, Co-Chair of Foundations for Multicultural Solutions- El Camino, member of the Thurston County Public Health Nurse Family Partnership Community Advisory Board, and as a member of Washington Health Benefit Exchange Health Equity Technical Advisory Committee.

His voice has been heard on Pacific Northwest radio including Puget Sound stations like Spirit 105.3. Praise 106.5, 92.5 KLSY, and 97.3  KNBQ.  He has been serving City Gates since the last century, primarily creating online content and graphic handouts.

He joins many other volunteers in the annual dinner auction. Larry and his wife Kathy serve as despite foster parents. His children have grown up in the Olympia-Lacey area.

Greg and his wife Gail began serving with City Gates in 2020. Initially, they helped to prepare the lunch bags that are delivered on several days of the week to the homeless downtown. They later began to deliver boxes of food and supplies to residents in apartments and homes who were out of food and did not have transportation. They now travel about 1200 miles each month doing deliveries. In addition, they regularly pick up commodities from local grocers and blanket donations from Value Village. Greg began serving on the Board of Directors in April, 2022.

Greg is a retired educator, having served as a teacher, Principal, and Superintendent in public and Christian Schools. He holds a Doctor of Education degree. He has been an active member of Westwood Baptist Church since 2000, serving in a variety of responsibilities.

Greg and Gail have been married for 52 years. They have 4 children and 11 grandchildren.