RALPH D. WINTER
Founder
Ralph D.Winter (December 8, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was an American missiologist and missionary who became well-known as an advocate for pioneer outreach among unreached people groups. He held a bachelor's degree from Caltech, trained as a Navy pilot during World War II, and earned degrees from Columbia University (M.A.), Cornell University (Ph.D.), and Princeton (B.Div.). His career spanned over 50 years and included a decade as a missionary among Mayan Indians in the highlands of Guatemala, a decade as a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, and thirty-three years as a preeminent mission strategist. He was the founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission, William Carey International University, the Perspectives Study Program and William Carey Library Publishers. In 2005, Winter was named by TIME magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. Dr. Ray Tallman, shortly after Winter’s death, described him as “perhaps the most influential person in missions in the last 50 years [who] has influenced missions globally more than anyone I can think of.”
To read a superb and succinct narrative of Ralph Winter's life story, get the book by renowned author Harold Fickett, The Ralph D. Winter Story: How One Man Dared to Shake Up World Missions (William Carey Library, 2013).
BRIAN LOWTHER
Director
Brian became Director of the Roberta Winter Institute on May 1, 2010, after serving at the U.S. Center for World Mission in graphic design and publishing for eight years. He grew up in Southern California and began following Christ after witnessing the transformative power of Jesus in his father’s life. Brian was deeply influenced by Ralph Winter’s thoughts on evil, disease and the cosmic struggle between God and Satan, especially in light of three personal tragedies. In May 2015 Brian was awarded an Honorary Masters degree in International Development from William Carey International University for his work with the RWI. Brian and his wife Debbi are members of Frontier Ventures. They live in California with their two children.
BETH SNODDERLY
Chair of the Board and Theologian in Residence
Beth serves as Editor for the Ralph D. Winter Research Center and holds the degree of Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in New Testament from the University of South Africa. The focus of Beth's dissertation research was on the Johannine understanding of "the works of the devil" in 1 John 3:8. In addition to editing and/or writing several books including Chaos Is Not God's Will, Agents of International Development and Shalom, First the Kingdom of God, and The Goal of International Development, she has written many articles including, "Blessed Are the Shalom-Makers" (with Brian Lowther), "The Warfare Missiology of Ralph D. Winter," "Mission History in 400-Year Epochs" in the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, and "Rhetoric in the Johannine Epistles" in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of New Testament Rhetoric. Beth and her husband David are members of Frontier Ventures, living in Colorado. They have four adult children and two grandchildren.
BARBARA WINTER
Chair Emeritus and Editor
Barbara is the widow of Dr. Ralph Winter and his second wife. The Winters were married for nearly seven years and travelled and worked closely together. Barbara is a retired public school educator and directed the children's ministry at her church in St. Louis, MO for 30 years. She is a member of Frontier Ventures board and serves as a Director of the Wheaton College Alumni Association.
DANIEL DURRANCE
Content and Growth Strategist
Daniel was born in the United States and raised in Great Britain where he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. An internship in infectious diseases and time in developing countries led to an interest in public health. He served for two years as field director for a medical NGO in Swaziland, southern Africa, and is now pursuing a Masters degree in Healthcare Management and Health Policy at Seoul National University. Born to missionary parents, Daniel has a particular interest in the interplay of theology, worldview, and health behavior. He has worked for Christian worldview organizations and is currently raising funds and awareness for pediatric palliative care work in Swaziland. Eunice, his wife, recently completed a Masters in Genetic Engineering.
EMILY LEWIS
Content Curator and Social Media Manager
Emily is a graduate of Gordon College with a degree in Communication Arts and Journalism. Granddaughter to Ralph and Roberta Winter, she witnessed first-hand the development of the RWI ideology and listened-in on many dinner conversations about theodicy. This profoundly affected the way she viewed human suffering when, as a young adult, she began to travel to some of the most impoverished places in the world to mobilize prayer. As part of the Strategic Prayer Equipping Group she founded a prayer house in a slum area of New Delhi, India, where she lived for four years. She now resides outside San Francisco, where she's writing a book about her personal journey coming to understand the will of God in regard to sickness.
TERESA PARSONS
Assistant to the Director
Teresa spent the first seven years of her life moving with her family from California to Texas, New Jersey, Nigeria, Chile, Louisiana, and back to Texas where they settled down in the small town of Sour Lake. As a young nomad she learned to value knowing and loving people from all over the world with different cultural and religious backgrounds. After coming to Christ in her teen years, this passion grew into a desire to be involved in missions and to see the gospel brought to the least reached. Teresa received a B.A. in Human Relations from East Texas Baptist University. She served seven years in the Personnel Office at the U.S. Center for World Mission as the Personnel Manager and then as the Executive Assistant. Teresa and her husband, Andrew live in California with their two children.
JEFFREY HAVENNER
Science Advisor - Microbiology
Jeff Havenner graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in microbiology. He worked at the Frederick Cancer Research Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland in oncogenic virology. Following that he was directly commissioned in the US Army and worked at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Department of Rickettsial Diseases. He continued in the Army Chemical Corps assigned to various posts in the United States and Europe. After leaving the Army he continued his career working for the US Department of the Army in the field of radiation safety and safety management.
