U.S. Staff

Sandra G. Brotzman / Coordinator of Hospitality

Sandra Brotzman grew up in the Dominican Republic.  The daughter of a pastor who was later the Caribbean President of G.O. Ministries, she grew up ministering to the neighborhood needs and hosting short-term teams in her home.   After graduating from college, she was the Principal of Colegio Isaias Immanuel in Hoya del Caimito.  She later married Brook Brotzman, President of G.O. Ministries, and they moved to the U.S. to continue to build partnerships for the ministry.

Sandra is a staple in the ministry and many have been blessed by her hospitality.  She hosts and serves more than 50 visiting ministry partners and supporters each year in Louisville, encourages the staff in the U.S. and the D.R., and serves as a cultural liason for G.O., bringing a better understanding of Dominican culture, tradition and language as we build strong and lasting partnership across Hispaniola.  Brook and Sandra have two daughters, Gabrielle and Brianna.

Cathi Christopher / Bookkeeper

Cathi Christopher worked in the corporate world for several years and came to a place where she wanted to do more than just work for a paycheck.  In June 2009, she was working at Brown Forman Corporation when she volunteered at the Derby fundraising event for G.O.  At that event, Cathi discovered the opportunity she was looking for.  Shortly after, she joined G.O. as the bookkeeper tracking all financial aspects of the ministry.  Cathi is married to Lewis and they have two sons, Nick and Connor.

Derek Gard

In 2004, Derek came on his first mission trip through G.O. with a team from Windsor Road Christian Church.  In eight days he fell in love with the island of Hispaniola and the work that G.O was doing there.  Returning to visit and serve every summer became an annual event for him.  In 2008, he and his wife, Lydia, led a team from Pathway Community Church.  After leading teams the following two years, Derek and his wife, Lydia, answered God’s call in their lives to missions and joined G.O. as full-time staff.

His time in the United States Marine Corps, attending school at Parkland College and Indiana Wesleyan University along with a six year career as a Director at the YMCA have all been great preparation for his service with G.O.  Derek oversees many aspects of partnerships to advocate on behalf of national partners with American individuals, churches and short-term team members, developing deeper partnerships in ministry and further developing and maintaining G.O.’s Partnership program over all.  Derek and Lydia have four children, Logan, Isaiah, Simeon, and Amaysa.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: gardsadventurousfaith.blogspot.com

Help Continue Derek's Ministry with G.O.

Lydia Gard

Lydia Gard led a trip with her husband, Derek, to the Dominican in 2008.  Her husband’s enthusiasm and passion for the people of Hispaniola and the way G.O. approached missions were contagious.  It wasn’t long before Lydia shared that same passion and returned by leading a team the following year and eventually joining the G.O. staff in 2010.

Lydia provides administrative support to the partnership team.  She is an avid volleyball player and was a standout at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  She also recruits sports teams to participate in outreach activities with our partners in the field and assists the ongoing sports outreach with a focus on developing relationships within the volleyball community.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: gardsadventurousfaith.blogspot.com

Help Continue Lydia's Ministry with G.O.

Brian Johnson / Director of Education

Brian Johnson loves God's Word, loves to communicate the truth of God's Word, and loves to help others to effectively and accurately teach God's Word. For several years Brian has travelled with G.O. Ministries to the Dominican Republic and Haiti to train pastors and church leaders. In May 2009 he and his wife, Josanne, discerned God calling Brian to serve in this capacity full-time.  In May 2010, Brian began working full-time with G.O. Ministries in the education of national church leaders and ministry staff in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the U.S. and elsewhere. He and others at G.O. Ministries are establishing a full-time ministry training center in Santiago, DR.

Previous to responding to this call, Brian taught at Lincoln Christian College where he was an associate professor of New Testament. Before that, he and his family lived in Aberdeen, Scotland for three years where Brian pursued a Ph.D. in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen. Brian had held preaching ministries before that as well as teaching for three years in two different institutions of higher education.

Brian often speaks and teaches both in the US and internationally. He frequently presents papers at scholarly conferences both nationally and internationally. He has read papers at several Society of Biblical Literature International Meetings including the ones held in Edinburgh, Scotland; Grönigen, The Netherlands; Cambridge, England; and Vienna, Austria. Additionally, he has read at the main and regional Society of Biblical Literature Meetings, main and regional meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society, as well as meetings of other professional societies.

Brian and Josanne have three children; Alex, Bethany, and Andrew.

Click Here to View Personal Blog:: Briandjohnsonministries.org

Help Continue Brian's Ministry with G.O.

Reid Olson / Director of Media

Reid Olson spent over a decade working as a TV news photojournalist at CNN, NBC and CBS affiliates. He’s produced documentary films, special projects and won numerous regional and national awards for his work. In March of 2010, while working as the Chief Photographer at WAVE 3 News, he received an assignment to travel to Haiti to cover the devastating earthquake there. G.O. Ministries was in the midst of coordinating a massive relief effort, and served as Reid’s guide and host while on the island. He was moved by the poverty and destruction he saw all over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but also inspired by the work he saw God doing through the people of G.O.. Two years later, Reid decided to leave his career in television and follow God’s call to join G.O. and actively take part in that amazing work. He now brings his passion for visual storytelling to the position of Director of Media. He produces short films, commercials and webisodes about G.O.’s work all over the world. He and his wife Kristen met while attending Indiana University and have two children, Noah and Micah, and an almost child, Haley, a yellow lab.

Help Continue Reid's Ministry with G.O.

Jerry Woodcox / Director of Kingdom Business and Office Administration

 In August of 2006, Jerry Woodcox visited Brook Brotzman with G.O. Ministries and discussed what it takes to grow a 501 (c) 3 organization.  As a successful lawyer and businessman, his advice was welcomed and he was asked to help grow Kingdom Businesses through G.O.  full-time.  He was hesitant at first acknowledging that ministry was different than business and that G.O. doesn’t always analyze everything with the bottom line mentality, but with faith.  However, in December of that year, he went on a trip to the Dominican and Haiti and was captured by the people and what G.O. was doing across the island.

By 2007, Jerry started with G.O. fulltime overseeing all aspects of Kingdom Business growth to give locals business opportunities and to grow the future of the ministry and the daily functions of the stateside international headquarters .  Jerry and his wife, Vickie, have two children; Brent and Kristen and a grandson, Matthew.