"Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well." (Mother Teresa)



Officers & Board Members

Founder and President - Theresa Tran
Officers & Board MembersTheresa Tran founded Messengers of Love in 2004 and is its president from inception until now. Under her leadership, she has assembled a network of volunteers, donors and infrastructure that reach out to improve the lives of thousands of orphans and the poor annually. Her love for children, her Vietnamese heritage and her strong Christian faith led her to her life’s calling, which is to help make a difference to the lives of the abandoned children in Vietnam and other Southeast Asia countries.

Ms. Tran is a certified systems engineer, having worked for major corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton. She also worked at Asian Pacific American Heritage Association organization as the executive director. Her educational background includes a B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science & Technology, a Master in Business Administration and a Master in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. She is currently running Messengers of Love, taking care of her elderly father full time, and is a part time mental health counselor counseling victims of crime. Ms. Tran is active in various community projects including teaching bible at the local church and other church activities.Ms. Tran is active in various community projects including teaching bible at the local church and other church activities.


Treasurer
Rodger Lebedz

Officers & Board MembersRodger Lebedz has been involved with MOL since 2004.  Currently he is appointed Treasurer of MOL.  He has been on MOL mission trips to Vietnam and has witnessed and participated in the good works being done by MOL for those in need.  Mr. Lebedz believes that MOL is a special charity organization with a special element. Many charities want to give, but MOL’s founding philosophy is to give with Love. He believes that this emphasis has significant benefits for both those giving and receiving. Mr. Lebedz’s goal for MOL is to assure that as the organization grows, it maintains its core founding philosophies.

Mr. Lebdedz is an Aerospace Engineer and Project Manager.  He has worked for NASA at Johnson Space Center and for Enventure Global Technology, an oil field technology company in Houston, TX. He is currently working at the NASA Goddard Center in Huntsville Alabama. Mr. LeBedz received a B.S in Aerospace Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL.
Mr. Lebedz has a strong love for spirituality which has led him to many activities within his church. 


Spiritual Director
Father Hoang Joe Bui

Officers & Board MembersFather Hoang Joe Bui has been the spiritual director for MOL since 2010.  He was instrumental in helping MOL expand its program to include helping the children who were given to the orphanages by unwed mothers.
  
Fr. Bui is currently the Pastor of St. Edward Catholic church in Houston. He was ordained in 2004 and had been a priest in the Galveston-Houston diocese for the last 15 years.  His faith in God, strong love for the poor and love for mission work were what led him to MOL.


 

Spiritual Director
Venerable Van Phap

Officers & Board MembersVenerable Van Phap has been involved with MOL since its inception. He traveled with MOL members to visit and assist many orphanages in Vietnam.

Ven. Van Phap is currently the abbot of Thanh Long temple in Pearland Texas.  He had helped many people regain their health through acupuncture and the practice of Eastern medicine.  He is a 3 degree black belt in Binh Dinh Kung Fu and found the Thanh Long martial art school. 

He is a true Bodhisattva, having traveled often to Cambodia and Vietnam to help build orphanages and provide assistance to the poor.


Member of Board of Directors
Dr. David Gillis

Officers & Board MembersDr. David Gillis has been on the board of director of MOL since 2011.  He was a Navy flight surgeon with a Marine helicopter squadron and served 13 months in Vietnam. While there he flew various missions, including medical evacuation, and held sick call in local Vietnamese villages twice a week. He left Vietnam with an enduring respect for the Vietnamese people and their struggle for liberty. In 2006 and again in 2007, Dr. Gillis returned to Vietnam for the dedication of an elementary school at the Cam Thanh in the Cam Lo district and the Trieu Dai Medical Station in the Trieu Phong District of Quang Tri Province. Dr. Gillis was the major donor for both of these projects.

Dr. Gillis received his MD degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his PhD in physiology at University of California at San Francisco, then completed a residency in anesthesiology there before practicing in Berkeley, CA for twenty years. In 1990, he re-joined the active Naval reserves and deployed with the Marines again to the Persian Gulf War and for humanitarian assistance in Bangladesh after a devastating cyclone there. Upon retirement from the Navy, he came to Houston where he is a UTMB assistant professor and works with Wiley Life Sciences at the Johnson Space Center.


Member of Board of Directors
Dr. Hien Van Tran

Officers & Board MembersDr. Hien Van Tran has been a board member of MOL since 2008. He provides advice to MOL on tax return and financial transparency, participates in fund raising activities, represents MOL and performs numerous charitable activities on its behalf in Vietnam.

Dr. Tran is retired from a full time professor position of Management Information Systems (MIS) at University of Houston-Clear Lake.  He is a graduate of University of Houston & Pennsylvania State University Ph.D. in MIS, MS in Accounting, and BS in Economics, MA in Economics and Supply Chain Management in 1978.  At UHCL, he was Chair of the MIS program and served as the director of Vietnam program to establish collaborative programs with Vietnamese universities that send many hundred students to Houston, the USA, Australia and Europe for college education.  Dr. Tran has worked at corporations and also had a CPA working with Vietnamese small businesses in Houston.
Dr. Tran wanted to use his experience in education to help MOL to carry its educational mission efficiently in Vietnam. 


Member of Board of Directors
Agatha Tran

Officers & Board Members Since MOL inception, Angatha Tran has been actively involved in assisting MOL with various fundraising activities. Agatha hopes to help the orphans of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries to make a difference in these children’s lives.

Mrs. Tran is a Certified Public Accountant. She is currently the Assistant Controller and VIce President for Mattress Firm. Prior to that, she served in various financial management positions for several energy companies. She graduated from the University of Houston with a B.B.A in Accounting.

Mrs. Tran resides in Houston with her husband and 3 children. Mrs. Tran loves to play volleyball, pickle ball and dabble in her garden in her down time.


General Secretary
Kym-Oanh Nguyen

Officers & Board MembersKym-Oanh Nguyen was elected Secretary of MOL on October 2012. She is also serving as an advisor for Messengers of Love Youth (MOLY) since its inception. During the past 5 years, she has been an active MOL’s volunteer and supporter.  She came to MOL hoping to share "a little laugh...a little promise...a little hope" with the people at MOL, sharing a journey to make a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring joy, compassion, and love...the true meaning of giving each child an opportunity to be successful in life. She strongly believes every child is a unique superstar! 
For the past 13+ years, her volunteerism extended into public schools, swim clubs, and non-profit organizations like Susan G. Komen for a Cure. Ms. Nguyen received a B.A. from University of the Incarnate Word. 
Ms. Nguyen is a big fan of the TCU Horned Frog Swim Team where her son goes, and has two daughters. 


Member of Board of Directors
Father Nghiem Le

Officers & Board MembersFather Nghiem Le has been an active MOL member since 2006. He has been instrumental in distributing much needed supplies from MOL to the people in the flood affected areas in Central Vietnam. He also is the Santa Claus to more than 1000 children in these areas since 2006, distributing MOL Christmas gifts to the children.

Father Le is a retired pastor. He served at 3 parishes in Hue, Central Vietnam. Besides serving the people at his parishes, he tirelessly helps the poor in his village and the surrounding villages. He is leading our “Charity Restaurant” (Quán Cơm Nhân Ái) and help serves daily meals to over 100 poor and hospital patients. His love for the poor has led him to become MOL’s Vietnam representative.




Member of Board of Directors
Wendy Nguyen

Officers & Board MembersWendy Nguyen was the Treasurer of MOL since 2006 until October 2012. Her love for children and her strong Christian faith led her to MOL.

Ms. Nguyen is a CPA who used to work for the fifth largest CPA firm in Houston and now own her own accounting firm.  She has a B.A in Accounting.

She sings in her church choir and is active in various community projects including church activities. She is married with three children.

 

Member of Board of Directors
Kieu Nga Tran Officers & Board Members

 Kieu Nga Tran has been a donor and volunteer for MOL for many years and on the advisory board since 2009. She believes that the orphans not only need food and clothing, but also an education so they can have a brighter future by being able to support themselves and contribute back to the society.

Mrs. Tran was working as an Office Manager of Alief Dental in Houston, having served the Houston community for more than 30 years. She is now retired. She graduated from the University of Saigon with a B.S. in Math and Science. She has been to VietNam, Thailand, India and Haitifor mission trips, and is also very active locally serving seniors in S.W. Houston Nursing Homes. Ms. Tran is an active member in her church group and has been involved with many church related charity projects.

She resides in Sugar Land, and is a grandmother of 2 lovely girls, 1 and 3 years old.


Member of Board of Directors
My Le Vo

Officers & Board MembersMy Le Vo has been a member of MOL Advisory Board since 2009. She and her husband, Dang Vo, an architect and graphic designer, are committed to help improve the lives of poor children and the elderly in Vietnam. Their cherished goal is to help orphans and poor children have opportunities to realize their optimum potential and bring forth their God given talents. Their two children and spouses enthusiastically support them in their work at MOL.

Ms. Vo is the owner and principal of Montessori Learning Institute, a school for ages 3 months to 11 years. She is the director and an instructor at Montessori Teacher Education Institute – Houston, a teacher training program. She received Montessori certification in France and in the United States. She received a B.S from East Texas State University in Education and French, and is presently completing a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at St. Thomas University in Houston. She has been teaching elementary students at her school and training teachers for the past 30 years. She also presents workshops at educational conferences.

 

 

 


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Messengers of Love is a 501c(3) non profit charity organization dedicated to bringing joy and happiness to the orphaned and poor.
Tax ID # 11-3730103