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BRETT DURBIN | Chairman
Brett Durbin jumped on a plane to Honduras in search of a worthy cause to bring back to his church, and what he found changed his life. A college pastor for over two years in Lakeland, Florida, Brett holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary. In addition to his duties with Trash Mountain Project, Brett is an adjunct professor at Southeastern University teaching criminal justice and theology. He would love to eavesdrop on a conversation between C.S. Lewis, Mother Teresa, and Francis Chan, but understands that this dream will have to wait for another time and place.
One of Brett’s life goals is to always be as transparent as possible and to always strive to love Christ through protecting and serving His children. All things are possible for the Creator of all things. He is married to the most incredible person on the face of the planet, Jaelle, and is blessed to be the father of three: Gabriel, Matthew, and Susan. Brett thanks God every day that He has given him the
opportunity to be a part of this incredible organization. Brett’s motivation is Him, and to serve the least, the lost, and the forgotten.
“I have always searched for the true meaning of discipleship…and I found it on a mountain of trash.” (Brett Durbin)
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JAELLE DURBIN | Secretary
Married to Brett for over eight amazing years and the mother of four, Jaelle prays to be blessed like Sarah, with more children than she could possibly count. With a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Washburn University and many credit hours towards a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling at Asbury Theological Seminary, she has taken a break from school to raise her three young children, Gabriel, Matthew, and Susan, and follow the Lord on this amazing journey.
Months prior to the original trip to Honduras, Jaelle sensed that the Holy Spirit was bringing about a major change in the life of her family. Repeatedly waking in the night to inaudible sounds of knocking, she praised God for whatever He was planning to do. Shortly before traveling to Tegucigalpa, Jaelle’s faith radically shifted. For the first time ever, she visually saw the hand of God at work around her. The experience brought her a new peace and understanding that wherever the Lord led her family, He would be among them, orchestrating every step of their way.
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JOSH BECHARD | Treasurer
Joshua Bechard served in the U.S. Army from August of 2001 to August of 2007, living abroad in South Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds an associate’s degree in Computer Network Engineering from Polk State College, and currently works as a Network Engineer for Acts360. For the past four years, he has been married to his beautiful wife, Kelly, and has two amazing sons, Silas and James.
In August of 2001, Josh joined the Army, wanting to serve and see the world. We all know how shortly after the world changed. He certainly did see the world. He witnessed destruction and death and realized more than he had ever before that this world needs a Savior. Yes there is evil, but Josh serves so that God is glorified. It is his desire that Trash Mountain Project brings hope to the hopeless.
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DR. BRENT NICHOLS | Director
Through a broad range of experience and education Dr. Nichols has the ability to assess and analyze natural resource issues with his expertise in ecology, wetlands, threatened & endangered species, as well as project management. As an ecologist, Dr. Nichols has attained expertise through academia and extensive fieldwork studying ecological associations while focusing on distribution, soil, endemism and rarity.
Additionally, Dr. Nichols is a proficient technical writer having prepared and principled numerous proposals, environmental assessments and reports. He has currently published research in five peer reviewed scientific journals. He is also an AAUS certified research diver, PADI Cavern diver, and NAUI rescue diver and has logged over 800 hours underwater.
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KEN VANDER HART | Director
Husband to Marcy for over 30 years, father to Brittany, Keaton, and Chase, and Papa to Jackson, grandson, are what you will generally first hear from Ken when asked about himself. His introduction to Trash Mountain Project came through his son, Keaton, who served as a summer intern in 2011 at TMP Santiago, D.R.
He began his professional career in 1983 as a certified public accountant after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. He spent many years with two financial services organizations before co-founding Harvest Financial Group in 1999. Ken is a Qualified Kingdom Advisor™ who believes in long-term relationships both personally and professionally. The level of client service that Ken has committed to for each of his clients, calls for a high level of interpersonal contact.
Serving alongside his family and several others on his first overseas mission trip in January 2012 is a highlight of his service with TMP. This organization helps us live out love in action. “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him? Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.” (1 John 3:16-18)
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JON DEMEO | Director
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