Governance

Beginning Experience International Ministry, Inc. is recognized as a ministry of the Catholic Church.  In the United States, it is listed in the Official Catholic Directory and in the Directory of Lay Movements, Organizations and Professional Associations published by the the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Secretariate for Family, Laity, Women and Youth.  The Most Reverend Patrick Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo, Texas, serves as the ministry’s liaison to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 
Beginning Experience International Ministry, Inc. is governed by an International Board of Directors responsible for maintaining program integrity; the financial health, growth and development of the ministry; and overseeing its legal and ethical responsibilities. The International Board maintains an International Ministry Center staffed with an Executive Director charged with the day-to-day operation of the ministry, which includes the following responsibilities:

  1. Monitors program integrity, trademark, and copyright compliance
  2. Establishes and certifies local teams to present ministry programs
  3. Provides training, technical and material support to teams in local communities
  4. Monitors the quality of local team service
  5. Holds the U.S. federal tax-exempt status for the entire organization
  6. Maintains registration of the trademarks and copyrights
  7. Connects with the Church and other ministries and organizations at the national/international level
  8. Funded through team stewardship and participant fees, gifts, product sales, and special events
  9. Delegates responsibilities for the ministry in Great Britain and Ireland and in the Asia Pacific to a Regional Board in each of those areas.

Each local team is:

  1. Composed of trained volunteers selected from program participants
  2. Affiliated with the International Ministry Office
  3. Certified by the International Ministry Office to present the programs
  4. Responsible for delivery of ministry programs to a given area
  5. Affiliated in a reporting capacity with the local Catholic diocese or, in certain instances and with express permission, another denomination in which it has been formed
  6. Funded through program fees, gifts, product sales and special events
  7. Governed by a board chosen from the membership and charged with maintaining local program integrity and operating the local ministry within the guidelines and policies established by the International Board

International Board of Directors

Executive Director

Michelle Barrentine, San Antonio, Texas

International Board of Directors

JoAnn Paxton, Salem, Oregon
President

Jay Fredrick, Ames, Iowa
Treasurer

Maria Rojas, Los Angeles, California
Secretary

Dick Kelly, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Director/BRD

Dorothy DeGroot, Spencer, Iowa
Director/BRD

Mike Losee, Ankeny, Iowa
Director/BRD

Deacon Sean Dooley, San Antonio, Texas
Director/BRD

Sandy Possehl, Orange County, California
Director

Denise Evans, Manchester, New Hampshire
Director

Rev. Daniel Krettek, Elkhart, Iowa
Spiritual Director

Regional Boards

Regional Board of Great Britain and Ireland

This board has administrative responsibilities for Beginning Experience teams in Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland delegated from the Executive Director.

Donal Swift, President, Dublin, Ireland

Marie McKenna, Secretary/Data Protection, Ireland

Susi Monteagudo, Dublin, Ireland

Michelle Barrentine, Executive Director, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Asia Pacific Regional Board

This board has administrative responsibilities for Beginning Experience teams in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore delegated from the Executive Director.

Sue Teo, President, Singapore

Anne Harkness, Auckland, New Zealand

Jan Fedley, Lismore, Australia

Michelle Barrentine, Executive Director, San Antonio, Texas, USA

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