Board of Directors

VIRGIL HUGHES
​Experienced non-profit CEO, with more than 25 years running stand-alone and multi-site service organizations, as well as 10 years owning a private consulting firm.​​
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TIM MILLER​
A 30-year track record as an executive in the commercial finance sector, and more as a Christian volunteer. Most notably, he served as Chair of the Florida chapter of the Moral Majority.

JACK GARDNER
Experienced financial manager, with backgrounds in CFO and banking roles.   At the age of 50, Jack went back to school for a degree in Theology, and founded the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan, where he serves as its Executive Director.

BILL ORGA
International Sales for Eaton Corporation. Recently retired, he is an active member of Grace Community Church in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, sits on its Board, and leads a small group in its Men's Ministry.
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DANA KALTENBERGER
The Director of Global Ministries for Grace Community Church in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, our first church partner. Together with her husband, the lead pastor, they have listened to the Holy Spirit to establish one of the top 50 fastest growing churches in the US.

MIKE FENELLO
President of a regional arm of a construction products company. An active Christian for many years, he has sent his children on mission trips, and now feels called to "get out of his comfort zone." He is an active member of Grace Community Church in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.

JOHN MILLER
(Ret.) President of the northeast subsidiary of a national propane dealer. He currently, and has in the past, serves on numerous boards and professional associations. He is an active member of Grace Community Church in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Glwadys Admone Gbetibouo
Over 20 years of experience as a researcher/ international development expert, particularly in agriculture and rural development, environment, and climate change. She is currently running her own private consulting firm in sustainable development since 2015.

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Our History

NewVines International, Inc. had its beginning in 2012 when two men from the United States were roommates on a church mission trip to Kenya. Tom Blumberg and Virgil Hughes, both businessmen in the U.S., saw the opportunity that even small amounts of capital and training could provide.  Mr. Hughes met with a small group of villagers on that trip to discuss micro-lending.  Over the next few years the two men informally helped with the establishment of four savings cooperatives in western Kenya.

In 2014, Mr. Hughes began to sense a calling to set up a non-profit to bring more focused help to western Kenya. 

In November of 2015, NVI was chartered as a Pennsylvania Non-Profit Corporation, with Mr. Hughes and Mr. Blumberg  two of its three founding Board Members. The IRS granted tax-exempt status to NewVines International, Inc. in March 2017.