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Board of Directors

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Joanna Dennstaedt

Executive Director & Chair

Visit Joanna's page to find out more 

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Nance McCown

Board Member

Professor of Communications at Messiah College

Interests in PR include: leadership influence on internal PR; PR and activism; PR ethics Regularly attends and presents research at national conferences    and regional professional seminars; submission reviewer for scholarly conferences and journals Faculty Advisor, PRSSA-Messiah College Chapter Robert and Marilyn Smith Excellence in Teaching Award recipient, 2011 Interests/Hobbies: Worship leader, youth mentor, knitting, geocaching, gardening, getting lost in a great book, watching movies, rising to challenges, enjoying an ice-cold Coca cola Ph.D. in Public Relations University of Maryland M.A. in Journalism Temple University B.A. in English (with teaching certification) Messiah College Other things noted personally about Nance: She taught the class that lead Radiant Hope through a marketing over hall last year with her PR marketing class. She is a mentor to Joanna and Radiant Hope. She is a donor and sold out to our mission, on top of that she lost her mom to breast cancer when she was 13 and that has impacted her life greatly.

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Paul Hayes

Board Member

Owner Paul Hayes Homes and Realtor @ eXp Realty

Paul was born and raised in Central Pennsylvania. After attending Virginia Tech on a Track & Field Scholarship (Graduated with BS Management in 2002) Paul and his bride, Katie found themselves moving to Devon, PA where Katie worked in IT for General Electric and where Paul launched his career in Real Estate. Paul joined in the launching of Keller Williams of Central Pa in Camp Hill. In 2008, Paul and his business partner launched Keller Williams Keystone Realty in York County, Pa. Today these Keller Williams Realty offices cover thousands of transactions a year in Cumberland, Adams, York, Dauphin, Lancaster, Perry, and Franklin Counties. Paul Hayes believes in community and is involved as a volunteer with youth sports. Paul serves on the board of a local Library and is active in support of local school districts and non-profits like New Hope Ministries. Paul and his family (Katie, Noah, Lily, Timothy) enjoy sports, hiking, biking, camping, and spending quality time with family and friends.

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Deb Pierson

Board Member

President and CEO of Pierson Computing

A certified Project Management Institute Professional. Deb has built  a solid reputation for technical support and project management services, first at IBM and now at Pierson, she founded in 1993. As President and CEO, she oversees business development and operations and establishes relationships with key business partners.  Deb thrives on watching her team members consistently solve customer challenges. As a women owned enterprise, she is passionate about lending guidance and assisting women in business.  Deb donates her time to worthy causes such as being on the board of the alzheimer’s association of greater PA and Executive Women International. She has 2 daughters and her husband Jeff. Despite her impressive business success, Deb feels her most significant accomplishments are rooted in her deepest passions, which are supporting working women, serving as President of the Christian Business Women’s Fellowship of Central Pennsylvania, mentoring for the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, and sponsoring Dress for Success.   Personally Deb is a mentor to Joanna and passionate about our mission and helping the foundation of our organization succeed. She brings a wealth of knowledge about business but also to the board as having served on many boards throughout her years as CEO of Pierson. 

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David M. "Kelly" Phipps

Board Member

President/CEO of Rider Musser Development, LLC

EDUCATION: J.D. Law from University of Akron School of Law M.A. Ethics from Ashland University/Seminary B.A. Business Management from Malone University In, 1999 Messiah College, hired Kelly to be the Director of Development and Government relations.  He led and organized several campaigns for Messiah and other business entities raising more than $200M.  He has appeared in many townhall and community hearings and gained the experience in getting projects approved. He organized government relation programs resulting in millions of dollars in federal funds to supplement costs.  He has extensive experience with executive contacts, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, as well as building a development team and implementing strategic plans.  President of Rider Musser Development, LLC building the Oakwood Hills Project near Messiah College.  He is on the board for the Alzheimer’s Associations of Greater PA and Part of the Philanthropy Advisory committee for the Brethren Housing Association.  

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Michelle Day

Board Member

Physicians Assistant Penn State Health Hematology 

Michelle grew up in Southern York County and graduated from St. Francis University with a Bachelors in Physician Assistant Sciences. She has over 25 years of diverse healthcare experience. Michelle is currently working at Penn State Health Hematology and is involved with various committees to promote advancement and education of advanced practice providers, students and residents. She is the team leader for the Thrombosis Clinic of Central Pennsylvania. Michelle also worked at the Lebanon VAMC in Primary Care and UPMC in the Emergency Department prior to landing her job in Hematology. She is married to her husband, Steve, and has four daughters who keep her busy when she is not working. Michelle brings two unique aspects to our board make up as both a healthcare provider and cancer survivor. Michelle was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2020, smack dab in the middle of the Covid pandemic ( when she was also trying to work and manage three children schooling from home). After receiving a care package from Radiant Hope during her cancer treatment, she was sold on the mission and outreach of Radiant Hope and became an instant donor. Michelle is honored to be a board member of this amazing organization. Michelle has served her community in past years as a worship leader, Sunday school teacher, and women’s Bible study leader. Michelle’s favorite place to vacation is on the beach in Siesta Key Florida.

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