Our Team

Meet Our Staff

Mike Meyers

Board President & Executive Director (Founder)

Eduardo de Melo Ribeiro

Field Director - South America

Courtney Cassada

Executive Assistant

Meet Our Board

Paul Lastova, PT, DSc

Chairman | Board member since 2014
Paul is a senior physical therapist at the Outpatient Specialty Rehabilitation Center at Inova Loudoun Hospital.

William Patience

Secretary | Board member since 2018
Bill is a project engineer at Collins Aerospace.

Jason Drakopoulos

Treasurer | Board member since 2016
Jay is vice president of Redwood Commercial Real Estate Services in Centreville, Va.

Sonja Roberts

Board member since 2016
Sonja is the owner of Derivative Consulting Group, a government contract acquisition consultancy based in Richmond, Va.

David Kiendl

Board member since 2018
David is a Geospatial Intelligence Analyst with The Department of the Army.

Jason VanDorsten

Board member since 2017
Jason is a pastor and the director of media and communications at Reston Bible Church in Sterling, Va.

Dr. Brandon Coffey, DO

Board member since 2025
Brandon is a physician specializing in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine in Sarasota County, Florida.

Matt Windley

Board member since 2014
Matt is the senior pastor at The Bridge Community Church in Morrisville, N.C.

About Mike Meyers

Mike Meyers is the founder of Open Arms Worldwide and serves as its President and Executive Director, as well as Family Pastor at CenterPointe Christian Church in Venice, FL. A dedicated family man, Mike is passionate about mentoring young people in faith and service. After transitioning from the business sector to full-time ministry, he and his wife Patricia established Open Arms Brazil in 2005 and relocated their young family to Brazil the following year to create Comunidade Braços Abertos Brasil. In 2011, he became the founding President of Open Arms Worldwide, focused on mobilizing the church to implement transformative outreach programs for children and youth in socially vulnerable communities. For the past 20 years, Mike has spoken throughout Brazil and the U.S. on the vital role of the church in providing the next generation with opportunities to embrace the hope of Jesus. He and Patricia now reside in Venice, Florida.

Learn more about the history of Open Arms

About Courtney Cassada

Courtney officially joined the Open Arms Worldwide team in 2022 and has since made a remarkable impact. She takes on numerous roles, from bookkeeping and coordinating mission trip logistics to organizing fundraising events and leading social media communications. Additionally, she collaborates closely with our Executive Director on various strategic initiatives. Courtney’s passion for the mission of Open Arms Worldwide extends beyond domestic efforts. Recently, she, along with her husband Pat and son Sawyer, successfully led a sizable short-term team in Brazil.

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