SALT LEADERSHIP
We believe that healthy organizations must hold firm to the Mission and Values, while at the same time be flexible to adjust Strategy and Measures. It is with this idea in mind that the SALT leadership team is divided into three teams, working towards the same goal, organizational health.
- Global Team oversees the creation of content, leads pastor assessments, develops partnership opportunities, oversees the SALT SERVE mission trips, trains leaders in the SALT content, and more.
- Executive Team oversees and performs the regulatory and operations functions such as bookkeeping, office tasks, website maintenance, and more.
- Board of Directors works for the grown of SALT and the advancement of SALT's mission. The Board oversees regulatory compliance and holds leadership accountable with regard to Mission and Values.
Timofey Dovgalyuk
Founder & President
Executive Team Leader
Board Member
Timofey was born in Riga, Latvia and grew up in the Soviet Union. Timofey got this first taste of serving in the 1980’s when he and his family traveled throughout Eastern Europe as music missionaries visiting hospitals, playing in prisons, sharing the gospel and encouraging the persecuted church.
Timofey’s father was one of the founding members of the first non-profit organization in the former Soviet Union which was formed with the specific goal of serving the marginalized.
The Dovgalyuk family moved to the Washington DC area in 1991. Following his graduation from the University of Virginia with a degree in Architecture and a degree in East European Languages and Literature, Timofey and his wife Andrea founded a company in the Northern Virginia Area.
In 2014 Timofey’s father passed away after a long battle with cancer and the Lord called Timofey to take a more active role in ministry.
Timofey is a husband, a father of four, business and non-profit leader. He resides in the Washington, DC area.
Greg Gibson
Co-Founder
Global Team Leader
Co-founder and global team leader of SALT, Gregory Gibson is the founding and lead pastor of Nations Church in the Washington, DC area. He is also the founder of Gibson Leadership, an organization that aims to build healthy Great Commission leaders globally.
Greg has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Boyce College in Biblical and Theological Studies, an Advanced Masters of Divinity (MDiv) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the Biblical Languages, and a Masters of Theology (ThM) also from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Leadership.
He is the author of several books and ebooks on church planting, leadership, and Great Commission living, including Great Commission Manhood, SALT DNA, Church Planter Assessment, and How to Think Like Jesus.
Most importantly, he is married to Grace, and he is the proud father of Cora and Iver. They reside in the Washington, DC area
Taras Prystupa
Global Team
Ukraine Catalyst
Board Member
Taras is a church planter, educator, and pastor in Ukraine with decades of experience in Ukraine and the surrounding nations.
He has been a part of over 70+ church plants and sent out missionaries all over the world (including North Africa, Asia, and the Middle East).
Taras is the founder of the School for Biblical Preaching in Rivne, Ukraine, that has over the years educated hundreds of pastors.
In addition, Taras is the founder of the Hope To People non-profit ministry in Rivne, Ukraine.
Taras often jokes that he has 6 children, "5 boys and the rest are girls." He and his wife reside in Western Ukraine.
Jordan H. Thigpen
Global Team
Assessments and Coaching
At SALT Jordan serves as the member of the Global Team with emphasis on pastor assessments and coaching. Jordan is the Director for Equipping and one of the pastors of Connection Church Statesboro, and also serves as the Associate Director for the Connection Network, a family of churches seeking to plant 50 churches by the year 2050.
Jordan has a Bachelors of Arts (BA) from Georgia Southern University in Creative Writing and Linguistics and a Masters of Arts (MA) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with an emphasis in Theology.
Jordan is the husband to Macey. They met in college at the church Jordan is now a pastor, and they have three incredible kids: Mclendon, Charlotte, and Keller.
Jason Trudell
Global Team
Ukraine Coordinator
SALT Ukraine Coordinator and retired U.S. Army Special Operations Officer, Jason Trudell is the Executive Director for Servants for His Kingdom, an international missionary organization that serves those most affected by disaster and conflict.
Jason has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Methodist University in Political Science and is pursuing a Master’s in Divinity (MDiv) from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Missiology.
He is joined in ministry with his wife, Aliona, a native Ukrainian who serves as a woman’s ministry leader, church planting core team member, community outreach coordinator, and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.
Jonathan Forrester
Global Team
Poland Coordinator
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Jonathan is an avid Pittsburgh Sports fan and is currently an Electrician by trade. Although Jonathan Grew up in church, he was called to ministry on a mission trip to London, England in 2018, and he has spent the last several years preparing for where God would take him to serve.
Jonathan went to Poland and Ukraine for the first time in 2023 to serve with SALT. It was during that trip that Jonathan Said yes to serving with SALT in Eastern Europe and began to prepare to move to Poland.
Jonathan currently serves as the Poland Coordinator, and he currently lives in Washington, DC and serves with Nations Church. He plans to move to Warsaw, Poland in the summer of 2024.
James Balor
Global Team
SALT HUB - Taglish
SALT Hub team member, James Balor is the lead pastor of His Touch Ministries in Balanga City. He's also the senior leader of His Touch Ministries a network of gospel-centered churches in Luzon, Philippines.
James is a licensed nurse, and licensed professional teacher. He has units in MATheo from Asian Theological Serminary, and Certificate of Pastoral Studies from Worldreach Bible Institute.
James is married to Jonah, and resides in Balanga City, Philippines.
Mani Mohammadi
Global Team
SALT HUB - Farsi
Mani Mohammadi is a missionary and a preacher. Mani was born to a Muslim family in Iran. In 2009, Christ saved him through a satellite TV program while he was in Iran.
Mani is the founder of the Face-to-Face ministry, a non-profit organization focusing on reaching Muslims for Christ. Mani regularly preaches Christ to Muslims (in Farsi), is a Church planter, and a producer of various media and audio programs.
Mani has a bachelor's degree in international politics from a university in Ukraine. He is a graduate of the School for Biblical Preaching and serves as one of the elders of local churches in Armenia and Turkey.
Timothy Karpuk
Executive Team
Timothy has a degree in architecture and has been practicing design for over a decade. He is currently attending a seminary and is part of the leadership team at his local church.
At SALT, Timothy serves on the Executive Team and is responsible for creating process and systems.
Timothy is married with two children and he resided in Ukraine.
Board of Directors
Katya Aleksandruk
Katya was born and raised in Ukraine. In 2010 she moved to the United States. She is a founding member of SALT.
Katya is a professional interpreter with experience in governmental agencies and non-profit sectors. She currently resides in Ukraine.
Kerri Perdew
Kerri is a special education professional in the Washington DC area. Kerri has been on multiple trips to Ukraine where she engaged with local government and non-profits to improve their services as they seek to serve the local families.
Taras Prystupa
Taras is a church planter, educator, and pastor in Ukraine with decades of experience in Ukraine and the surrounding nations.
Linda Bunk
Linda is a Christian afflicted with Bipolar and Aspergers. Jesus has transformed her life. Linda has traveled to Ukraine 20+ times over the past decade to serve as a missionary and to advocate for the mental health issues. To read more about Linda, visit abnormalmissionary.org.
Todd Yoho
Todd has over 20 years of experience as an educator and a leader of non-profit movements focused on local church engagement with community. Currently Todd serves as a program manager for the Norhtern Virginia Food Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to reducing hunger by connecting the resources.
Kristin Pushak
Kristin teaches World and Advanced Placement European History at a local Christian school. She has nearly 13 years experience teaching secondary school in both public and Christian schools. Additionally, she has served in multiple leadership roles, both in the schools where she taught and the churches where she and her family attend.
Timofey Dovgalyuk
Timofey is the Founder and President of SALT. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, Timofey also serves as the leader of the Executive Team.
