Meet the Board
Barbara Gatewood
Executive Director
Barbara Gatewood is an ordained pastor, correctional facilities chaplain, and the founder and director of Transforming Lives Jail and Prison Ministry.
She was a member of New Life Church for 27 years, serving in and leading their women’s, children’s, and hospitality ministries, and serving as the church’s women’s pastor and Bible study teacher.
Barbara has also worked directly with Mission Pacific (aka Pacific Missions Outreach) in its many outreach and building projects in the Marshall Islands and surrounding Micronesian countries. During her years with MP, she formed ministry teams and coordinated activities in Hawaii that provided support and resources, both manpower and goods, to help in Mission Pacific’s work.
Barbara has served for the past 14 years in prison ministry, first as an assistant chaplain and then a chaplain. After an inmate approached her for help with getting resources for and after his release, she came to recognize the need inmates have for sober support services, both while incarcerated and then in the community upon release. Barbara began prison “Resource Days” at the Waiawa Correction facility in 2014.
Since 2014, Transforming Lives has developed various re-entry programs and partners with 50+ agencies and organizations, “helping inmates get back on their feet.”
Amy Sasser
Secretary
Amy Sasser’s professional portfolio is quite varied with a common theme of working with the diverse cultures and underprivileged communities of the Pacific Islands. She understands the importance of mobilizing government agencies and community stakeholders to develop strategic plans and provide unique solutions capitalizing on the strengths of Pacific Island cultures, thinking globally but working locally.
Parents to eight adopted children, Amy and her husband Terry make their home in Laura Village of Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands where they co-founded Mission Pacific, a community-based non-profit. With her BA in Communications (she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double emphasis in print and TV journalism), Amy serves as Mission Pacific’s Director of Operations and has authored, reconciled and reported successful federal and state grants (including CDC, US Department of Education and US Department of Health and Human Services) and produced culturally relevant, indigenous language print and video resources.
Amy is also the Executive Director of the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee (MINOC).
These opportunities and experiences over the years helped with developing skills in areas of administration, data collection and research, grant-writing, marketing and fund-raising, and a working knowledge and awareness of the many resources available in our communities…all of which have lead to her on-going involvement with Transforming Lives Ministry where she currently serves on the Board as Secretary.
Elaine Chu
Secretary
A belief that everyone needs an advocate to get through life’s challenges successfully has lead to Elaine’s decades long career in developing and/or coordinating and facilitating education awareness and training services for families involved in Child Protective Services, and individuals and families (including immigrant families in transition) experiencing domestic violence, drug, and mental health issues.
While in these programs, she oversaw grant-funded programs, planned and facilitated community programs and activities, and, for approximately a year-and-a-half, conducted weekly parenting classes for fathers incarcerated in OCCC.
Elaine also served for 10 years as a Surrogate Parent (Educational Advocate) for youth in foster care who were in need of special education and behavioral health services.
She earned her master’s degree in sport administration and provides extensive project management (using Atlassian Jira/Confluence), financial management and audit preparation for MINOC’s annual half million-dollar grant for national activity programs (using QuickBooks) and facilitation of regional and national sport education training courses. She provides logistical administration and team management of Marshall Islands’ delegations to numerous regional and international competitions, including the last four Olympic Games.
