In 2006 Dabbs and his wife, Mary, moved their family to Rwanda and launched the Opportunity International Bank of Rwanda (OIBR). As the bank’s CEO, Dabbs orchestrated the merger of OIBR and Urwego Community Bank to create Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda. While living in Kigali, the Cavins also helped establish Kigali International Community School, Rwanda’s first English-language international school.
Dabbs and Mary were also founding members of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Little Rock in 1998 when it became the first Anglican/Episcopal church in the U.S. to receive oversight from an African bishop – Bishop John Rucyahana. St. Andrews helped spawn the Anglican Mission in America, which has planted over 150 new churches throughout North Amercia. Dabbs, an attorney, has nearly 20 years of entrepreneurial commercial banking experience. He also serves on the boards of Mustard Seed Project, Kigali International Community School and Rwanda Community Works.
J. Timothy Cloyd, Ph.D.
Hendrix College, President and Professor of Politics
Tim Cloyd has served as President of Hendrix College since 2001. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and was on the faculty at Vanderbilt University prior to joining Hendrix. Tim serves on the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and on the American Council on Education’s Commission on International Education.
Tim is the son of United Methodist missionary teachers who served in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and with the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. His parents were the headmasters of the Navajo Methodist Mission School.
With David Knight, Tim has expanded the Rwanda Presidential Scholars program by creating a consortium of U.S. colleges and universities to offer scholarships to Rwanda’s top high school graduates majoring in math and science. Under Tim’s leadership, Hendrix College provides the administrative support for the consortium program.
Chris Crane
Edify, Founder, President & CEO
Chris Crane has a special passion for the world’s poor, entrepreneurship and educating children. He founded Edify in 2009 to make loans to Christian schools educating impoverished children in developing countries. From 2002-2009, he served as President & CEO of Opportunity International, the world’s largest Christian microfinance organization with 10,600 staff operating in 32 countries serving 1.5 million active clients. During Chris’ tenure, Opportunity’s revenues grew at a compounded annual rate of 30%.
From 1992-2000, Chris served as CEO of COMPS InfoSystems, an electronic database publisher with coverage of the nation’s 50 top commercial real estate markets. Under his leadership, COMPS raised four rounds of venture capital, acquired 13 companies and completed an IPO, before being sold in 2000. Chris earned his MBA at Harvard Business School.
Dale Dawson
Founder & CEO
Dale is an investment banker and entrepreneur. He serves on President Paul Kagame’s Presidential Advisory Council and on the boards of Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda and OneHundredX. During his first half, Dale was in charge of investment banking at Stephens Inc (private investment firm); partner and National Director at KPMG (global accounting firm); and Chair & CEO of TruckPro (distributor of commercial truck parts, sold to AutoZone). He is a University of Texas graduate and divides his time between Little Rock and Kigali.
Judi Dawson
Entrepreneur, businesswoman, parent and mission worker
During her business career, Judi Dawson worked as a CPA, entrepreneur and stockbroker. She began her accounting career with KPMG, but at the age of 28 launched her own business – importing and retailing ceiling fans and lighting inTexas and Colorado. From 1986 -1998, Judi was a Vice President and stockbroker at Stephens Inc where she served institutional equity investors in the United Kingdom.
From 1998-2009, Judi served as a full-time parent and youth leader – organizing and leading mission trips throughout the U.S. and to Mexico, Ecuador and Rwanda. In 2002, she and Dale, along with Dabbs and Mary Cavin, helped Bishop John Rucyahana launch the campaign to build the Sonrise High School. Judi has a special passion for young people, entrepreneurs and Rwanda.
Scott Ford
Westrock Capital Partners, Partner / Rwanda Trading Company, Founder
Scott Ford serves on President Paul Kagame’s Presidential Advisory Council. He formed Westrock Capital Partners in 2009 after orchestrating the sale of Alltel Corporation, one of the nation’s leading telecommunications companies to Verizon for $27 billion. During Scott’s time as Alltel’s President & CEO, the company’s shareholders enjoyed the greatest total return on investment of any major telecommunications company.
Scott also founded the Rwanda Trading Company in 2009 to export coffee and build agribusinesses in Rwanda. A University of Arkansas graduate, Scott worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch in New York and Stephens Inc in Little Rock prior to joining Alltel.
David Knight
Stephens Inc, Executive Vice President and General Counsel
David Knight is an attorney and serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Hendrix College. He has been the driving force behind the expansion of the Rwanda Presidential Scholars Program, a partnership between Hendrix, the Rwanda Ministry of Education, the Clinton Foundation and Bridge2Rwanda. David and Tim Cloyd have created a consortium of U.S. colleges and universities to provide full, four-year undergraduate scholarships to Rwanda’s top high school graduates majoring in math and science.
David is an avid photographer and the author of Faith and Good Works in Africa, a photographic journal documenting the work of the Sonrise School, Opportunity International, Cornerstone Leadership Academy and other ministries in Rwanda and Uganda.
Robert Lewis
Fellowship Bible Church, Pastor-at-Large / LifeReady, President
Robert Lewis served as Directional Leader of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock for over 20 years and is the founder of Men’s Fraternity, a worldwide ministry that helps thousands of men embrace a Christ centered, authentic manhood. He recently created LifeReady with FamilyLife Ministries to provide high-impact video resources to prepare couples, parents, men and women to embrace God’s best for their marriages, families, and lives. Robert also serves on the board of OneHundredX (formerly Leadership Network), founded by Bob Buford, author of Halftime.
Robert has authored numerous books and films including Raising a Modern-Day Knight, The Church of Irresistible Influence, The New Eve, and Culture Shift with Wayne Cordeiro. In 2001, he was awarded Pastor of the Year by the National Coalition of Men’s Ministry headed by Patrick Morley. In 2008-2009, Robert’s daughter, Rebekah, served as the counselor at Sonrise School in Rwanda.
Bishop John Rucyahana
Bishop John Rucyahana is one of Rwanda’s most effective leaders – building schools, hospitals, businesses, community centers and churches. Today, he serves as President of Rwanda’s National Unity and Reconciliation Commission and Chair of Prison Fellowship Rwanda, Hope Rwanda and Muhabura University. He also serves on President Kagame’s Presidential Advisory Council and is the author of The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones.
From 1997-2010, Bishop John served as Bishop of the Shyira Diocese of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. He founded and helped to build Sonrise School, Shyira Hospital, Ishema Hotel, Urwego Opportunity Bank, Anglican Mission in America and many other Kingdom ventures. In 2009, he was awarded the Wilberforce Award by Prison Fellowship for his work in Rwanda’s prisons. Bishop John earned his Masters in Divinity from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA.
Millie Ward
Stone Ward, President
Millie Ward and her husband, Larry Stone, founded Stone Ward, a full-service and totally integrated creative, marketing and public communications firm in 1984. Millie is Chair of the Advertising Marketing International Network (AMIN), one of the nation’s largest networks of independent agencies representing 26 agencies with $21 billion in capitalized billings. She has been named one of AdWeek’s “Women To Watch,” one of the “Top 100 Women” by Arkansas Business, and Woman Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Millie and Larry have a special passion to help the nation of Rwanda tell its remarkable story to the world.
Tom Wilson
OneHundredX and The Buford Foundation, President & CEO
Tom Wilson succeeded Bob Buford in 2001 as President & CEO of Leadership Network (renamed OneHundredX in 2009). The organization’s mission is to accelerate the impact of 100X leaders for the Kingdom, whether they are senior pastors (Leadership Network for mega-churches) or marketplace leaders (Halftime for baby boomers). Prior to joining 100X, Tom served for over 30 years as a senior executive with Young Life, an international Christian-based organization dedicated to providing leadership and spiritual tools to young adults.
Tom and his wife, Linda, who is a Marriage and Family therapist, have a special passion to minister to our students and borrowed talent volunteers living in Rwanda.
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Dabbs Cavin
Dabbs and Mary were also founding members of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Little Rock in 1998 when it became the first Anglican/Episcopal church in the U.S. to receive oversight from an African bishop – Bishop John Rucyahana. St. Andrews helped spawn the Anglican Mission in America, which has planted over 150 new churches throughout North Amercia. Dabbs, an attorney, has nearly 20 years of entrepreneurial commercial banking experience. He also serves on the boards of Mustard Seed Project, Kigali International Community School and Rwanda Community Works.
J. Timothy Cloyd, Ph.D.
Hendrix College, President and Professor of Politics
Tim is the son of United Methodist missionary teachers who served in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and with the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. His parents were the headmasters of the Navajo Methodist Mission School.
With David Knight, Tim has expanded the Rwanda Presidential Scholars program by creating a consortium of U.S. colleges and universities to offer scholarships to Rwanda’s top high school graduates majoring in math and science. Under Tim’s leadership, Hendrix College provides the administrative support for the consortium program.
Chris Crane
Edify, Founder, President & CEO
From 1992-2000, Chris served as CEO of COMPS InfoSystems, an electronic database publisher with coverage of the nation’s 50 top commercial real estate markets. Under his leadership, COMPS raised four rounds of venture capital, acquired 13 companies and completed an IPO, before being sold in 2000. Chris earned his MBA at Harvard Business School.
Dale Dawson
Founder & CEO
Judi Dawson
Entrepreneur, businesswoman, parent and mission worker
From 1998-2009, Judi served as a full-time parent and youth leader – organizing and leading mission trips throughout the U.S. and to Mexico, Ecuador and Rwanda. In 2002, she and Dale, along with Dabbs and Mary Cavin, helped Bishop John Rucyahana launch the campaign to build the Sonrise High School. Judi has a special passion for young people, entrepreneurs and Rwanda.
Scott Ford
Westrock Capital Partners, Partner / Rwanda Trading Company, Founder
Scott also founded the Rwanda Trading Company in 2009 to export coffee and build agribusinesses in Rwanda. A University of Arkansas graduate, Scott worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch in New York and Stephens Inc in Little Rock prior to joining Alltel.
David Knight
Stephens Inc, Executive Vice President and General Counsel
David is an avid photographer and the author of Faith and Good Works in Africa, a photographic journal documenting the work of the Sonrise School, Opportunity International, Cornerstone Leadership Academy and other ministries in Rwanda and Uganda.
Robert Lewis
Fellowship Bible Church, Pastor-at-Large / LifeReady, President
Robert has authored numerous books and films including Raising a Modern-Day Knight, The Church of Irresistible Influence, The New Eve, and Culture Shift with Wayne Cordeiro. In 2001, he was awarded Pastor of the Year by the National Coalition of Men’s Ministry headed by Patrick Morley. In 2008-2009, Robert’s daughter, Rebekah, served as the counselor at Sonrise School in Rwanda.
Bishop John Rucyahana
From 1997-2010, Bishop John served as Bishop of the Shyira Diocese of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. He founded and helped to build Sonrise School, Shyira Hospital, Ishema Hotel, Urwego Opportunity Bank, Anglican Mission in America and many other Kingdom ventures. In 2009, he was awarded the Wilberforce Award by Prison Fellowship for his work in Rwanda’s prisons. Bishop John earned his Masters in Divinity from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA.
Millie Ward
Stone Ward, President
Millie and Larry have a special passion to help the nation of Rwanda tell its remarkable story to the world.
Tom Wilson
OneHundredX and The Buford Foundation, President & CEO
Tom and his wife, Linda, who is a Marriage and Family therapist, have a special passion to minister to our students and borrowed talent volunteers living in Rwanda.