Urban Hope Team Biographies

Bahari J. Harris - bahari@urbanhope.us

Bahari serves as Urban Hope's Executive Director.  He has been on staff with the Navigators since August 2002.  Just before coming on staff, Bahari graduated Summa Cum Laude from Virginia Tech with a BS degree in Business Management (concentration: Small Business and Entrepreneurship), a BA in Spanish, and a minor in Global Business.  While at VA Tech, Bahari was named Virginia Tech’s Man of the Year (2002) - the highest honor of any student at the university recognizing academic scholarship and extra-curricular leadership.

Though Bahari gave his life to Christ in the tenth grade, it wasn't until he spent 7½ months in Ecuador as a junior in college that he committed himself to making a serious difference as a minister of the gospel.  The suffering and depravity of the poor in this South American country gripped him.  "God, how can I pour my life into those who can't help themselves?"  This is the question he continues to ask.  As Navigators, Bahari and his wife Mamie are taking principles of Christian discipleship and applying them to their passion – Christian community development.  After moving to Durham in 2002, Bahari bought a home and intentionally relocated to the inner-city neighborhood called Walltown in 2004.  The year before, Bahari began leading the Urban Hope Summer Camp serving Walltown youth and weaving discipleship into training young people in business principles.  Furthermore, Bahari is an active member of the Walltown Community Association and chairs its subcommittee on Housing.  Through living in Walltown and working in Durham, Bahari has established many formal and informal relationships and networks that are instrumental in facilitating Urban Hope’s motto – Bridging Resources.  Bahari is a man of vision.  He is a young world changer that is committed to serving the "forgotten peoples" in the inner city.  He has strong Christian convictions and passes them on to everyone he meets.  Bahari’s community development ministry is one of several in the Navigators that are not only impacting the urban community but also helping The Navigators live out its calling as an organization.  Bahari is excited about what God is doing as he gives his life to making a permanent difference in the lives of underprivileged urban youth and their families.

Ed and Page Cvelich - cvelich@urbanhope.us

Ed and Page serve on the Urban Hope Leadership Team.  They have worked with The Navigators for thirty years and have led ministries on college campuses and among young professionals in the Southeast United States and the Philippines.

As a result of their time abroad and the vision of Rev 5:9, a desire to help the RDU Navigators embrace diversity has been at the forefront of their hearts and minds.  Ed and Page began to assist Bahari Harris with the Urban Hope summer camp in 2004 and relocated to Walltown in August 2007.  They are also members of St. John's Missionary Baptist Church just one block from their home.  The Cveliches serve the Urban Hope team through strategic planning, fund-raising, staff development, sports coaching, and tutoring.  Their hearts' desire and prayer is for God to raise up a new generation of African American leaders to be missionaries to Durham and the cities of this nation.

Dan Keegan - keegan@urbanhope.us

Dan is a native of Iowa who recently relocated to Durham after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Elementary Education.  Dan has been involved with Urban Hope since 2005.  He has served in the capacity of summer camp counselor, assistant director, coach, mentor and neighbor.  Outside of his work with Urban Hope, Dan currently substitute teaches for Durham Public Schools.

Patricia McDonald-Marley - patricia@urbanhope.us

Patricia serves Urban Hope as a part-time Office Administrator and brings with her over twenty years of administrative experience.  She is the micro business owner of Efficient Executive Secretarial Services (www.eess.weebly.com) where she provides business support services to individuals and small companies.  Patricia is currently attending Virginia College Online to obtain an Associate of Applied Science degree in Administrative Office Management.

Mrs. McDonald-Marley believes that "Our attitude is the key to SUCCESS or failure in almost any of life's endeavors. Your attitude - your perspective, your outlook, how you feel about yourself, and how you feel about other people - determines your priorities, your actions, and your values. Your ATTITUDE determines how you interact with other people and how you interact with yourself."

Patricia uses her many gifts, talents, and charming spirit to make a difference in her community.

Leah Wilson-Hartgrove - leah@urbanhope.us

Formerly the director of the Walltown After School Program for four years, Leah continues to be actively involved in the lives of the children and teens in the neighborhood.  She and her husband, Jonathan, are co-founders of the Rutba House, an intentional Christian community and house of hospitality in Walltown.  They are members of St. John's Missionary Baptist Church in Walltown, where Jonathan serves as an associate minister.  Jonathan is also on the Urban Hope Neighborhood Advisory Committee.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Jonathan originally joined Urban Hope as a summer camp counselor in 2004.  In addition to what you have learned from his wife's bio (above), Jonathan is the Urban Hope Team's Bible study leader, a neighbor, and a great friend!  He has also authored several books (jonathanwilsonhartgrove.com), is a New Monastic, and directs the School for Conversion.

Susan Gayk

Susan has been involved with Urban Hope since 2005.  She came to Urban Hope as a summer camp counselor in 2005 and 2006 ad then moved to Durham in 2007.  She is a full time nurse and Duke Hospital and continues to volunteer with Urban Hope as a mentor to the girls in Walltown.  She lives in the community with two other women who are making their house a safe place for all the girls in the neighborhood.

Gerri Odum

Geri has been with Urban Hope since 2006.

Azmen Johnson

Azmen is a UNCC alumni.  She lives in Durham and has been a camp counselor with Urban Hope for 3 summers.  During the school year, she is an adult facilitator with Bible Jump-Off.  Azmen desires that youth develop a personal relationship with Christ that will impact their daily lives.  She's just happy to be a part of that process.

Brandon Hudson

Brandon has a passion for empowering young people in creative and culturally relevant ways.  As an Urban Hope intern, he organizes and facilitates the bi-weekly Bible Jump-Off and assists with the Young Leaders Group.  He is also helping to plan an innovative after-school program for youth in Walltown.  Ultimately, Brandon seeks to stretch his imagination in order to form communities where people are leading simple, satisfying, and sustainable lives.

David Yang

David lives in the neighborhood and works as a software engineer.  He also assists with coaching the neighborhood boys' basketball team and maintaining the Urban Hope Web site.