Board of Directors

Janet M. Williams

President

Janet M. Williams was born and raised in Rome, GA. She graduated from Berry College and went on to earn a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She makes a living as a tennis teaching pro in Rome. She is a member of the First Baptist Church in Rome, where she serves on the New Member Welcoming Committee. She also co-leads weekly group therapy sessions at The William Davies Homeless Shelter. After living in Indonesia for several months in 2006 - 2007, teaching tennis and English through an educational foundation there, she returned to the US and founded The Ruble International Education Initiative. She currently serves as the President of RIEI.

Eddy Ruble

Asia Regional Representative

Eddy Ruble grew up in Indonesia, arriving in 1972, where his father worked as a missionary doctor for 29 years. He attended college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, majoring in Sociology and Religion. After gaining four years of work experience in Indonesia, he went on to obtain a Masters of Divinity degree from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. While there, he married Cindy Ring. In 1998, Eddy and Cindy were appointed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to serve as field personnel in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Their work focused primarily on education and disaster response. Following a series of earthquakes in West Sumatra, his family moved to Penang, Malaysia in 2007. His relief and development work is still primarily focused in Sumatra. Following the events of 9/11, Eddy enrolled in a Master of Arts program at Hartford Seminary in ‘Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations.’ Eddy and Cindy have been involved with RIEI since its inception and Eddy serves as the Asia Regional Representative for RIEI.

Tina Rush

Secretary

Tina Rush is a Berry College graduate and has lived in Rome, Georgia since 1975. She taught English at Pepperell High School for thirty years before retiring in December 2010. She is currently the owner and travel agent of RushOur Travel, a home-based full service agency. Mrs. Rush has been married to David Rush for twenty-seven years, and they have a twenty-one year-old son, Dylan, who is a musician living in Atlanta. She serves as co-chairman of "One Book, Many Voices," a reading initiative in Rome. She has been a board member of RIEI for three years and currently serves as secretary of the board.

Allison H. Brooks

Treasurer

Allison H. Brooks has been a resident of Rome, Georgia since 1994. She attended Darlington School as a resident student and graduated from there in 1979. She went on to Auburn University where she earned a B.A. degree in journalism. Allison works as office manager in the family owned general contracting firm, Brooks Building Group, Inc. She is an active member of First Baptist Church where she has served on numerous committees. Allison has also been involved in the community working with the Community Kitchen and the William Davies Shelter. Allison currently serves on the board of RIEI as treasurer. Allison is married to Jeff Brooks and has two children.

Joanne A. Owens

Joanne A. Owens grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attended Rex Hospital School of Nursing and became a surgical nurse and an OR supervisor. She is married to Ted Owens, who is on the Berry Board of Visitors. They have three married daughters and eight grandchildren. In her spare time she likes to read, do needlework and quilt. She is on the coordinating council for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia. She volunteers at Good Neighbors, Meals and More and is on the Board of RIEI. She is a Deacon at First Baptist Church and goes to Peru every year on a medical mission trip. She is on the Missions Committee at First Baptist and on the Transitional Housing committee.

Dr. John Head

Dr. John Head serves as the Vice President of Enrollment Management for Shorter University. Dr. Head has worked in higher education for 22 years at Christian colleges in Georgia and Tennessee. He earned the Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds a Masters degree in Communication from the University of Georgia and a Bachelors degree in Communication from Shorter. Dr. Head is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Rome where he serves as a deacon, as a Sunday school teacher for high school students, and on various committees. Dr. Head is also a board member of the Open Door Home for Children. He is a member of the Seven Hills Rotary Club and has served as a volunteer softball coach for the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority. Dr. Head is married to his wife Lee Ann. They have one daughter, Katie.

Anna Sato

Anna Sato earned her B.A in Psychology at The University of Colorado and an M.A. in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University in Boston. She lived in Japan, where she taught English as a second language. She has provided intercultural adjustments programs to Americans relocating internationally. Currently, she is a teacher assistant for the Rome city schools. Anna is married and has two children.

Martha Van Cise

Martha Van Cise is the newest board member of RIEI. She has taught English at Berry College since 1984 and has served as the Academic Support Center Director since 2001. Though she provides academic services for all students including tutorial services, her primary duties are for those with disabilities and special needs. As a developmental English teacher at Berry, she has worked with many students who are second language English learners including Ruddi Nefid, one of the first RIEI recipients. She is an advisor for and provides support services to seven refugee students from war torn countries, five of whom are from Muslim countries. Her son Michael is an attorney with Arnall, Golden, and Gregory in Atlanta, and her daughter Paige is presently working at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Colorado.