Get to know Board Member, Matt Parker!

Matt Parker brings nearly 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. His journey includes a 12-year stint as a missionary in Lebanon, where he established and directed a school for vulnerable children, managed a residential home for orphans, and initiated other programs to support refugees and at-risk youth. Subsequently, he held a leadership role in an international nonprofit, developing programs with children at risk in Africa and the Middle East, including efforts focused on street kids in Sudan and South Sudan. As a dual British-U.S. citizen, Matt founded the UK charity Hope for Kids in 2011 and served as its Executive Director until 2013 before moving to the United States. He then took on the roles of President and CEO for two Christian nonprofits, including HopeCo from 2020 until 2023. He is now the Lead Pastor of Ministries at Calvary Church in Valparaiso, IN. 

Before transitioning to international nonprofit work, Matt taught at a school near London, England. He earned a BA (with honors) from the University of Portsmouth and a Master of Science (with distinction) in NGO Management from City University in London. He is currently pursuing an MA in Biblical Studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Matt and his wife, Mel, live in Valparaiso, Indiana, and they have two adult children. 

Matt’s broad ministry background and experiences living and traveling overseas make him a passionate representative of HopeCo’s work. He states: “I am passionate about seeing the lives of orphans and vulnerable children transformed, struggling families strengthened, and whole communities raised out of poverty and given hope in the name of Jesus Christ.”