Board of Directors (Copy)
Meet the women Serving on the Board of Directors
Luann Budd
President of NEWIM
Luann came to personally experience the grace of God while in high school and wanted to spend her life sharing God’s grace with others. She married her high school sweetheart, Kevin. He received his ThM from DTS and she actively participated in the Wives Program. Luann has loved serving alongside Kevin in the Evangelical Covenant Church, first in the Los Angeles area (Redeemer Covenant, Downy) and 1997-2023 in the Bay Area (New Life Covenant, San Jose). She served in the Jr. High ministry of AWANA for twenty years and has taught a weekly women’s Bible Study for decades.
Luann has a masters’ degree in English and spent her career working for the California State University at Long Beach State and San Jose State. She is the author of Journal Keeping - Writing for Spiritual Growth and All Creation Sings. During this season, Luann has discerned God’s call to help women to flourish in ministry. Kevin and Luann have five children and ten grandchildren. She loves to zoom with her kids and grandkids, watch the sunrise, ride her bike, and watercolor.
website: www.luannbudd.com
Betsy Sanford
Secretary
Betsy is grateful to have grown up in the church after being introduced to Jesus by parents and grandparents. She strives daily for a deeper walk with Christ while sharing His light and love with others. She has a deep interest in women’s issues both in and outside of ministry.
Betsy has 24 years’ experience in Christian higher education at Houghton University in New York. During this time, she had the privilege to serve in multiple roles including connecting churches and pastors with the university’s resources such as hosting on-campus events, pastor & spouse retreats, sabbaticals, speakers’ bureau, ministry classes and more. Betsy served as the university’s President’s Chief of Staff for five years before she retired.
Betsy holds a business degree from the State University of New York at Alfred. She completed a spiritual formation course through the NAE and Fuller Seminary and she is excited to assume a supporting role for the NEWIM-Fuller cohort.
Betsy lives in Nunda, New York with her husband, Michael, has four children, five grandchildren, and two dogs. Betsy enjoys chalk-drawing and tea parties with her grandchildren. Her other interests include travel, flower-gardening, and a great visit with family and friends over coffee.
Audrey Holifield
Treasurer
Audrey Holifield discovered her love of serving in the church at a young age, making posters and banners for events when she was in middle school. From singing on the worship team to co-leading children’s musicals to financial oversight, she enjoys using her gifts to serve Jesus in her local church and has a passion for helping people feel welcome, included, and known within a church community.
Audrey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce in Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, both from Santa Clara University. She spent over 20 years working in Corporate Finance for the HP family of companies and has served as the Treasurer for several churches and non-profit organizations. Audrey is also a licensed cosmetologist and is excited about how God will use this to serve others in the future.
Audrey lives in Rocklin, California with her two children, James and Geneva, and their two dogs, Frodo and Ushki. She enjoys traveling, hikes to waterfalls, roller coasters, cooking and baking with her son, car rides with her daughter, puzzles, and hockey.
Patricia Arps
Dir. of Communications
Patricia and her husband, Eric, have three daughters; two are grown and one is a senior in college. She recently retired after 25 years of homeschooling. She has served in numerous ministry roles including volunteering at hybrid homeschool programs, coaching basketball, working in her church’s Sunday school preschool, and leading the First Impressions ministry at her church. She is on the NEWIM Georgia retreat team and edits the NEWIM newsletter. She enjoys working out, walking, playing board games, crafting, following women's college basketball, and traveling, especially to big cities.
Amy K. Ruff
Dir.
Amy came from a rich heritage of faithful followers of Jesus. She was baptized at the age of ten and began a life-long ministry journey leading her to Ozark Christian College where she met her husband, Terry and graduated with a Bachelor of Christian Education. They served together in a touring group focused on youth, followed by a small church pastorate in central Illinois, then a multi-staff church in Bloomington, Indiana, where Amy worked at Indiana University as a contract manager before moving to New Albany, Indiana to serve as Women’s Minister and then Missions Minister. This leg of the journey led them to move to Ghana West Africa where they experienced a disciple making movement that has resulted in thousands of disciples in simple multiplying churches. Amy also completed a Master of Arts in Catalytic Leadership called Fidelis from Dallas Christian College where she continues to facilitate other cohorts on the continent. After fourteen years in Ghana, they moved to California to live with their son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren because of health issues. Amy now serves on the leadership team of Christian Worship Center in Hollister, CA in addition to leading Fidelis cohorts, coaching and training in disciple making globally and locally.
Traci Martin
Director of Engagement
Traci Martin and her husband Bil reside in Georgia, have two married daughters and a new granddaughter. Traci loves EVERYTHING tea, traveling, hiking, biking, spa days and spending time with family and good friends.
She is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters in Christian Leadership.
Following a decade in corporate America and 25 years as a business owner, she followed God’s calling into full-time ministry. From 2012-2021, Traci went from working part time for a Bible study ministry to being the president. Through all of her experiences, she saw the need of support for Christian women, especially those who serve God. Having a desire to help address this need led to her involvement with NEWIM.
traci@teachingsbytraci.com
Women Supporting the Administration of NEWIM
Maureen Moore, Auditor
Maureen has a passion for serving women in ministry. She has served on the NEWIM Board as the CFO/Treasurer for many years. Recently she moved to Ohio to be near family and she continued to serve on one of NEWIM’s goal teams. Maureen begins a two year term as Auditor in 2024.
Email us at info@newim.org