FSM Board of Directors

Our passion and priority is to Serve God and Change Lives.


Cheryl Bradford – President

Cheryl is a founding member of FSM and is very active in the day to day running of the organization. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a Master’s degree in Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker. During her career, she specialized in the medical field, working in both hospitals and home health care. Cheryl participates in many church outreach and mission programs and is a member of Beach United Methodist Church.


Catherine Duffy – Vice President

Catherine is a founding member of FSM and serves currently as our vice president.  She is recently retired from a distinguished career as a health care executive in Nashville, TN.  Her passion is for the women of Bajo Tejares in San Ramon Costa Rica.


gary tiller - director

Gary and his wife Susan recently moved to the Smoky Mountain area after  being active Northeast Florida residents for over 30 years.  His and Susan’s hearts led them to regularly volunteer throughout the community through their church and at various cause-based non-profits. It was only natural for God to lead them to serve internationally in mission with FSM in Costa Rica & Panama, as well as in Christian missions in Jamaica & Uganda. Following a thirty-year career in sales and in marketing, Gary served seven years as a ministry executive at Beach Church, Jacksonville Beach, FL, and then as Executive Director of the Beaches Council on Aging, from which he retired in 2020. Gary holds a business degree (B.S.) from the University of Tennessee(Knoxville) and a Masters (M.A. in leadership) from Southeastern University(Lakeland, FL).


Wayne Moss - director

Wayne was raised in the  Methodist Church in Clearwater, Florida, and was active in the Methodist Youth Fellowship. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida, and then moved to St. Louis, Missouri to work in the chemical industry. While there, Wayne earned master’s degrees in both chemical engineering and business administration. Wayne and Debbi, a St. Louis native, moved to Florida in 1981 where they began getting involved in mission trips with a church youth group to Appalachia Service Project.  They relocated to South Carolina in 1986 and continue to reside there. Over the last 37 years in South Carolina, Wayne has volunteered in student ministry and led several student-based mission trips to FSM Costa Rica.  He currently serves as the Campus Director at FSM Costa Rica.


SHANTI COPELAND - director

Shanti has been participating in and leading Mission Teams to the Mission, from Beach Church since 2015. She has participated in the leadership team of the Run with a Mission since 2016 as well as the Fiesta With a Mission since 2019. She graduated in 1997 from Jacksonville University with a BS in Marine Science, followed by a Masters in Sports Administration at FSU from 2003. In 2008, she received a graduate certificate in Emergency and Crisis Management from FSU and is currently enrolled at Marymount University pursuing her Doctorate in Leadership and Organization Innovation which she will complete in 2024. Professionally, Shanti serves as the Director for Emergency Management for iParametrics, LLC, which is a full service Emergency and Risk Management consulting firm. In this position Shanti assists state and local governments, institutions of higher learning, K-12 school systems, and NGOs prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against natural and manmade disasters. She got her start in Emergency Management working for the State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management in 2005 and since has been involved with every major disaster to impact the Gulf or East Coast since.  Shanti is married to Mike Copeland who recently became a fire fighter after 30 years with the Navy. Shanti and Mike have two daughters, Natalie and Deanna.

 


TOM MURTA - director

Tom and his wife Ruth are natives of Kentucky and have lived in Ponte Vedra Beach FL since 2001. He is an executive in the railroad industry. He has a passion for mentoring and coaching and has been active in youth programs, scouting and development of young professionals. Tom's passion and desire to serve FSM sprouted from his daughter Hallie, and her many trips to the mission as a youth and serving as a missionary for a year. Tom's son Zach, a computer engineer, is also a resident of Ponte Vedra Beach.


Donald Durant - director

Donnie and his family have been serving on mission trips to FSM since 2010 and loving on the kids and families of the Bajo Tejares. He has led several mission trips to FSM in Costa Rica and trips with his church to Cabo, Mexico. Donnie and his family live in Chapin, SC and attend Chapin Christian Community Church  where he and his wife formerly volunteered with the youth program.  Donnie retired from Receivable Solutions Inc., a company he and a partner founded and developed. He and his beautiful wife Deanae have four children - Thomas, Kara, Ryan, and Zach.  Kara formerly spent most of a summer as a missionary intern at FSM Costa Rica.


CHERYL GRIFFIS - US ADMINISTRATOR

Cheryl and her husband Dewayne have been Jacksonville residents for over 35 years. They have raised two children and have twin grandsons. Cheryl is a former CFO and previously worked as Director of Operations with one of our church partners, Beach Church. Cheryl became passionate about the families in Bajo Tejares after serving on numerous mission trips to San Ramon, Costa Rica. She has a heart for missions and serving within her community.