Board of Directors
Care of Creation, Inc. operates as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of Wisconsin. Its affairs are governed by a set of Bylaws and by a Board of Directors.
God has provided the following men and women to lead this organization as members of the Board of Directors:
Chair
Leland (Lee) Hardman Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Department of Agronomy & Plant Genetics,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (2011 *)
- B.S. Biology & Chemistry. Chadron State College, Nebraska
- M.S. Botany & Plant Physiology. Oklahoma State University
- Ph.D. Agricultural Plant Physiology. University of Minnesota.
Dr. Hardman’s thirty-year professional career at the University of Minnesota was in the Department of Agronomy & Plant Genetics. His responsibilities included researching and teaching field crop production/management and issues related to World Food Problems. He assumed status as Professor Emeritus in May 2005.
During his career he traveled, took classes, and gave technical lectures in Japan, Hong Kong, France, Russia, and Israel and conducted research in Belize, Guatemala, and Rwanda.
In retirement, Dr. Hardman has taken several theological and missionary preparation courses and has participated in three short-term summer mission trips to Mexico (2004), Uganda (2006) and Kenya (2007) with Sowing Hope, Mission: Moving Mountains, and Care of Creation Kenya, respectively.
Dr. Hardman’s retirement direction and participation in ministries such as Care of Creation, Inc. began after reading his pastor Dr. John Piper’s book: “Don’t Waste Your Life”.
John tells a story in this book of a Florida couple who chose to spend their retirement days cruising on their yacht and collecting seashells. He said, “Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment saying Look, Lord, see all my shells”. John said “What a tragedy ……… Remember, God created us with a single passion to joyfully display His excellence in all the spheres of life. A wasted life is one without such passion. God calls us to pray, think, dream, plan and work, not to be made much of, but to make much of Him in every part of our remaining life.”
That is now my desire!
Dr. Hardman has been married to his wife Sue 43 years and attends Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. They have one daughter and one son who are both married and parents of 4 and 2 children respectively.
He became a follower of Jesus as a 23-year-old graduate student as result of the teaching ministry of an outstanding campus pastor and the witness of several Christian friends, including his future wife.
Secretary
Nelson Hard
Contracts Manager
University of Minnesota Dining Services Minneapolis, MN (2011 *)
- B.A. History. Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
Mr. Hard’s professional career has been one of increasingly complex positions in corporate, university, and health care institutions. His responsibilities included supervising large staffs of represented and professional employees while profitably managing large budgets. His expertise is in facilities management, purchasing, operations, and regulatory compliance.
He was raised by his missionary parents in Korea and through their active witness and testimony as well as that of friends. Nelson became a Christian at the age of 13 at a summer camp invitation ceremony.
His interest in creation stewardship began in his young teens on the mission field in Korea as he watched his father introduce solar and natural methane powered devices to rural farmers and lepers. These poverty stricken people were spending countless hours each week gathering scrub and brush illegally from the denuded and eroded hillsides for their kitchen cooking fires.
He has participated in several short-term mission trips including a six month project building a solar powered home for missionaries, a week working with a literature and teaching ministry in Asia, and a service project in The Netherlands.
Most recently he spent a nine-day, eye-opening, humbling, heart-wrenching vision trip to observe first hand the Care of Creation, Kenya project.
Nelson and his wife were a part of initial events leading up to the formation of Care of Creation, Inc. as they discussed, counseled and prayed with Craig and Tracy Sorley as they planned how to use their gifts to serve the Lord in Africa. After seeing the Sorley’s dream become a reality they are committed to continue to support it in whatever ways they can.
Nelson has been married to his wife Naomi for 26 years. They are the parents of two teen-age sons and two adopted daughters- one from the United States and one from Liberia.
Treasurer
Ron Sorenson
Businessman and Consultant- Retired. Minneapolis, MN (2008 *)
- B.S. Business. University of Minnesota.
- Accredited Senior Professional in Human Resources (Personnel Accreditation Institute).
Mr. Sorenson has twenty years experience in Personnel and Human Resource Management, including fifteen years as a member of the Board of Directors for two corporations.
He retired and established his own consulting practice, concentrating on outplacement and career transition services and has served as a personnel expert to the Board of the American Heart Association (Minnesota Affilliate)
Mr. Sorensen became interested in creation care after hearing Craig and Tracy Sorley’s plans for changing what was happening to the forests in Kenya.
He has been married to his wife Delaine for forty-two years. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Board Members
Leiton Chinn
Past President (2000-2010); Director for Global Networking, (2010*)
Association of Christian Ministries to Internationals (ACMI)
Mr. Chinn serves as the Chair of International Student Ministries Committee of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, and is an Associate Member of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission.
He has also served on the Board of Directors of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (an evangelical seminary) and Multi-Language Media.
Leiton and his wife Lisa have three grown children.
Terry Morrison Ph.D.
Director Emeritus
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Faculty Ministry. Madison, WI (2011 *)
Dr. Morrison currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Shirley. They have three grown children who all live elsewhere, giving them ample opportunities for travel.
Having developed creation care activities with InterVarsity, and having served on other nonprofit boards for Christian environmental stewardship education and for missionary work in Europe Terry feels blessed to serve the vision of Care of Creation Inc. and is glad to use his experience to work with the Board to promote obedience to God’s charge of being stewards of His good creation.
ExOfficio Board Members
Rev. Edward Brown
Executive Director
Care of Creation Inc., Madison, WI
- B.A. (English Literature) Gordon College
- M. Div. (Pastoral Studies) Gordon Conwell Seminary
Rev. Edward Brown grew up in Pakistan where his parents were serving as missionaries and has served in a variety of ministry related roles, including Pastor of the Lynnfield Baptist Church in Lynn, MA (1978-1983) and the Protestant International Church in Islamabad, Pakistan (1991-1995). He developed a local ministry to international students in Providence, RI as Field Staff worker with International Students Inc. (1984-1991).
Rev. Brown also served as Personnel Coordinator with InterVarsity Link, the overseas department of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (1996-2000) and was the Chief Operating Officer for the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies (2000-2005).
It was during his time with Au Sable Institute that God awakened in him a deep passion for Christian environmental stewardship. This passion coupled with his foreign missions experience, theological education and his writing and public speaking talents have prepared him well to lead an organization like Care of Creation, Inc.
Rev. Brown is the author of a number of articles in print and on the web, as well as the book “Our Father’s World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation”. He is also the presenter of the seminar “Our Father’s World: Why Christians Should Care about the Environmental Crisis.
Ed and his wife Susanna, who was also a child of missionaries in Pakistan, live in Madison, Wisconsin and are the parents of four grown children (a son and three daughters)
Craig Sorley
Director, Care of Creation, Kenya (affiliated organization)
Limuru, Kenya
- B.S. Natural Resources & Environmental Studies. University of Minnesota
- M.S. Forestry (Environmental Education Emphasis). University of Minnesota
- Certificate in Cross Cultural & Biblical Studies. Bethany College of Missions. Bloomington, MN
While in graduate school Mr. Sorley was employed as a biology teaching assistant and field crops research assistant and served as manager/developer of a University of Minnesota Extension Service Agroforestry Curriculum Project, which focused on high school students in the Upper Midwest. He wrote a 220 page topical reference/study manual to be used in this program.
He served with Kenya Islands Mission, Inc. developing educational materials emphasizing the environmental problems in the Lake Victoria basin and managed of a demonstration farm promoting agroforestry, soil conservation, and dryland farming methods.
He served as an intern at the Tropical Agriculture at the Environmental Concern for Hunger Organization (ECHO) farm near Ft. Myers, Florida. He was responsible for establishing and maintaining demonstration plots of promising crops and techniques and regularly conducted interpretative tours for farm visitors.
Mr. Sorley served a second internship in Tropical Agriculture with a team in Haiti (sponsored by Haitian American Friendship Foundation) The team established a demonstration farm to teach agriculture and agroforestry to high school students.
Since 2003 he has served as Director of Care of Creation, Kenya and is leading the development of Christ-centered strategies, programs, and initiatives that encourage church pastors and members to respond to the rapidly developing environmental crisis in Kenya.
Craig is the son of medical missionaries and grew up in three East African countries (Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya) where he developed his keen interest in creation stewardship and missions.
* – Date current term expires