Our Leadership

Robert Sumner, D.D.S.
President

Robert “Bob” Sumner practiced dentistry for 36 years in West Chester, PA, where he was a partner in Sumner, Spellman, and Thompson, P.C. Prior to coming to West Chester, Bob served 2 years as a dentist in the United States Air Force. In 1987, he took the first of numerous trips abroad to provide dental care to people in need. Over the next 15 years he travelled to the Marshall Islands, Costa Rica, Baja peninsula of Mexico, Brazil, and Honduras, serving the impoverished in those countries. He retired from practicing dentistry in 1995. In 2004, he founded Serving at the Crossroads. Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Temple University School of Dentistry.

Michael Tysowsky, Ph.D.
Chairperson

Since joining the Board in 2004, Mike has made more than 50 visits to Honduras, where he guided the establishment of an interim clinic along with Bob Sumner. He coordinated the planning, design and construction of the new healthcare center. He served as a catalyst for building a medical network, seeking out diverse international partners and identifying ways in which each could work in a collegial environment in support of the new clinic. He is actively engaged with leaders in the host community and in developing strategic direction, seeking financial support and developing programs that contribute to the building of social infrastructure. Mike, an entomologist and now retired, former biosciences executive from Zeneca in Wilmington, DE, worked in R&D, new product development, marketing, public, environmental and scientific affairs and held leadership positions at national trade associations in Washington, DC and on the West Coast. His areas of interest are public health, communications, strategic planning and implementation. Mike has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wake Forest University, a Masters in Entomology from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Entomology from University of Maryland.

Barbara “Bobbi” Hess
Vice Chairperson

Bobbi Hess is a management consultant and chief operating officer for Strategic Insight in Arlington, VA. She has more than 40 years experience in strategic planning, program planning, and budget development for major defense programs; and federal and Department of Defense training institutions. Over the years, she also has been an active volunteer serving in leadership positions for church, her sons' schools, and the Boy Scouts. She enjoys traveling (especially to Honduras), hiking, entertaining, and reading a good book. Bobbi lives in Burke, VA with her husband Doug. They have two sons—Phillip who lives in Manhattan and Brian who lives in Arlington, VA. Bobbi has a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from George Washington University, a Masters in Engineering Management from George Washington University, and an Executive Certificate in Non Profit Management from Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

Conrad Olie
Treasurer

Conrad joined the Board as Treasurer early in 2015. In March 2015, following twenty-six years of service, he retired from his position as Director of Human Resources and Administration at Communications Test Design, Inc., a 9,000-employee global electronics engineering and logistics firm headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Conrad began his career at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., a multi-national gas and chemical manufacturer based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, serving in several financial roles.

Conrad also serves as Director Emeritus of the Chester County Economic Development Council and is a trustee of the organization's 401(k) plan for its employees. Additionally, he is Assistant Organist and sings Bass in the Chancel Choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Conrad received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Ken Ballinger

Ken has worked in Sales and Marketing, New Business, and Market Devlopment in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine for Johnson & Johnson, Dupont, and Con Agra. He was president of Environmental Bio-control, a unit of the Dupont Company. He currently serves on the Development and Senior Management team of Arkion Life Sciences Company, which is focused on humane, non-lethal control of birds, both in agriculture and urban settings, and avian influenza. Ken has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Bowdoin College and Masters in Marketing and Finance from Long Island University Post.

Jodie King

Jodie has been active with Serving at the Crossroads since 2005. During those years she has served on the board in a variety of capacities: secretary, grant writer, Combined Federal Campaign liaison, brigade coordinator and fundraising. She has always been an active member and leader in her churches, and is currently a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Arlington, Virginia, where she lives. She has also been an active P.E.O. for 43 years, which promotes educational opportunities for women. Her other interests include hiking, cycling, reading, and playing the piano. She is married to Brad King, and they have two married children and one grandson. Jodie holds a B.S.E. in physical education from the University of Kansas and an MTS from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer) with an emphasis in public policy.

Robert "Bob" Krauss, DMD

Bob Krauss is a retired Endodontist in Kennett Square, PA. Bob also has taught at Penn and Jefferson and now lectures on endodontics for a national company. He was on the first dental mission trip to the Manos Amigas clinic and has been a total of three times. Each time he has lectured to local dentists helping them and the dentists in our clinic improve their endodontics skills. Bob lives in Naples, FL and is married with four grown children and three grandchildren. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

Peter “Pete” Thompson, D.D.S.

Pete Thompson served in the US Naval Dental Corp and practiced general dentistry for 35 years in West Chester, PA where he was a partner in Sumner, Spellman, and Thompson, P.C. before retiring. Pete has been active in the West Chester community serving on the West Chester Area School District Board of Education, the board of the Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children, and the West Chester Rotary Club. He volunteered for several years at Community Volunteers in Medicine and since 2011 has held the position of Vice President of Dental Affairs. He has also been an Adjunct Instructor of Dentistry for Temple University School of Dentistry. Pete has traveled to Mexico and Honduras as part of dental teams treating the underprivileged. Pete received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Temple University Dental School.

Griffith "Griff" Roberts

Griffith is a Senior Executive with more than thirty years of experience in software and services companies. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Griffith served more than 10 years on active duty as a rocket propulsion engineer and 10 years in the Air Force reserves. Most recently, Griffith is the President of Apex Homecare Advantage Inc. d/b/a ComForCare Chester County North. Since acquiring the business in 2017, Griffith has more than doubled revenues and will be leading the company’s transition into a skilled nursing provider. Prior to Apex he was the General Manager (GM) for Monsoon Commerce, a Portland, OR based ecommerce software company, where he had management and P&L responsibility for their Philadelphia business unit. Prior to Monsoon Commerce, Griffith was a Vice President in the IT department at BankOne; now part of JP Morgan Chase and before that Griffith worked for Bentley Systems, a global leader in engineering software, holding various leadership roles, including Director of Technical Sales and Director of Products. Griffith is a graduate of Lehigh University with a BS degree in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering. He also attended Penn State and Wright State Universities, completing Masters level courses in Computer Science.

Amber Raibley, N.P.

Amber Raibley has worked as a Trauma/Acute Care Surgery Nurse Practitioner for Evansville Surgical Associates since 2012. She attended Indiana University School of Nursing and worked as a critical care nurse for 5 years. She then attended University of Southern Indiana where she obtained her MSN with specialty in Acute Care. In her spare time she loves to hike, cheer for Indiana University Athletics and travel, especially internationally. Her love for travel and career in surgery prepared her for her first trip to Manos Amigos in January of 2020. Amber resides in Newburgh, Indiana.

Susan Kelly, M.D.