President- Chris Smith Secretary- Heidi Smith

Chris and Heidi Smith left their four grown children and the comforts of America to serve kids and families living on the streets in Cambodia. In the States, Chris was the Executive Director of Operations for the Grace Fellowship Church in Pickerington, OH and Heidi was a dental hygienist. They have learned Khmer, the language of Cambodia, and love being out on the streets talking with the Cambodian people. Chris and Heidi, through education and work experience, have backgrounds in building organizational structures and teams.

Program Director- Roots of Grace- Seng Chhay

Seng Chhay is a biblically trained pastor, and he has spent many years as a teacher. He is a humble servant of God who has a burden for the people living on the streets and desperately wants them to know and experience the love of Christ.

Senior Residence Director- Pisey Kim

Pisey Kim provides oversight to BrightStart’s two Christian scholarship homes for girls that come from rural villages in Cambodia’s Battambang province. She also continues to serve as our lead English language instructor at BrightStart study centers and Sunday schools.

Vice President- Jeff Nelson

Jeff Nelson is the co-owner of FutureEd Solutions, an education company that works with school districts to design educational options for their students. Jeff has been in education for 30 years as a teacher, principal and superintendent. Additionally, Jeff is an attorney and a member of the Ohio Bar. Jeff is a member of Grace Fellowship Church in Pickerington, Ohio, where he and his wife have hosted a weekly small group Bible study for the past 8 years. Jeff is also the president of the board for the Jacob's House Recovery Center and a member of the board for the Fairfield Community Health Center. Jeff lives in Pickerington, Ohio with his wife, Rochelle, and his two daughters, Peyton and Parker.

Treasurer- Susan Lauck

Susan Lauck is a CPA and partner at CPA Solutions, a tax and accounting firm in Columbus Ohio. She has held a couple of different jobs in the accounting field since she began her career as a Tax Accountant at Deloitte. However, she has found herself back in the tax world for the last 7 years. She currently manages around 500 clients for business and personal tax filings. She really enjoys working directly with her clients and helping them to navigate their financials situations. Susan is a partner at Grace Fellowship. Her and her family have attended since 2014. She has been involved in Global mission, including a trip to Battambang in 2016. She has also been a volunteer for the finance team at Grace since 2015 and served as the Lead, now co-lead, for the counting of the weekend offering for several years. For the past 4 years, her and her husband have lead a small group at their home in Pickerington. Susan has 3 kids, Jordyn, Brayden & Logan that keep her busy running between different fields.

Members of Board of Directors- Member - Scott McCain

Scott is the longest serving member of our Board! He brings expertise in project management and is great at asking clarifying questions that help us stay focused on our mission.

Member- Nathaniel Stephens

Nathaniel grew up in a small town in Western North Carolina, where he met his wife in high school. They were married in mid-2018, and shortly after, they left the United States to travel around Southeast Asia. Since then, they have spent several seasons traveling and volunteering in the same region. They now have two young children, who they are happy to bring along on all their adventures.

Co-Founders- Gwen and Vernon Higaki

Gwen and Vernon Higaki are the Co-Founders of BrightStart Learning. Having a genuine love for the Cambodian People, they established many study centers in Cambodia to help impoverished kids have a fighting chance at success in life through education. Although Gwen and Vernon have retired from everyday activities in Cambodia and the BrightStart Board of Trustees, they remain active with BrightStart as trusted consultants, raisers of needed funds, helpers with special events, and BrightStart’s biggest cheerleaders.

Our Team