Staff

Jen Gash

Sweet Sleep, Inc. President and Founder

Jen Gash, President and Founder of Sweet Sleep, an organization which provides beds for orphanages around the world, is an internationally recognized advocate for orphaned and abandoned children.

Jen grew up in Springfield, Illinois. In 1996 she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she later served as Executive Assistant to Mayor Bill Purcell.

In July 2003, Jen took her first trip to Moldova, where God opened her heart to the needs of the thousands of children living in Moldova’s orphanages. When Jen returned home, she founded Sweet Sleep. Since that time, Jen has led hundreds of people on mission journeys to minister to the world’s orphans and has seen numerous team members and children give their lives to Christ.

In May 2005, Jen resigned from her job in order to dedicate her life to the mission of providing “a bed for every head.” As President of Sweet Sleep, Inc., Jen is responsible for world-wide operations which include fund raising, advocacy, and program development. Her tireless pursuit to provide beds for these children has been recognized all over the world including NBC’s Today Show, The Tennessean, as well as numerous books, including Bob Buford’s “Half-time” leadership series “Success to Significance.”

Jen serves as the co-chair for international orphan care on the Middle Tennessee Orphan Alliance (MTOA) Board. In February 2010, she served as Logistics Chief for the Haiti Orphan Relief Team (HORT), a response initiative of Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), in which a strategy team of 11 disaster relief and orphan care professionals worked in Haiti to determine how the local church could meet the long term needs of orphaned and vulnerable children in their communities. Sweet Sleep has been working in Haiti since 2008 and has responded with more than 6,000 units of bedding for children affected by January’s earthquake.

Jen is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with focuses on Journalism, Political Science and Entrepreneurship. Jen is an active member of Brentwood Baptist Church where she co-leads a weekly Bible study for high school senior girls. She lives in Nashville with her dog, Chinch, and Galina, a teenage girl from Moldova who grew up in one of Moldova’s orphanages, and is now living with Jen while studying in the US on a student visa.

Stuart McAlister

Vice President of Operations

Stuart McAlister became aware of the needs of Moldova's orphans while he was serving as Director of Inventory at EMI Christian Music Group. EMI CMG partnered with Sweet Sleep in 2005 to provide winter coats for Moldova’s orphaned and abandoned children instead of hosting their traditional staff Christmas party. Stuart was moved by the stories of these children and felt called to get personally involved in ministering to them.

Stuart's first trip to Moldova was in June of 2006. He has since taken numerous trips to Moldova and has continued to be a passionate advocate for orphaned and abandoned children around the world, serving as Chairman of Sweet Sleep's Board of Directors from January 2006-March 2008.

After nine years at EMI CMG, overseeing inventory of more than 4,000,000 units in two warehouses serving two separate distribution channels resulting in nearly $100,000,000 a year in sales, Stuart felt called to join Sweet Sleep full time as Vice President of Operations, and devote the use of his gifts and talents to providing beds for orphans.

As Vice President of Operations, Stuart directs the organization’s day-to-day business and manages Sweet Sleep’s US and international staff teams. Stuart also facilitates all Sweet Sleep Mission Journey Teams and secures in-country materials to provide beds in the orphanages where we serve.

Stuart is originally from Denton, Texas and moved to Nashville with his wife D'Ann after their graduation from Abilene Christian University in 1990. Stuart and D'Ann are members of Forest Home Church of Christ and live in Franklin with their two boys, Cameron and Evan.

Jon Merryman

Communications and Events Director

If you talk to Jon Merryman for more than a couple of minutes, you’ll hear about two things—his family and Moldova. Since Jon’s first trip to Moldova in 2004, he has visited there at least twice a year and has led numerous teams to minister to the orphaned and abandoned children living in Moldova’s orphanages.

Jon brings to Sweet Sleep years of experience in ministry with children both here and abroad, as well as a passion for communicating Sweet Sleep’s mission to the world. Jon is an ordained minister and holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications/Public Relations from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Jon has previously served on staff as Marketing Coordinator for Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Associate Children’s Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church and Children’s Pastor at Rolling Hills Community Church. He has also served in multiple capacities with LifeWay Christian Resources Centrifuge and Centri-Kid Camps, serving as Camp Pastor and Camp Director, and writes curriculum for LifeWay including Worship KidStyle, G-Force, VBS, Club VBS, and TeamKID. Jon has recently been traveling and speaking at children’s camps, churches and civic organizations about Sweet Sleep.

Jon and his wife, Emily, attend Mosaic Church in Nashville, Tennessee and live in South Nashville with their sixteen-year-old son, Dennis, whom they adopted from Moldova in 2008, and their Miniature Schnauzer, Max.

If you are interested in having any of our staff team speak to your group, contact jon@sweetsleep.org.

Lucia Hmleic

Program Manager, Moldova

In addition to coordinating new work in orphanages around the country and securing supplies for bed-building trips, Lucia coordinates church partnerships with Moldovan and U.S. churches through Sweet Sleep’s 1:27 Project and serves as liason between Sweet Sleep and the Baptist Union.

Prior to Sweet Sleep, Lucia served as Project Coordinator and later Project Director for Youth for Christ, Moldova before becoming Operations Manager for Youth for Christ’s Eastern European Office in Belfast. While with Youth for Christ, Lucia launched and coordinated their Children at Risk Resource Center program, opening day centers for at-risk children and teens in 53 churches around Moldova. Lucia received a Degree in Economics with a specialty in Management from the International Institution of Management and has received Level 3 Certification in Delivering Learning from The City and Guilds of London, Institute.

Lucia and her husband Igor are members of Jesus Savior Baptist Church and live in Chisinau with their 7-year-old daughter, Anna.

Michele Bennett

Ministry and Advocacy Assistant

Michele Bennett loves serving others and impacting her world. Her passion for ministry is not only evident, it’s contagious!

Michele brings to Sweet Sleep a strong background in Christian service and ministry experience. After several summers serving in leadership positions with LifeWay’s Centrifuge Camps, Michele served as Donor Relations Coordinator for African Leadership in Franklin, Tennessee. Michele then joined North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia where she coordinated volunteers and managed retail and resource outlets and kiosks at North Point’s thriving Buckhead Church. In addition to her work with North Point, Michele served as Logistical Coordinator for Passion Conference’s World Tour and coordinated volunteer resources for World Relief’s national headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Michele holds a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Youth Education from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

Michele has extensive experience supporting the work of non-profit ministries and has served internationally in Uganda, Kenya, Haiti and Ukraine through A Home for Haiti, blood:water mission, Mocha Club, Compassion International, World Vision and Brent Gambrell Ministries. God has directed Michele’s path to Sweet Sleep where she will build on and use her diverse experiences in ministry to help grow the ministry of Sweet Sleep by furthering the cause and leading Sweet Sleep’s Two10 Advocacy Team.

Michele is an active member of Oasis and church and lives in South Nashville with her dogs Indigo (a white English lab) and Midi Lou (a black lab mix.)

Josephine Ssebambulide

Program Manager, Uganda

Josephine Ssebambulide began serving as Sweet Sleep’s Program Manager in Uganda in January 2010.

Prior to Sweet Sleep, Josephine served as an administrator for Molly and Paul Child Care Foundation, an NGO focused on providing education, shelter and care to orphans, helping coordinate care for needy and orphaned children in Kibuye-Kampala, Uganda. Following her work with Molly and Paul, Josephine received certificates in Caring for HIV+ Children and Creative Children’s Ministry from Samaritan’s Purse. Josephine received a Degree in Business Administration from Nkumba University.

Josephine and her husband Jonathan are members of Victory Christian Church Ndeeba and live in Makindye, Uganda – just outside the capital city of Kampala – with their two children Tremise and Treynon.