For nearly a decade, Amy Antonelli has served as the CEO of HXP (Humanitarian Experience). This summer HXP will send 7,000 teenagers throughout the world to perform sustainable humanitarian work in 65 global locations.

Prior to HXP, Amy acted as a spokesperson for Apple’s executive officers, including CEO Steve Jobs. She was instrumental in building PowerSchool, Inc. leading up to its acquisition by Apple, and later she led an initiative with Mark Zuckerburg at Meta to develop a mission-driven workforce. Amy received degrees from both BYU and Harvard, and served as a missionary in Italy and Malta.

Amy also spent seven years living and working in the leprosy colonies of India, where she served as the first Executive Director of Rising Star Outreach. Her time in India was one of the most formative periods of her life.

Those who know her best describe Amy first as a disciple of Jesus Christ. She believes that when we love God and love people – there will always be miracles.

Margaret has devoted most of her life to raising 7 boys and one daughter and she has 37 wonderful grandchildren. Margaret graduated cum laude from Weber State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Child Development.  She is co-author of the book, An Emotional First Aid Kit for Mothers, and has spoken at several seminars and conferences on raising children.  Margaret currently serves as a member of the International and Government Affairs Committee for her Church, the National Advisory Committee for the BYU Marriott School of Business, the President’s Leadership Council for BYU, the Board of Directors for The Tuachan Center for the Arts, and as a board member for Rising Star Outreach.

 Christine Cronquist has been involved with the work at Rising Star Outreach since our earliest days. She has always worked as a volunteer. Her first job for several years was to direct our Volunteer Program. She was perfectly prepared for this job as she has been to Rising Star many, many times as a volunteer herself. She has also had her children volunteering at Rising Star Outreach. Two of her daughters even became our volunteer leaders. In more recent years, Christine has served as a member of the Executive Committee of our Board of Directors and is now Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mark Cronquist is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Southern Healthcare Management in Atlanta, Georgia.

As founder of Rising Star Outreach, Becky is motivated by the belief that every person deserves opportunity and a life of dignity.  Her humanitarian work has been featured in numerous national and international journals, books, and in several TV series.  She was the recipient of the John Houston Allen Humanitarian of the Year Award, and has been named as one of five “Classic Women” by Traditional Homes Magazine.  She is the subject of the PBS Documentary, Breaking the Curse, as well as the Emmy-winning documentary, Profiles in Caring. Becky Douglas and her husband, John are the parents of ten biological and adopted children.

John Douglas is Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at TIAA,  the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical, cultural and governmental fields.. Prior to this position, John was with Davis Polk’s Financial Institutions Group, heading the firm’s bank and regulatory practice and also formerly served as General Counsel of the FDIC during the savings and loan crisis. Rising Star Outreach is thankful for the benefit of his legal background and experience.

Ron founded The BroadStreet Group, LLC. Which focuses on International Commerce. With partners in the United States, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and India. He has been heavily involved in charitable and volunteer work, including, Rising Star Outreach – India, Mentors International – Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador. He also serves on a number of Educational and Arts Boards including Hale Center Theatre, Utah State University Cain College, BYU Marriott School, UVU Presidential Advisory Board, U of U School of Music, Legacy Film Foundation, and National Advisory Board Best of State. In 2000 he was called and set apart as Assistant to the President of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Executive Producer (Talent), responsible for securing all guest artists who perform with the Choir.

Joyce is a graduate of Stanford University, where she and Ron met as undergraduates. She worked in San Francisco after graduating while her husband continued his studies in law at the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall. The Hanson’s are the parents of 4 children, with 18 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren and have been married for 57 years. She continues to volunteer for causes in and around Laguna Beach, California, while they divide their time between Laguna and their home in Utah.

David Harding is a business executive in the medical devices and diagnostics industry. He received a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California and and MBA degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. David was an associate and partner at McKinsey & Company and has since been a leader in cancer diagnostics and devices across multiple companies. His current focus is bringing new blood-based cancer screening tests to the world.

Steele Hendershot graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in business management. He has been working in business management for over ten years and has been working with the Rising Star Outreach since 2009. He is currently the Vice President of business development for CircusTrix, a recreational facilities and services company based in Provo, UT and founded Humanitarian Doctors, a group dedicated to improving the quality of life for as many people as possible.

Rich Herlin is a retired partner of Deloitte after working for them for 37 years. He began his career with Deloitte in Salt Lake City and has worked in New York City, Atlanta, Wilton, CT., Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Midland, MI. Rich is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Master’s of Accountancy. 

Rich and Ann have four children and eight grandchildren. They served a 23-month church mission in Moscow, Russia, from 2018 to 2020. Before leaving for their mission, they served for several years on the Rising Star Outreach Board of Directors.

Claudette has a zest for life and a passion for people and for serving. She has taken her family to various places around the world and served in diverse capacities. She enjoys learning about and experiencing new cultures and getting to know different people. Together with her husband Mike, the Jones family is active in their local community and church, where Claudette has held various leadership positions. Claudette’s greatest passion is in loving and serving her six children. Within Rising Star, Claudette serves as the International Programs and Outreach Committee Chair.

Brian P. Murphy is a founder of Portfolio Advisors, LLC and Senior Advisor to FS Investments.   Portfolio Advisors specializes in delivering customized, private equity, private real estate and private credit solutions to its limited partners and clients. Portfolio Advisors has raised approximately $26 billion across 25 funds from over 3,000 limited partners from around the world. Brian graduated with a BA from Brigham Young University in 1986 and an MBA from Columbia University in 1988.

Louise Murphy graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English. She and her husband, Brian, have four children and 12 grandchildren and are in the process of moving from their home of 35 years in Connecticut to a new home in Midway, Utah.

Louise has served in numerous callings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including institute teacher, seminary teacher, and president of each auxiliary organization-Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society.

Louise currently serves on three boards: Chair, National Advisory Council, Marriott School of Business, BYU, Women’s Committee; Board Member, Rising Star Outreach; and Board Member, National Advisory Board, Utah Valley University.

MaryAnn has spent most of her life raising eight children and serving in various civic and community positions, including as a member of the National Advisory Council for the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University for the past 25 years. She has visited the Rising Star Outreach facilities in India, where she served as a volunteer. MaryAnn loves to read, travel and serve others. She attended Brigham Young University. MaryAnn lived most of her life in the Washington, D.C. area but currently lives in Utah with her husband, Robert. They have 23 grandchildren.

Before his recent retirement, Robert served for almost 20 years in various executive roles for Exclusive Resorts, the preeminent luxury travel destination club, including both as Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development and as Chief Financial Officer. He also served as the chief financial officer of Host Marriott Corporation from 1995 to 2002, and previously served as the lead independent director of Watermark Lodging Trust, a multi-billion-dollar real estate investment trust focused on the ownership of luxury hospitality real estate and as a director of Kids on the Move, a non-profit organization focused on helping children with disabilities.  He currently serves on the board of directors of Global Cities REIT.

He has also served as an independent director of Excel Trust, Inc. and CNL Hotels & Resorts and as chairman of the Hotel Development Council of the Urban Land Institute, Chair of the National BYU Management Society, and Chair of the National Advisory Counsel of the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. Robert graduated from Brigham Young University in accounting and later earned his MBA from the same alma mater. He loves to travel and is an avid bird watcher. Along with his wife, MaryAnn, they have visited over 100 countries around the world.

Sally graduated with a B.S. in Education from Brigham Young University and received a Masters of Education from the University of Utah.  She has taught in a Gifted and Talented Program in Utah and at the Browning School in New York City.  She is a community activist, church volunteer, and a full-time mother.

Brian Sheets completed his undergraduate work at the University of Utah and my graduate work at the University of Southern California, where he received his Master’s Degree in Corporate Taxation. He worked at Hansen, Barrett and Maxwell in Salt Lake and Grant Thorton in Los Angeles. I then left public accounting and worked in various non-profit companies as their Chief Financial Officer, including the Weingart Center in Los Angeles, The Great Salt Lake Council of BSA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah. He taught non-profit classes for the AICPA throughout the country and the UACPA in Salt Lake. He has been married to his wife, Emilie, for 42 years, and together they have four married sons and 17 grandchildren. His hobbies include snow skiing, gardening, fly fishing, and playing with my grandchildren.

Nancy B. Sorensen holds a PhD from the University of Utah in Educational Administration, as well as a masters degree from Utah State University and a bachelors degree from Brigham Young University. She has spent 17 years in the classroom and 21 years as principal of four different elementary schools. Currently Nancy is the principal of Manila Elementary School in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Nancy loves to travel and to serve, which brought her to Rising Star Outreach, which she has visited several times. Nancy is the mother of four children and the grandmother of 11.

Christopher Wilson has practiced with some of the nation’s most prestigious firms, including O’Melveny & Myers and Pillsbury Winthrop. Wilson has been advising clients on securities and transactional matters for more than 23 years, and has been involved in virtually every type and size of transaction, from small public offerings and private placements, to large public company mergers and acquisitions. Wilson represents many emerging businesses and small public companies and advises them on the diverse legal issues arising from starting, financing, growing and selling a business.

Jennifer Wilson became a member of MV Law in 2009, practicing in the areas of Estate Planning and Asset Protection. Jennifer graduated from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, cum laude, in 1986. She has a passion for assisting others in the protection of their most important assets, and is delighted to be of assistance to MV Law clients.

“My reason for practicing law is to help people to navigate through uncertain waters during transitional moments in their lives, such as death or a change in fortune, or in planning for those moments. It is my goal to make each client feel understood, appreciated and completely satisfied with the results he or she achieves through the assistance of our team at MV Law.”

Jennifer is a member of the Trusts & Estates and Elder Law sections of the Orange County Bar Association. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Orange County Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and of the international Women in Law Committee in the same law society. She is also a board member of Rising Star Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating the effects of leprosy in India. Outside of work and volunteer activities, she spends most of her time with her husband, five children, and nine grandchildren.