Staff & Board
Staff
Phillip Quelle – Chaplain
Phillip began his work at the Hands of Compassion in May of 2014. He has a Bachelors in Bible and Ministry and a Masters in Family Life Ministry, both from Oklahoma Christian University. He was in ministry for 11 years before coming here and has a wife and two children.
Mike and Sheila Jones – House Parents
Mike and Sheila Jones came to us from Fort Smith, AR where they served as Testimony Coordinators for Celebrate Recovery at the West-Ark Church of Christ. They bring multiple skills to this ministry including counseling and business experience. We are blessed to have them at the House of Compassion.
Board Members
Gary Byram, PhD – President
Gary is a retired Partner in Oliver Wyman’s Health and Life Sciences Practice and Accenture’s Communications and High-tech Practice as well as being a Marketing and Product development executive in the High Tech Industry. Gary continues to work in healthcare as a strategy consultant, primarily focusing on healthcare start-ups. He lives in Naperville, IL. where he is an elder at the Naperville Church of Christ and has been on the board of Hands of Compassion for over 20 years.
Mike Wiebusch – Vice President
Mike has lived his whole life in the Rochester area. He has had a varied career including firefighter, mayor, and civil engineer. He retired in 2017 as a surveyor for Olmsted County. He has been a member of the board of Hands of Compassion for eight years.
Ross Hoopes – Treasurer
Ross and his wife Karen moved to Rochester in 2007 and quickly became involved at the House of Compassion in many ways during their 15 years there – as interim houseparents, managing finances, and performing maintenance. Ross has been on the board since 2007, serving as president in the past and now as treasurer. They currently live in Hamilton, Ohio where he is part owner of an industrial printing company. They continue to be very active in their support of the Hands of Compassion ministry.
Christy Rampton, MSN, RN , CMSRN – Secretary
Christy is a retired nurse/nurse educator who lives in Naperville, IL. with her husband. She has a long term connection with the Hands of Compassion and is devoted to supporting people facing health crises. Christy joined the board in 2020 and is now serving as the board secretary.
Steve Sikes, PhD
Steve serves as the pulpit minister for the Rochester Church of Christ. He has a rich career in ministry and service to others and is a long time supporter of the Hands of Compassion. He has served on the board for 11 years.
Steve Willis
Steve is a Sr. Metallurgical Technical Specialist for Arconic, Inc & lives in Bettendorf, IA. He grew up in the Rochester congregation and he & his family have been longtime supporters of the Hands of Compassion ministry. His parents were some of the first people to have Mayo guests stay in their homes. Steve has been on the board since 2017.
Dan Sigrest
Dan is retired and lives in Rochester, MN. He is a long time supporter of the Hands of Compassion and is always willing to assist in managing facilities and operations.
James Smelser, MD
Jim trained at Mayo Clinic-Rochester from 1990-1995 & has been in the practice of Nephrology since 1995 in Huntsville, AL, currently serving as the President of the Huntsville Renal Clinic. Jim became a board member in 2022, following in his dad’s footsteps who served as a board member for more than 20 years. Jim is married to Karen and they have three sons Andrew (wife Lauryn and children Emery and Eli), Ryan and Connor.
Scott Quelle
Scott grew up in York, NE and has lived in Rochester, MN since 1997. He works as a First Transit Dispatcher for Rochester Public Transport and has been on the Hands of Compassion board for many years. He lives with his wife, Hiyas and their daughter.
Pamela Smithie, DMD
Pam is the owner of an active dental practice in McComb, MS where she lives with her husband. She has three adult children and has been a member of the board since 2020.
Lindsay Melvin, RN
Lindsay was raised in Greenville, MS and has lived in Rochester, MN since 2014. She works as an ICU nurse at Mayo clinic, is a mom of two kids, and is our newest board member.
John Kirby, MD
John is a Mayo-trained radiologist who joined the board in 2022 during his medical residency in Rochester. He now lives in Tennessee with his wife and son while working remotely for the Mayo Clinic Health Systems.
Kimberly Hall, MBA
Kimberly Hall is the Founder and CEO of Quantum Phoenixx, LLC -a strategic HR consulting firm. She is also the owner of The Alternative Board (TAB) of West Suburban Chicago, where she advises business leaders on strategic growth and business transformation. She lives in the west suburbs of Chicago. As an HR Executive, Kimberly leveraged over 25 years of experience partnering with business leaders in identifying and implementing strategic human resource solutions across dynamic organizations and industries, including the Mayo Clinic. Kimberly joined the HOC board in 2021.
Jim Fincher
Jim and his wife Carol moved to Rochester, MN from Caldwell, ID in the fall of 2022 to be involved in ministry with the local congregation and with the Hands of Compassion. Jim retired in 2020 after working for 32 years for the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Jim and Carol have two children. Their daughter Ashley is a nurse at Mayo Clinic and has worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Cardiovascular Surgery PCU for the last nine years. Their son Josh is an aspiring novelist and works as a videographer. Jim and Carol served as interim House Parents for HOC in the Winter-Spring of 2022. Jim has been a board member since 2023.