Senior Executive Team
Robert Briggs
PRESIDENT AND CEO
Robert Briggs serves as President and CEO of American Bible Society. He previously served as Senior Vice President of the U.S. Ministry team. In that role, he focused on the goal of seeing 100 million Americans engaging with the Bible by 2026.
Briggs has served many roles at American Bible Society, including Vice President of the Mission Advancement team, overseeing double-digit growth in donations for the last three years. Prior to that, he led Global Service Ministry. He was also responsible for launching a research initiative in 2006 that provides American Bible Society with project research and validation services.
Internationally, Briggs has served as a member of the Global Council of United Bible Societies, chairing the nominations committee. He is a founding member of the steering committee for Every Tribe Every Nation, which brings together the largest Bible agencies in the world that are working to ensure that 100 percent of the world’s population have access to heart-language Scriptures.
Briggs is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s journalism program. Before joining American Bible Society, he held leadership roles with the American Diabetes Association and co-founded Cityhill, a Christian publishing company. He and his wife Susan live in Philadelphia. They have five adult children and three grandchildren.
Ovidio Alfaro
Senior Vice President, Administration and Operations
Ovidio "Ovi" Alfaro serves as the Senior Vice President for Administration and Operations at American Bible Society. He joined the organization in August 2021, bringing with him a broad range of experience and a passion for achieving operational excellence.
Alfaro served as a Captain in the United States Army for six years of active duty. His exceptional skill in operations, management, and logistics provided the foundation for a successful career focused on helping companies reach their full potential.
Before joining American Bible Society, Alfaro generated growth and streamlined operations for multiple companies, including McDonald’s, Rosewood Resources, DFC Global, and Prudent American Technologies. In addition, he served as Chief Operating Officer for Bethany Christian Services, where he led ministry efforts in 36 states and 15 countries, increased operating revenues, and built partnerships and implemented programs with organizations and governments around the world.
Alfaro earned his BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He holds an MBA with a concentration in Strategy from Texas Christian University. He and his wife, Ashley, have two adult children.
John Clause
Senior Vice President, Ministry Advancement
John Clause is Senior Vice President for Ministry Advancement at American Bible Society. He joined the organization in February 2020 and has vast experience in leading and managing relational marketing, major gift development and global philanthropy in the non-profit sector.
Clause served as Vice President of Global Philanthropy at Children International, Kansas City, Missouri. There he oversaw all relational development work, gift planning, donor communications and strategic institutional partnerships. Other positions he held include Senior Vice President of Prison Fellowship International, where he was responsible for all private fundraising channels, and National Vice President of Development and Philanthropy for World Vision. He was there for more than 17 years and oversaw all major fundraising activities in the United States.
Clause is a member of the Christian Leadership Alliance and has served on the advisory board of the National Council of Churches and the governing board of Movement.org (formerly The New York City Leadership Center).
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Colgate University and his Juris Doctorate from Ohio Northern University School of Law.
John and his wife Susan have three grown children, Bethany, Sharon, and Christie, as well as two rescue dogs, Jack and Rosie.
Nicole Martin
Senior Vice President, Ministry Impact
Nicole Martin currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Ministry Impact. She joined American Bible Society in 2016 as a City Mobilizer in Charlotte, NC and later served as the Director of US Ministry, supporting Scripture Engagement efforts in cities across the US.
A former management consultant with Deloitte Consulting in Chicago, Martin has also previously served as an Executive Minister at a multi-site church in Charlotte, NC. Martin teaches courses in Ministry and Leadership Development at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the author of two books: Made to Lead: Empowering Women for Ministry and Leaning In, Letting Go: A Lenten Devotional. Martin has authored several articles that have been featured in USA Today, Christianity Today, and The Charlotte Observer. As a nationally recognized speaker, Martin has been inducted into the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.
Martin is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a triple major in Human and Organizational Development, Educational Studies, and French. She earned her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and her Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She serves on the Board of the National Association of Evangelicals and is also a member of the Board of Trustees at Gordon College in New England.
Martin currently resides in Baltimore with her husband, Dr. Mark Martin, and their two daughters, Addison and Josephine.
