Senior Leadership
Robert Briggs
PRESIDENT AND CEO
Robert L. Briggs is the President and CEO of American Bible Society. Before assuming this role, he served for more than 20 years in high-level positions within the organization, including as the Senior Vice President of the U.S. Ministry team, Vice President of the Mission Advancement team, and Vice President of Global Ministries.
Robert is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of growing organizations in the nonprofit sector. He displays strengths in nonprofit management, strategic planning, organizational development, board governance, fundraising, and global ministry development.
Prior to joining American Bible Society, Robert held leadership roles with the American Diabetes Association and co-founded Cityhill, a Christian publishing company. Internationally, he has served on committees for United Bible Societies, Forum of Bible Agencies, and Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN).
Robert is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s journalism program. He and his wife, Susan, live in Philadelphia. They have five adult children and seven grandchildren.
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.
Janet Grell
Director, Human Resources
Janet Grell is serving as Interim Director of Human Resources, leading a seasoned team of professionals serving the organization in all aspects of Human Resources and staff well being.
Grell joined American Bible Society in May 2005 and served as the Director of Human Resources for her first 10 years of service in New York City, prior to American Bible Society moving to Philadelphia. During this period American Bible Society was awarded Best Christian Workplace 5 years in a row out of the 5 years it was applied for. This award was granted based on an extensive survey completed by staff and evaluated by The Best Christian Workplaces Institute who compared those answers against other Best Christian Workplaces. Grell has been leading the HR operations, compliance and employee relations area within HR since then before resuming the Director of Human Resources role again on an interim basis in September 2020.
Prior to joining American Bible Society, Grell served for over 20 years as Director of Human Resources for large brokerage firms on Wall Street caring for both U.S. staff as well as staff around the world.
Grell is an accomplished leader with a well-balanced background in mergers and acquisitions and all areas of Human Resources and organizational health. Grell attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Staten Island College and graduated Rutgers University with Specialist Certifications in Human Resources.
Stephen Kao
General Counsel
Stephen Kao joined American Bible Society as General Counsel in 2017, bringing with him more than two decades of experience, having served as Senior Counsel at Gammon & Grange, a private law firm outside of Washington, D.C.
Kao also brings a passion for ministry. He led a CRU ministry in North Carolina, promoted restorative justice with Prison Fellowship Ministries in Washington, D.C., and served as president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Columbia University.
Kao graduated with honors in political science from Columbia University and earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of Virginia School of Law. He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife Teresa and their three children, Caleb, Bethany, and Micah.
Whitney T. Kuniholm
VICE PRESIDENT, MINISTRY IMPACT
Whitney T. Kuniholm joined the Senior Leadership Team as senior vice president of Mission Advancement at American Bible Society in July 2018, after 16 months of establishing a strong foundation for the $150 million Bicentennial Campaign as director of campaign partnerships.
Kuniholm is also president emeritus of Scripture Union USA, where he provided over a decade of leadership. Before joining Scripture Union, he served as executive vice president of Prison Fellowship. He also held the position of chairman of the Forum of Bible Agencies – North America.
In 2004, Kuniholm created the E100 Challenge, a church-wide Bible reading program that has been translated into 25 languages and has reached 15 million people around the world. American Bible Society has used the E100 Challenge in its Armed Services Ministry, as well as Bible distribution work in China. Other resources authored by Kuniholm include four books—The Essential 100, The Essential Jesus, The Essential Question, and John: An Eyewitness Account of the Son of God—and many booklets, including Confessions of a Guilty Bible Reader. He also speaks at churches and Christian conferences.
Kuniholm is a graduate of Houghton College. He and his wife, Carol, have three children and three grandchildren.
Nicole Martin
Vice President of Church Engagement and Executive Director, Trauma Healing
Nicole Martin currently serves as the Vice President of Church Engagement and Executive Director of Trauma Healing. 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.
James J. Puchy
Vice President, Ministry Services
James J. Puchy joined American Bible Society in 2010 and currently serves as Vice President, Ministry Services. Puchy directs the ministries of Armed Services and also, the service areas of American Bible Society report indirectly to him.
Puchy retired from the U.S. Army in 2011 after serving in the Army Chief of Chaplains’ Office as Commandant and Director of Sustainment and Information since April 2008. He was the founding pastor of Helemano Community Chapel in Hawaii, Continental Community Chapel in Fort Monroe, and Chapel Next in Fort Belvoir.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from Rutgers University, as well as master’s degrees from University of Southern California, Alliance Theological Seminary, Syracuse University, and U.S. Army War College. He earned a doctorate in education from University of Southern California and a post-doctoral certificate in leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. A retired Army colonel, Puchy also has an extensive military education.
Puchy and his wife, the former Rebecca Lynn Genshaw, reside in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
Mark Wilson
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Mark Wilson joined American Bible Society as its Chief Financial Officer in 2017, bringing with him a wealth of experience as a finance leader with proven success in nonprofit organizational growth.
In his previous role with Philabundance, Wilson worked to ensure that 90,000 people throughout the greater Philadelphia region received the food they needed each week. Deeply passionate about God’s Word, Wilson is excited now to be using his gifts of financial strategy, innovation, and servant leadership to serve the mission of American Bible Society.
Prior to Philabundance, Wilson was employed by AmerisourceBergen and KPMG. He also served as the CFO of Westminster Seminary.
A Certified Public Accountant, Wilson received his master’s degree in business administration from Baylor University.
He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife Nathalie and their three sons, Max, Luke, and Benjamin.
