Staff

Jen Gash

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.

Tim Pereira

A U.S. Navy veteran with an MBA from Vanderbilt University, Tim Pereira is a man unafraid to take on a tough job. And it’s a good thing, because he’s in charge of managing all day-to-day operations and the entire staff of Sweet Sleep around the globe.

Tim signed on as COO in November 2011. His responsibilities include coordinating the daily operations of the organization, creating and overseeing the annual budget, serving as the bridge between the group’s domestic and international operations, managing staff development and recruitment, legal compliance, IT strategy, long-term strategic planning, and just about anything the organization can think to throw his way.

Pereira lives in Nashville with his wife Carissa and their five children; the youngest of whom they recently adopted from China. He is a member of Fellowship Bible Church.

Jake Smith

Jake is a Nashville native and has been working as an Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations for Vanderbilt University since 2008. Prior to working for Vanderbilt, Jake served as an Assistant Director of Development for the athletic department at the University of Tennessee, focusing on annual gifts and coordinating volunteer programs. Jake holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications (2002) and a Masters Degree in Sports Administration (2006) from the University of Tennessee.

After a recent trip to Africa, Jake felt led to pursue a career in non-profit fundraising. His heart was changed, and he wanted to focus his efforts on serving those in need around the world. Jake first heard about Sweet Sleep from some friends who went to Moldova and Uganda with the organization and is excited to be a part of Sweet Sleep’s work.

Jake attends Fellowship Church in Franklin, TN and serves as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing golf, listening to the great music of Nashville and trying to spend as much time outdoors as he can.

Sarah Edwards

Set to graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in December 2012 with a doctorate in educational ministry, Sarah is a whiz at logistics and getting people where they need to be (and where they’re most needed) all around the world.

A brand new member of the staff, Sarah manages Student & Church Intiatives (SCI), which means she’s responsible for developing and executing our strategy to build successful relationships with religious and educational institutions and to mobilize students and churchgoers behind the Sweet Sleep mission. In July 2011, she went on a trip to Northern Uganda (Gulu) with Sweet Sleep. She says the trip has changed her life in ways she is only beginning to realize, and it is her hope to equip churches and individuals to be advocates for the very orphans that have already captured her heart.

A native Texan with a degree in computer information systems, Sarah lives in Nashville and is a member of Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin.

Lucia Hmleic

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.

Josephine Ssebambulide

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.

Jennifer Auma

Jennifer is Sweet Sleep’s newest team member in Uganda, starting her work with us in April 2011. She works under the supervision of Josephine Ssebambulide, the national director for Uganda. Jennifer develops and maintains working relationships with the local communities and leaders in northern Uganda.

Jennifer has worked with the American Refugee Committee in Gulu and grew up during civil war in her country. She knows first hand the suffering and needs of the children there.

Jennifer is married and has a young daughter named Daniella.

Ron Watson

Ron started serving Sweet Sleep as Program Manager in Haiti in June 2010.

Ron met Sweet Sleep President and Founder Jen Gash in February 2010, when he served as her translator during her relief work with the Haiti Orphan Relief Team (HORT), a Christian Alliance for Orphans initiative.

As Program Manager, Ron works with orphanages that request beds in Haiti, and he cultivates relationships with indigenous partners. He also organizes Sweet Sleep’s mission journeys.

Ron’s love and compassion for God’s children of the world are apparent through his work for Sweet Sleep. Before working with Sweet Sleep, Ron worked at the Haiti customs office. He likes to spend his free time helping the children of Haiti, working on building his new home, and continuing his schooling to become a lawyer.