Our Leadership
The Board at Matthew House serves faithfully to move our mission forward of bridging divides and creating opportunities for the Refugees and Immigrants of the Phoenix area.
Leisa McDonald
Leisa is a bridge-builder and has a passion for helping forcibly displaced families find community, support, and friendship as they work to make Arizona their home. Her years in leadership training, management, and ministry have culminated in founding a place that equips, empowers, and cares for others. She is a wife to an amazing husband and mother to two talented young adult daughters. Outside of her job, she loves to travel and explore the world!
Amy Ulrickson
Amy has always been drawn to people and had a passion for learning other languages. Over the past two decades, she has met new friends who have opened her eyes to the realities and difficulties of immigrant and refugee families, and the gaps that exist in our current systems. She hopes with the knowledge she’s gained from these friends, she and Matthew House can help to be a bridge builder to others on this journey here in Arizona. She loves doing life with her husband and three kiddos and can often be found cheering loudly at their soccer games and races.
Meet Our Executive Board
Scott McDonald
Scott has over 25 years of executive leadership experience driving success in organizations such as Garten, CEB/Gartner, FedEx, and Oakwood Worldwide. In addition to his current role as Chief Revenue Officer at Garten, he coaches, develops, and influences executive leaders through his organization, Building Healthy Teams. He has experience serving several non-profit boards in the past decade, including one of the largest NGOs in the Middle East serving displaced and marginalized refugee populations. Scott has a communications degree from Indiana University and currently serves with his spouse and two daughters in Chandler, AZ.
Crystal Rios-Ramos
Crystal is a workers’ compensation attorney in the Phoenix Valley. Her experience in this industry has equipped her with a practical way to advocate for those who are injured in the workplace. She enjoys empowering and serving those who are underserved in our community, and anytime she has a chance to help someone, she does! Her heart for others and her passion for serving drives her work ethic, whether she is at work or serving outside of work.
Clark Daffern
Clark has experience spanning military service as well as several executive leadership positions. He was born, raised, and educated in Washington state. His passion for Matthew House stems from the culmination of leadership experience as well as his heart to serve. As his walk with the Lord has grown more and more, he dedicates his time in ways that will consistently point to Jesus through serving, giving, forgiving, loving others, and worshipping the Lord.