Hope Channel Elects New Vice President of Finance and Administration

Hope Channel International (HCI) announced the appointment of Maurine Wahlen as vice president of finance and administration, effective October 13.

In this strategic leadership role, Wahlen will serve as chief financial officer and corporate secretary, overseeing the organization’s financial operations and administrative functions. She will leverage data-informed decision-making and business analytics to strengthen HCI’s fiscal stewardship and advance its mission to reach 1 billion people with the message of eternal hope.

Wahlen brings more than 25 years of distinguished leadership experience spanning auditing, financial management, and education. Most recently she served as associate director of professional development at the General Conference Auditing Service. A certified public accountant with extensive international ministry experience, Wahlen combines financial excellence with a deep commitment to global mission—having grown up as a missionary child, she served many years in cross-cultural contexts.

“I am delighted to welcome Maurine to this critical role,” said Vyacheslav Demyan, president of Hope Channel International. “Her commitment to excellence, combined with her deep passion for mission and strategic leadership experience, will be instrumental as we expand our global media ministry. Having been immersed in different cultures throughout her life and ministry, she brings both the heart of a missionary and the mind of a strategic leader. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as she steps into this new chapter of service.”

Speaking immediately after the vote, Wahlen expressed her appreciation for the trust and added, “I look forward to working with the Hope Channel International team in partnership for mission.”

Wahlen’s vision and expertise will enhance the ability of the network as it advances toward its 2030 goal of reaching 1 billion people globally.

Continuing Leadership Team Affirmed

The Hope Channel International board also affirmed the continuing service of its senior leadership team, choosing to elect the incumbents.

Vyacheslav Demyan continues as president, bringing expertise in theology and journalism, graduate studies in missiology and contextualization, and previous service as HCI’s vice president of programming after helping establish Hope Channel Ukraine.

Robbie Berghan remains vice president for global media and engagement, leading global media partnerships and data-informed pathways from media to discipleship, with prior experience as national content manager for Faith FM in Australia.

Sam Neves continues as vice president for advancement and communication, overseeing brand advancement, donor engagement, and media relations. He holds a Ph.D. in media and digital communication and previously served as associate director of Communication at the General Conference.

About Hope Channel

Hope Channel is a global media evangelism network committed to reaching 1 billion people with the message of eternal hope by 2030. Sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and generous donors, the Hope Channel network produces and distributes content in 120 languages across more than 80 countries worldwide. Each local Hope Channel is locally funded and operated, enabling contextualized messages that meet the unique spiritual needs of communities around the globe.

Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, Hope Channel International provides strategic leadership for the global Hope Channel network, ensuring every voice is heard as the organization moves boldly toward full integration and unity. 

HCI equips passionate believers to establish Hope Channels in every region, building media studios, securing broadcast licenses, and training local teams. In recent months alone the organization has celebrated the launch of new channels in Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and South Sudan, and among the Mizo people in India.

Through generous donor support, HCI has developed transformative technology that serves the entire network, including a video storage and management system that saves millions of dollars annually. The organization’s groundbreaking AI dubbing technology instantly translates videos into more than 70 languages while preserving each speaker’s original voice. This new technology enables a village pastor in Kenya to reach global audiences in Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish, and beyond. 

Additionally, HCI’s production teams create high-quality, engaging content that any Hope Channel can broadcast immediately, providing essential support for emerging channels as they develop their own production capacity.