Board Members
Samuel Prophete,
Founder & Executive Director
Samuel Prophete is a biomedical engineer with a passion to help children have equal opportunities for learning. As a Haitian native, he has taken this passion and put into writing books for the children of Haiti and founding Pathos Legacy. Samuel works in the pharmaceutical industry and is the father of three children (who love to read).
Jill Tethrow, Chairwoman
Jill Tetherow is a fundraising strategist and volunteer manager with over ten years of experience in nonprofit work. She has a heart for a good mission and can think of none better than bringing the gift of books to the children of Haiti. An avid reader herself, Jill firmly believes in the positive impact that books have on children. She considers the opportunity to serve Pathos Reading as Board President an honor and a blessing, and is excited to be a part of this important movement. Her great loves (other than books of course), are God, her husband, her two little boys, and connecting with nature through gardening.
Elchanan Fontaine, Vice Chairman
Elchanan is a supply chain logistics professional with a degree in business management. Elchanan grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He currently lives in Ontario, Canada. He joined Pathos Legacy because he believes in what the organization stands for and wants to lend a hand in building a legacy that will positively impact the lives of many children in Haiti. He has a passion for learning and spends some of his free time mountain biking.
Jennifer Prophete, Secretary
Jennifer serves as the Manager of Community Development for Global Ministries with Lutheran Hour Ministries. In this role, she leads a team responsible for identifying and mobilizing a wide variety of groups for community outreach. Prior to this, she served as Regional Director of Compass Education Programs where she worked to establish a network of Christian preschool and before/after school programs in the St. Louis region. Jennifer graduated from Concordia University—Nebraska with a degree in elementary education. She is currently completing a Master of Business Administration degree.
Joshua Ernst, Treasurer
Josh currently lives in St. Louis City in an area called Dogtown. He is single, never married and has no children. He has 2 younger brothers, both married – 3 nieces & 1 nephew. His parents and youngest brother live here in St. Louis, the other brother lives in Crystal Lake, IL. Josh worked for Milliman for almost 2 years as an actuary before transitioning to Buckingham Wealth Partners, a wealth management firm. Josh has been working there for about 13 years this coming June as an Investment Analysis Associate. Josh is passionate about bowling and fishing. He bowls league once a week and local tournaments. He also enjoys being active – road biking, occasionally running and working out at the gym. As a native to St. Louis, he is a St. Louis Cardinals and Blues fan. Josh is involved with his church, Messiah Lutheran and is currently the president. Josh got involved with Pathos Legacy through friends Samuel & Jennifer Prophete because of his interest in helping others and his past experience as a Treasurer in other organizations.
Lauren Iwen, Board Member
Lauren lives in Indiana where she homeschools her five children. Her most cherished moments are the ones spent reading and discussing good books with them! She is also a support representative and program director with Classical Conversations, a company which provides educational resources to homeschooling families. Lauren graduated from Concordia University in Nebraska with a B.A. in Behavioral Science. One of the highlights of her college years was the semester she spent in India learning about its culture and people. Her love of people from all corners of the world combined with a passion for reading make her a great fit for the mission and vision of Pathos Legacy.
Amber Kraus, Board Member
Amber Kraus is the owner of Rise Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing agency focused on providing high-quality, affordable marketing services to small businesses and nonprofits. Amber is a former elementary school teacher and spent the first part of her career working in urban education. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville and completed an Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies Program with principal certification from the University of Colorado- Denver. She has previously volunteered as site coordinator and coach for Girls On The Run, Inc. and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Under the Same Tree, a nonprofit organization focused on preventing the effects of poverty through economic empowerment in countries around the world.