­Our Team

­­Jim Cantelon

­F­oun­der and President of Visionledd Canada and Visionledd USA­­­­

­As the founder and President of Visionledd Canada and Visionledd USA, Jim Cantelon and his wife Kathy have dedicate­d their lives to drawing awareness to the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. Their passion for establishing social justice has encouraged them to call on the Church in North America to become the foundation of hope and healing that Christ has called it to be.

Jim graduated from Central Pentecostal College in 1970 and since then has served on the pastoral staff at several churches across Canada. In 1981, at the invitation of the Israeli government, Jim, Kathy and their three children moved to Israel where they helped pioneer the Jerusalem Christian Assembly, now called King of Kings, which is the largest evangelical congregation in Israel. When they returned to Canada, Jim began serving as the assistant to the President of Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. (CCCI) and helped co-host the daily 100 Huntley Street telecast. In October 1990, Jim was elected to the position of President of Crossroads USA.

Since the beginning of his ministry, Jim has been active in producing and hosting both television and radio talk shows, including "Talk to Me", "Eye to Eye with Jim Cantelon", "Truth to Go" and "Challenge" in North America and "Voice of Hope" in South Lebanon. Jim has also written two inspiring books: When God Stood Up - A Christian Response to AIDS in Africa and Theology for Non-Theologians. Today, Jim and Kathy live in Burlington, Ontario. Their three children Todd, Jess and Kate are married with children of their own.

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Karl Mueller

Executive Director of Visionledd USA

Karl Mueller is the Executive Director of Visionledd USA. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta a­nd the School of Inter-Cultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary (Missiology). His 30 years of ministry experience have taken him to 35 nations around the world. As the son of refugees, he has long had a heart for communities in need - both locally and globally.

Since 2005 Karl and and his wife Debbie have been involved in catalyzing, connecting and coaching North American churches, helping them walk alongside African churches and other ministries in the battle against HIV/AIDS. They frequently travel to Africa where they are involved in building the capacity of African churches and ministries, and developing networks and partnerships with other ministries engaged in community transformation.

Karl has served with YWAM (Youth With A Mission), the North American Baptist Conference, as president of a Bible College and on the pastoral staff of several local churches. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of Visionledd USA, Karl was the Missions Pastor at a large church in Phoenix, AZ.­ Karl and his wife Debbie live in Mesa, Arizona. Their son Donovan is married and lives in Korea.

Rita Prins

Executive Director of WOW

Rita Prins is the Executive Director of WOW (Women for Orphans and Widows), a ministry of Visionledd, which enables women to invest time, finances and prayer into communities in sub-Saharan Africa who are crippled by poverty and HIV/AIDS.

Rita seeks to be a voice for the voiceless as she shares widow's stories with women all across North America. Her desire is to create a connection between women in North America and sub-Saharan Africa through prayer, community sponsorship, WOW mission trips and ministry leadership opportunities. As an ordinary woman equipped with God's extraordinary love, Rita has committed her life to reaching out to orphans and widows affected by HIV/AIDS.

Growing up in a family that fostered more than 100 children in need helped set in motion a lifelong desire in Rita to reach out to others. Rita's experience working as a laboratory technologist for 11 years gave her in-depth knowledge about HIV/AIDS, its transmission and the stigma the disease carries within communities affected by it. As a mother of three children, Rita has learned just how important the care and concern of a parent is to a child - especially those orphaned by AIDS in Africa.

Steve Bowler

African Regional Coordinator for Visionledd Canada

Steve Bowler was born into a missionary family and grew up in Kenya and Uganda. As the African Regional Coordinator for Visionledd Canada, Steve connects, facilitates and networks with individuals and organizations who are working to improve the lives of those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. Steve also serves on several Boards in Malawi.

Steve's experience in Africa for more than 21 years equips him to understand the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As Country Director for SOS Children's Village of Malawi Trust for almost nine years, Steve has pushed the development of programs outside the traditional SOS Model redirecting the focus to be more community oriented which has given hundreds of children opportunities they would not have had without the development support of Steve's ministry.

Steve's Masters Degree in Regional Planning, focused on Community Development in developing countries and has fueled his passion for caring for at-risk children, giving him the practical experience required to make a lasting difference in the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS.

Steve and his wife Kathy live in Malawi with their two children, Amy and Alisa. Kathy runs a successful project for children with disabilities - a model for Malawi.

Richard Brown

Chief Operating Officer of Visionledd Canada

Biography to follow...