Management Biographies

Rev. Andrew (Andy) J. Bales, CEO, Union Rescue Mission

Andy brings over 20 years of experience in community outreach and service to “his homeless friends”, as Andy puts it, as he leads Union Rescue Mission into a new era of unique and innovative services for Los Angeles’ Skid Row community.

Andy’s vision for the future of the Mission is most definitely in keeping with the Union Rescue Mission’s long and distinguished history of service in the City of Los Angeles. Established in 1891, the Mission has always served the most desperate men, women and children of the community.

One of Andy’s earliest challenges as President of the Union Rescue Mission, prior to becoming CEO, was to assist in the developing of transitional housing for mothers and their children living in the Mission’s homeless shelter and in neighboring SRO hotels in and around Skid Row. He is also committed to providing permanent supportive housing for senior women away from the mean streets of Los Angeles. Hope Gardens Family Center, in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest near Sylmar, is being developed in stages to serve this growing population of abandoned and desperately poor women with children and elderly women. The Senior Women’s Permanent Supportive Housing facility at Hope Gardens was opened in August 2006.

As Hope Gardens Family Center becomes a reality, Andy is looking at expanding programs for homeless men in the community. He is eager to address issues of transitional and permanent supportive housing for men who are looking for an opportunity to overcome homelessness and become self-supporting.

Andy has many awards and honors for his community service, including: being named as the 930th Point of Light by President George Bush in 1992, receiving the 1999 Des Moines NAACP Community Service Award, and receiving the 2004 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Pasadena. He has been featured in Leadership Journal’s article “Great to Good Churches” and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences, schools, and clubs.

Andy is currently working on the final phase of his Doctor of Ministry degree at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington. He will add this degree to several other academic credentials: a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) from Drake University (1983), and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Bethel College (1980). Andy has also completed 50 hours toward a Ph.D. in sociology from Iowa State University.

At his own home, Andy and wife Bonnie (a nurse) have six children, ranging in age from 16 to 26. In addition, Andy and Bonnie often provide a home for foster children.

“As we partner with others and God does His miraculous work through us, I believe we will see each and every mom and child move off of Skid Row and into a home, and an end to human beings—brothers and sisters—trying to survive each night in card board boxes. I hope that everyone who reads this will consider how they can join us in sharing their time, talents and treasures and making a bit of heaven present here on earth.” – Andy Bales

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Scott Chamberlain, Vice President of Women & Family Ministries

No stranger to Skid Row, Scott Chamberlain has devoted most of his life to rejuvenating this community. For over 15 years, Mr. Chamberlain has worked with the Los Angeles Skid Row population. For 10 of these years, Scott chose to live among the urban poor, living in a low income welfare hotel and a downtown apartment with his family near Skid Row, to gain a better understanding of the people he served.

Beginning as a volunteer with Union Rescue Mission’s youth ministries department in 1987, Scott’s relationship with URM has continued in many forms. Part of the URM church planting team in 1988, Scott soon became the founding pastor of Skid Row’s LA Central City Church of the Nazarene and Executive Director of Central City Community Outreach from 1988-2003. Created to foster a sense of community among the transient population, Scott took CCCO to a place where community, accountability, and leadership could be found among the Skid Row residents. Scott partnered with this community to create after-school programs for children, support groups for those struggling with addiction, and street outreaches, including a weekly Karaoke Coffee Club. From 2003-2005, Mr. Chamberlain worked as a consultant for New Church Specialties, training pastors and church planters.

In April 2005, Scott joined the Union Rescue Mission extended team again as he became Program Director with EIMAGO, Inc. (EIMAGO is the collaborative partner with URM in overseeing all federally funded programs.). His transition to the position of Vice President of Women’s and Family Ministries for Union Rescue Mission in 2005 invited his experience and creativity to transform the lives of our homeless women and children. He is eager to harness the talents of his capable staff and move forward with innovative programs for women and families.

Scott began following Christ in 1980 as a high school student. Following an undergraduate education in social work and studying urban ministry at Bresee Institute, Scott received a Masters degree in Urban Ministry from Azusa Pacific University in 1991 and an ordination from the Church of the Nazarene in 1992. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Chamberlain taught as an adjunct professor for APU and Fuller Theological Seminary.

Scott is married with two children and lives in Altadena, CA. In addition, Scott and Beth have also raised three foster children, John, Jamaal, and Gemayal at different points throughout their years of ministry together in Los Angeles.

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Scott Johnson, Vice President of Operations/COO

Since 2003, Scott Johnson has offered effective leadership of health and safety, food, and program services. As Vice President of Operations/Chief Operations Officer position, Scott oversees all of these functions at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the entire Safety, Security, Transportation, Dietary, Gift in Kinds, Custodial and Local and International Outreach Programs of Union Rescue Mission.In addition to these essential functions, Scott works as a liaison for Union Rescue Mission with local community groups and city government, developing wonderful relationships in the community. Scott is currently a board member on the Los Angeles Community Police Advisory Board, member of the Los Angeles Police Department Homeless Task Force Committee, board member on Police Activities League, chairman of the Safety Committee, as well as chairman and founder of Los Angeles Central Security Managers Collaborative.

Prior to his work at Union Rescue Mission, Scott served for three years as Guest Service Manager for Resort Security Operations at the Anaheim Disneyland Resort. In this position, he provided complete supervision of entire resort operations. His previous career history also includes: site manager at Healthcare Security Services in Brea, California; security specialist for Inmrammicro in Fullerton, California; and safety/security/disaster coordinator for Martin Luther Hospital/La Palma Intercommunity Hospital in Anaheim, California.

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Jessica Brown-Mason
Director, Programs Hope Gardens

Joining Union Rescue Mission in August 2007, Jessica Brown-Mason draws upon over 20 years experience in administration, business and contract management, human resources, and program development in her role as Director of Programs at Hope Gardens Family Center.

Ms. Brown-Mason is a multi-talented, detail-oriented Director who supervises the daily operations of Hope Gardens programs along with long-range planning and program implementation. She provides direct supervision to staff integrally executing the programs at Hope Gardens, building strong, holistic case management teams. In addition to maintaining strong internal collaborations, Ms. Brown-Mason creates partnerships in the community to guarantee accessible offsite services and programs as well as represents Union Rescue Mission in community planning initiatives.

Deeply concerned with maximizing the receipt of services for each resident, Jessica Brown-Mason actively develops protocols and procedural manuals and consistently evaluates program effectiveness for capacity building. Ms. Brown-Mason holds an M.B.A. from Woodbury University, giving her the extra skill and knowledge necessary for providing fiscal accountability.

Prior to Union Rescue Mission, Jessica Brown-Mason worked for Glendale Community Development Department, Beyond Shelter, and thirteen years with Los Angeles Youth Network.