Commissioners Merle and Dawn Heatwole are the national leaders of The Salvation Army in the United States of America with Merle serving as the National Commander and Dawn serving as the National Secretary for Program. They assumed these appointments on March 1, 2025.

Immediately preceding this appointment Merle served as Territorial Commander and Dawn as Territorial President of Women’s Ministries in the Latin America North Territory.

Merle and Dawn are both children of Salvation Army officers, Lt. Colonels Merle L. and Vivian Heatwole and Colonels Thomas C. and Mary Lewis. The Heatwoles met when their parents were both stationed at the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Divisional Headquarters. They were married in 1981, entered the College for Officer Training the next year and were commissioned in 1984 as a part of the Servants of God session.

The Heatwoles served in appointments as corps officers, divisional officers, and territorial officers in addition to appointments at National Headquarters in the USA and International Headquarters in London, England.

The Heatwoles have three adult children Michael, Michele and Melissa who live in the United States. Michael and his wife, Linnea, live in Carpentersville, Illinois, with the Heatwoles’ granddaughters, Elin and Audrey. Michele and her husband, Dan Penning, live in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the Heatwoles’ grandson, Carter. Melissa and her husband, Kenyon Sivels, are the corps officers in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, with the Heatwoles’ granddaughters, Trinity and Eden.

Commissioners Ken and Jolene Hodder serve as the National Commander and National Secretary for Program respectively, for The Salvation Army in the United States, which operates more than 7,600 service facilities across America and serves more than 30 million people in need every year.

Commissioner Ken Hodder is a graduate of Harvard College (A.B. magna cum laude, 1980) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1983). Commissioner Jolene Hodder holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Los Angeles (1982), and a Masters of Religion from Trevecca Nazarene University (2018).

In 1986, after several years in their chosen professions, Commissioners Hodder responded to God’s call to service as Salvation Army officers. Commissioned in 1988, they served in corps appointments in Glendale and Torrance, California, as instructors at the School for Officers Training, and later as staff officers at USA Western Territorial Headquarters. In 1997, they served for three years as Coordinators for the International Millennial Congress. Later they served at Southern California Divisional Headquarters in Los Angeles, and then as divisional leaders for the Cascade Division.

Commissioners Hodder were appointed in March, 2006 to serve as Chief Secretary and Territorial Leader of Women’s Ministries in the Kenya Territory. Three years later, the Hodders were appointed to International Headquarters, where Commissioner Ken Hodder served in dual roles as International Secretary for Personnel and as Legal and Constitutional Adviser to the General, and Commissioner Jolene Hodder served as Associate International Secretary for Personnel. They were subsequently appointed as the Territorial leaders for Kenya West in January of 2013, and then as Territorial leaders of The Salvation Army’s USA Western Territory in 2017. They were appointed to their current roles at National Headquarters on July 1, 2020.

Commissioner Jolene Hodder is the author of three books, Walking in White, A Bend in the Road and Sensational Grace. They have one daughter, Jessica Fagerstrom, and are grandparents to two amazing boys, Everett Kenneth and Oliver Mark.

Mariska Rowell-Lehman, LLC is a San Francisco Bay Area native who is passionate about supporting local business owners achieve their goals while protecting what they built with commercial insurance solutions. She previously held the role of Property & Casualty Consultant at USI Insurance Services and is now enjoying being a stay-at-home mom to her son. With a background in law, business management, and commercial insurance, Mariska’s professional background and people skills enable her to form meaningful connections with referral partners and prospective clients.

Fun fact: Mariska loves learning other languages and cultures. She speaks English and Dutch fluently, basic French, and elementary level Spanish.

Inspired by his 25+ years of experience as CEO of major corporations, Joel Manby wrote LoveWorks: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders, detailing how to integrate love, the verb, into the leadership ethos and philosophy of any organization. This servant leadership approach has been proven to systematically transform organizations toward lower turnover, higher employee engagement, greater customer satisfaction, and stronger profits.

Joel has served as CEO at SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, Herschend Enterprises, and Saab Automobile. Currently a Thought Leader for John Maxwell Leadership, Joel serves as the Chairman of Orange as well as the National Advisory Board of The Salvation Army.

Laura is the Senior Director of Brand & Business Marketing for Expedia. She has valuable experience defining and executing brand strategies and campaigns as well as leading development teams. Her expertise in marketing and development will provide valuable insights to Echelon leaders as she shares ideas on how to market and brand your local chapter.

Dr. Mark Caner, President of Western & Southern Financial Group, has experience in sales, marketing, and relationship management. With a doctorate degree in strategic leadership, Dr. Caner will provide valuable insight to Echelon board members on leadership and volunteerism. Dr. Caner also serves as an advisory board member for The Salvation Army and has done so in the past for the American Red Cross, Young Life, and other organizations.

Sally Harris, the President and Co-founder of Saint James Place, Inc., serves on The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board. Her career is filled with service in the nonprofit sector, both at the local and national levels, ranging from serving on boards to founding and running an organization.

Anil Kapoor, Mid West Division ADP Executive for Bank of America, currently serves as the chair of the Echelon Leaders Council and as a board member for The Salvation Army. He has experience in finance, developing markets, and implementing Consumer Banking strategies.