BWGI Board of Directors

Pastored for 16 years. Former Dean and Executive Vice-President for Western Seminary in San Jose and Portland. He holds a B.A. (Philosophy), M.Th., M.Div., and Doctor of Philosophy (Hebrew Studies and Old Testament). He studied at Oxford University in England from 1982–1986 to work on his doctorate, and received his Ph.D. in Old Testament and Hebrew from Golden Gate Seminary. Dr. Eckman was supervised by Professor James Barr at Oxford University. He is a contributor to the Thomas Nelson New King James Version Study Bible.

Stu brings 20 years of experience as an Information Technology business executive. He has over 40 years of business and IT experience with Healthcare, Financial Services, Government services, High Tech and Automotive industries. As a former VP at DXC/HPE/HP/GM/EDS, Stu has broad leadership experience in general management, delivery and sales. Over three decades on multiple continents.

Dr. Merilyn Copland is an expert in Mediterranean archaeology particularly as it relates to the Bible. She holds a Ph.D. in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology from UC Berkeley, Master's Degrees in History from San Francisco State University, and degrees in Hebrew language and Literature from Jerusalem University College.

She has co-authored a book for Christian touring in Greece and Israel and has spoken on the Book of Revelation in TV appearances. She has retired as a professor of Bible, Theology, and Archaeology at William Jessup University in Sacramento.

Her expertise spans Old Testament, biblical archaeology, Hebrew and Greek language, Egyptology, Near Eastern and Classical archaeology, women in the Bible and the Early Church, Islam, and the Seven Churches of Revelation. She is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, Biblical Archaeology Society, and Near Eastern Studies Society.

Gayle graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Biological Sciences and from the University of San Francisco for her M.B.A. in Management & Marketing. She began her career at ThermoFisher, formerly Applied Biosystems, working there for almost 20 years as an Operations Manager for the Services & Support Division of North America.

Gayle grew up in a Christian home and attended church all her life. She dedicated her free time serving in church ministries for 14 years but it was only after taking Dr. Eckman's BWGI Spiritual Life course at Western Seminary that she encountered the truth that she had been searching for all her life. In 2017, she left her career with ThermoFisher Scientific to serve as the Executive Director for BWGI. Gayle graduated in 2026 from Johns Hopkins University with an M.S. in Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology to strengthen BWGI's discipleship impact by designing pedagogically sound, technology-enabled learning experiences that scale Dr. Eckman's teaching to an international digital audience.

Jimmy Lee grew up in Taiwan and came to the US for graduate study in 1978. He is a co-founder of Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. (ISSI), a semiconductor company. He served as Chairman and CEO of ISSI for many years and took the company public on NASDAQ. He is now the Executive Vice Chairman at ISSI after the company was acquired by a consortium of Chinese investors in 2015. Mr. Lee also served as a board director in several semiconductor companies including SMIC, the largest Semiconductor IC Foundry in China.

Jimmy has been an elder at Chinese Church in Christ in San Jose (CCIC-SJ) since 1977. His ministry includes teaching, preaching, shepherding, mentoring and discipleship training. He is passionate about helping people connect their faith and work.

Jimmy graduated from National Taiwan University and received an MS/EE from Texas Tech University. He studied at Western Seminary and graduated from Christian Leadership Institute with a Master's Degree in Biblical and Theological Study. Jimmy is married and has two grown sons.

John graduated from Queen's College in Hong Kong, has a B.A. in Organic Chemistry from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

John has worked in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry for over 40 years developing breakthrough medicines for multiple therapeutics areas. Since retirement in 2016, John has remained a consultant for the biotech industry.

John grew up in Hong Kong and came to the United States in 1972. He accepted the Lord in 2000 and now serves as an elder in Golden Gate Christian Church in the Bay Area as well as one of the founders of the San Francisco City Impact Chinese Ministry in the Tenderloin area. John came to know Dr. Eckman and BWGI through the BASS (Bay Area Sunday School Convention) and has been a student of Dr. Eckman's teachings since 2006. John has been married for 40 years. He has a son, a daughter and two grandchildren.

Tim Papa has been connected to BWGI Ministries for over 20 years. Tim has worked for Chevron in Human Resources for 25 years and is currently the General Manager of Compensation. He has held numerous leadership roles in Chevron over his career, including the Secretary to the Board Management Compensation Committee. His tenure has included regional responsibilities for Africa, North America, and South America, international assignments to Nigeria and Venezuela, and extensive multi-national collaboration experience and worldwide travel.

Tim's career has afforded him the unique opportunity to learn about and partner with various ministries throughout the world and to see the miracle of Christ across many cultures.

Tim has a BA in History and an MBA from Texas A&M University. He has also served in the US Army infantry and as a police officer in Bryan, Texas. He currently lives in Houston, TX with his wife and identical twin daughters.

Steve grew up in the East Bay of Northern California as a 4th generation Chinese American. Through the witness of high school friends who attended Bay Area Chinese Bible Church (BACBC), Steve came to follow Jesus as a Senior at Encinal High School.

He received a BS in EECS at UC Berkeley and worked as a Software Engineer for 11 years before following God into vocational ministry in 1988. He and his wife Esther met through the college fellowship at BACBC and married in 1979. They have 3 adult children and two grandsons. Steve enjoys running, chess and reading. He has an M.Div. from Liberty Seminary and a D.Min. from Talbot School of Theology.

Dr. Yang Shao is the Council Member & Vice Mayor for the city of Fremont. He is also the Founder & President of Pacific Translingual Express, Inc. and Adjunct Professor at De Anza College, Cupertino, California. Dr. Yang has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University.

Dr. Yang translated at his home Church, River of Life, for Dr. Eckman while he taught the 5-Course Discipleship Concentration for their Pastoral Leadership Institute. As he translated, the courses made a significant impact on his life.

Jim Toms, a graduate of Duke University School of Law, provides strategic advice for the ministry.

Jim and his wife Susan's friendship with Dr. and Mrs. Eckman extends back almost fifty years, when Jim was a young Naval officer in San Francisco, and Dr. Eckman, then a seminary student, was their Sunday School teacher. The Toms have two daughters.

Yvonne has been a CPA for over 30 years in CPA firms, Public and Private Industries. She grew up in Hong Kong and Hawaii and is the very first Christian in her family. Yvonne is enthusiastic about God's words and is a graduate of the BSF Fellowship.

Before she met Dr. Eckman, she had never heard "God not only loves you — God likes you." The teaching changed her entire Christian life. She is convinced of God's total acceptance and delight due to his teaching in Luke 15 on Fatherly love. Yvonne has served at BWGI for over 10 years. She is married and has two grown children.