Board of Directors

Bethany Lackey

Bethany is the Executive Director of Roanoke Refugee Partnership. She helped make RRP a reality in early 2017, and is involved in the many facets of the organization. A native to Appalachia, she has had a passion for social justice since childhood. Bethany is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. She thrives on building community and connecting people.

Bill Ellis

Bill was born and raised in Roanoke. He currently lives in Floyd County with his family. He is the proud father of two elementary age kids. He has worked as an adjuster for a Commercial Insurance Company for 25 years. In 2016, Bill signed up to teach education and job training classes for newly arrived refugees in the Roanoke Valley. He realized from the first time he stepped into the classroom, that participating in the lives of these fine human beings was going to be a lifelong calling. He has since taught over 150 new arrivals the basics of life in the U.S. He has a passion for undertaking the “little things” that ultimately lead people to enjoy full lives. Bill has been involved with RRP from its inception, and is always eager to lend a hand.

Michael McKeown

Michael has 35 years of experience in business and financial management in both domestic and international settings. He retired from a Fortune 500 company and has worked on agricultural development projects in Africa, Asia, South America and Eastern Europe. He has done long-term volunteer work with the U.S. Peace Corps, U.S.O. and American Red Cross. He is experienced in small business development, project management, leadership development, business contracts, human resources, and financial management.

Lakshmi Patel

Lakshmi joined RRP in the early stages, and started by mentoring one of the families. She has since become the Secretary of the organization and also serves as the Medical Committee Chair. She is a dietitian by training and currently works with the pediatric population, where she comes across many refugee and immigrant clients. She was born and raised in Africa, and much of her passion for working with the refugee community stems from her upbringing in these other countries. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her children and husband, as well as traveling, and trying foods from around the world.