Management Team

John English, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer

Dr. John English, M.D., is a respected primary care physician and has served as the CEO of Bethesda Clinic since 2004.

A native East Texan, Dr. English grew up in Longview and earned a B.S. in Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University before graduating from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed his internship and residency in family medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. He played a pivotal role in establishing and expanding the clinic as a community-supported healthcare resource for those in need in Tyler, with his wife, Grace, serving as the clinic’s first medical director.

Dr. English currently serves on the Board of Directors for the East Area Council Boy Scout Foundation. He is also a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Green Acres Baptist Church.

Dr. English has been recognized with numerous awards for his service to the community, including the Leadership Tyler Distinguished Alumni Award, the Texas College Legacy Award, the Boy Scouts District Award of Merit, and the Junior League of Tyler Outstanding Volunteer Award. In 2013, he was honored as a Doctor Luke honoree by Bethesda Health Clinic.

John and Grace have three adult children: Sarah, Daniel and Matthew. In his personal time, Dr. English enjoys traveling, camping, playing sports, and working in his yard.

Diane Thomason, Bethesda’s Development Director, manages donor relations and fundraising events. She has been with Bethesda since 2009 and was part of the inaugural board in 2002.

Diane holds a Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has a tech background. She has held leadership roles in various local organizations, including UT Tyler’s College of Business & Technology, Tyler Executive Women’s Network (TEWN), Christian Women’s Job Corps, The Women’s Fund, and GetIT.

Melissa, with a BBA in Accounting and extensive healthcare management experience since 1995, has been a dedicated supporter of Bethesda Health Clinic and Hangers of Hope since 2014. She’s passionate about Bethesda’s mission.

In her free time, Melissa and her husband Zack volunteer at Prince of Peace Church and engage in community service projects in Whitehouse. As empty nesters, they love exploring the outdoors, particularly through hiking, remote camping, and skiing adventures in Colorado.

Chelsea Cohen
Senior Clinic Operations Director

Chelsea manages and oversees operations for both our adult and pediatric clinics. She is responsible for ensuring patient satisfaction, as well as scheduling, electronic medical records and much more.

Chelsea holds a MA in Strategic Leadership and a BA in Business Administration from LeTourneau University.

Prior to joining Bethesda in 2019, Chelsea worked in the veterinary industry for 7 years doing everything from managing a clinic and recruiting veterinarians to pharmaceutical and equipment sales. She is a graduate of Leadership Tyler Core Class 36.

Rick Martinez, M.D.
Medical Director

Rick comes from a family of medical professionals. His grandfather was a pulmonary doctor, his father was a pediatrician and his brother is an allergist. He graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and fulfilled his internship and residency in San Antonio.

Rick loves taking care of patients of all ages, especially the elderly, and is passionate about helping care for those with diabetes. Diabetes is something that runs in his family and he also has the disease, which allows him to share a personal connection to those patients.

He is trilingual and speaks English, Spanish and German. He enjoys playing tennis and watching Star Wars, and has four daughters.

Danny Price, M.D., is the Medical Director and Head Pediatrician at Bethesda Pediatrics. He attended Trinity University, went to medical school at UTSW Dallas, and did his residency at Children’s Dallas. After doing some mission trips to Kenya, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, he left for India with his wife, Lori, and daughter, Abigail for a four year mission, and his son, Benjamin, was born there. Fishing, tennis and working outside on the acreage they recently moved to are fun. He loves serving at Grace Community Church. But nothing makes him more proud than his two kids.

Laura holds a BA in Business Management from Stephen F. Austin University.

Prior to joining Bethesda in 2014, Laura held positions as Customer Service/Engineering Rep. with TXU Energy, Executive Director of a Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, Retail Manager of teacher supply, and various administrative positions.

Chrystal Carter
Director Thrift Operations

Chrystal Carter oversees operations and over 60 employees at 2 Hangers of Hope thrift stores and the Hangers of Hope Production Facility. Chrystal joined Hangers of Hope as a cashier in 2016, and she worked her way up to Director Thrift Operations. Prior to joining Hangers of Hope, Chrystal spent over 15 years in the home health industry as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Samantha DeVries
Director Thrift Growth

Samantha graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. She and her husband Chris live in Whitehouse.

Samantha’s career with Hangers of Hope started in 2020 as a Production Sorter. She was promoted to Production Manager in 2021, to Manager of Hangers of Hope Broadway in 2023, then to Director Thrift Growth in 2024.

Said Samantha, “I love Hangers of Hope and am dedicated to our mission at Bethesda. What I love the most is empowering individuals, through Christ Jesus, to do things they never thought they could do. I love to see the barriers break and to see the change in them through the Holy Spirit. I love to go out on the sales floor, talk with our customers and see the impact we are having on our community. I love being a part of something so much bigger than me and to share Christ with our team and our customers and donors.”

Olga Ohrbeck
Director of Wholesale and Transportation

Olga joined Bethesda Health Clinic in 2018 as a Dental Receptionist and later managed the Dental Department.  Olga transitioned to Hangers of Hope in 2021 as a manager and is now the Director of Wholesale and Transportation.

She oversees Pickup My Donations and all the operations at the warehouse.  She also does all the ordering for the stores as well as their monthly inventory.

Olga has over 40 years of management experience and loves the different challenges that come with her job.  She enjoys cooking, baking and spending time with her dog Lucy.

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

Marsha Jones joined Bethesda in 2022 as a Lead Nurse.

Marsha is a 1981 graduate of Texas Eastern School of Nursing. She has 42 years of experience. These years include time in ICU, ER, Cardiology, Home Health and Hospice. Marsha has been a volunteer at Bethesda with Grace Community for the last 6 years.

In her spare time, Marsha spends time with family. Her hobbies include quilting, needlework and making things for her family including her 4 children and 6 grandchildren.

Don Bristow joined Bethesda as a Database Consultant in 2013, then became IT Director in 2014.  He supports the technologies needed by Bethesda’s adult and pediatrics clinics and all Hangers of Hope locations.

His background includes 20 years in the software development industry, 5 years as a professional photographer, and 15 years in the website design and hosting business. In his position at Bethesda, Don uses all the skills acquired during 40 years of prior experience.

Following 4 years in the US Navy where he tracked submarines in the North Atlantic, Don received a BA in Liberal Studies (Elementary School Teacher Program) in 1982 and a BA in Mathematics in 1983, both from Sacramento State University, Sacramento. He also earned a Certificate in Computers in Education from the University of California Davis in 1984.

Don has been married to Sandy for 47 years, and they have one daughter, Elissa. He previously served on the boards of BBB of Central East Texas, Greater East Texas IT Professionals, Innovation Advancing Education, Parent Services Center and Operation Go Quickly.  He volunteers as Media Director of Art Connection of East Texas, a weekly radio program on KTBB, and is a member of the Tyler Fine Art Gallery, an art collective in Tyler.

Don was the recipient of the Lagniappe Award for Q4 of 2022-2023.