Peyton Matthews, International Communications Director

Peyton was born in Southern California and moved to Utah at the age of nine, where she was raised. She earned her Associate’s degree in General Studies from Brigham Young University–Idaho and later graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing. Peyton is a devoted mother to two beautiful girls and is married to her best friend. As a family, they love spending time outdoors, whether taking walks to the park or hiking in the mountains. Peyton is grateful for the opportunity to support mothers and children around the world through her work with Bountiful Children.

Angela Johnson, Board Member

Angela graduated from Brigham Young University in Education. She started helping Bountiful Children after going on a Nutritour to Guatemala in 2016. After meeting the beautiful children and families, she knew she wanted to help Bountiful wherever she could. She has also gotten to do humanitarian work in Peru and Ghana and hopes to visit many more areas where Bountiful is helping malnourished children. She has also enjoyed serving in various callings with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in helping local refugee families. Angela is originally from Kansas and now resides in Cedar Hills, Utah. She is the mother of 4 and is excited to be a new grandma. She enjoys hiking, swimming, reading, genealogy, traveling, and doing just about anything with her family.

Len Novilla, Board Member

Len B. Novilla Education MPH, University of Utah, 1999 M.D., University of the City of Manila, 1990 B.S. Public Health, University of the Philippines, Institute of Public Health, 1986 Background Beneath her smiles and quiet ways was a life of struggle. Len, the fifth in a brood of seven, grew up in a rough and impoverished setting in Tondo, Manila, Philippines where education was a luxury not a right. Such condition was made even more difficult by the passing of her father when she was only six years of age. Even at that time, her mother had instilled in her and in her siblings the power of education ----the power to inspire and enlighten minds and to change lives. Having experienced such transformation in her life, Len values teaching ---believing that one’s teaching is only as powerful as the life that lives it. On this she gives thanks to the mentors she has in life whose examples of kindness, faith, humility, service, and perseverance are lessons for her to master. Len joined BYU in 2003 as an Associate Professor at the Department of Health Science. She teaches Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has also taught the Maternal and Child Health Issues and Grant Writing in the MPH Program and directed the Philippines International Internship Program for the BYU Kennedy Center. Her research interests include the role of the family in health with particular emphasis on engaging the family as the sustaining framework for health promotion and disease prevention strategies; defining the role of the family in addressing health inequities; and defining the link between the family and health systems, focusing on system assessment and strengthening within the context of the social determinants of health. Together with a group of faculty and student researchers, their study entitled, “How Can We Get the Social Determinants of Health Message on the Public Policy and Public Health Agenda? Translating Data into a Social Determinants of Health Information Tool to Inform Policy and Public Health Programs” was selected by the World Health Organization as one of the 28 case studies from around the globe intended to highlight country experiences on implementing action on the social determinants of health. These case studies are featured in the World Health Organization’s website which is accessible globally as part of the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, held last October 19-21 2011, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Len is an elected member of the Alpha Theta Chapter of the Delta Omega National Honorary Society in Public Health. She currently serves in various boards and committees such as the Board of Trustees at Timpanogos Regional Hospital, Executive Committee of the Thrasher Research Fund, Utah Department of Health (UDOH) Health Disparities Advisory Council, and the Utah Public Health Association (UPHA) Policy Committee. She is a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA)-International Health Section and the Society of Public Health Educators (SOPHE). Prior to joining BYU, Len was a Senior Research Manager for the Thrasher Research Fund, managing several international and U.S.-based pediatric research grants. As a mom, Len enjoys reading to her two children. Together with her husband Nathan, they love spending time with their children, nephews, and nieces by reading books out loud, going on family trips, gardening, and making crafts.

Gary Heaton, Board Member

Gary Heaton grew up in rural Utah. He and his wife have been married for 45+ years and have six children. Gary graduated with a Bachelors of Science from Brigham Young University in 1970, and he earned his Medical Degree from the University of Texas Medical School Houston in 1973. He later earned his Masters of Medical Management from Tulane University in 2000. Dr. Heaton completed his residency in pediatrics in 1977, and from 1977-2005 he was in general pediatric practice at FM 1960 Pediatric Center. He also served as the President and CEO of FM 1960 Pediatric Center from 1979-2005, overseeing 20 physicians and 4 allied health professionals. From 1995-1998, Dr. Heaton was the Associate Medical Director of One Care Health. His service includes serving three years on the Board of Directors for Medical Group Management Association, community service in schools and Boy Scouts of America, humanitarian service in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Africa, as well as regular service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dr. Heaton began helping Bountiful in 2017 and currently chairs the Board of Directors and oversees the Finance Committee.

Clayton Avery, Vice President

Clayton Avery was raised on a cattle ranch in eastern Wyoming, and he and his wife have six children. Clayton received a BA in International Relations with an emphasis in Southeast and Eastern Asia from Brigham Young University. He is the founder and CEO of CS Intelligence, a language translation company. Clayton works as a product manager at Wavetronix. He was formerly a product manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Missionary Department in Salt Lake City. He also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Utah and helped further develop the Cambodian language program there. His experience with language training and instruction has been ongoing since 2003. His love for the Cambodian language and the people of Southeast Asia began with his missionary service among the Cambodian population as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Long Beach, California. Clayton has also been involved with numerous volunteer, education, and non-profit programs in Cambodia since 2008. Clayton has been a part of the Bountiful Children's Foundation since 2011.

Kirk Dearden, Board Member

Kirk Dearden has worked to improve maternal and child health—and in particular, nutrition—for the past 28 years. He has overseen the design, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale nutrition programs in Bolivia, Ghana, Madagascar, Nepal, and Tanzania and has been a consultant to the World Bank, USAID, and numerous NGOs. He is the author of 60 peer-reviewed publications, most of which focus on nutrition. He has been a professor of global health at Brigham Young University and at Boston University. Kirk has been working with Bountiful Children since 2018 and currently resides in Virginia.

Gloria Rosales, Board Member (Guatemala)

Gloria Rosales and her husband, Fernando Santiago, were sealed in the Mesa Temple prior to temples being opened in Guatemala. Gloria is a convert to the Church and was baptized in 1974. She and Fernando now have three grown children. Gloria has served as a ward and stake relief society president, although her favorite callings have been directing choirs and working with the Quetzaltenango Temple dedication as a musical coordinator. She has been very dedicated to the malnourished children and manages the nutrition program in her hometown of Momostenango. Her area has a very high rate of childhood malnutrition and many cases of children who are living in desperate circumstances.  She began working with Bountiful in 2008 and is currently the regional coordinator for Central America.

Cristie Deyro, MD, Board Member (Philippines)

Cristie was born to a family of farmers in Pasig city. She graduated with a Biology degree from the University of the Philippines and a medical degree from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in 1985. She started volunteering for Bountiful Children’s Foundation in 2014, but her involvement in health and community development started in her college years. She married Ernesto A. Deyro Jr. in 1986 at the Manila Temple. They were called to serve as mission President and companion in the Philippines Urdaneta Mission from 2015- 2018. She is currently the regional coordinator for Asia.

Natividad Samochuallpa, Board Member (Peru)

Natividad Samochuallpa is from Cusco, Peru. She is a teacher by profession and has taught high school, elementary, and kindergarten students. Naty is a convert to the Church and was called to serve a mission in the Bolviia La Paz Mission soon after being baptized. She started working with the Bountiful Children's Foundation soon after it started operations in Peru and worked as the local stake coordinator for the program in Cusco. She then worked as the country coordinator for Peru. She is currently the regional director for South America.

Kurt Matthia, Board Chair

Kurt Matthia retired in 1996 after serving 27 years in the Utah Department of Health holding various positions including Director of the Bureau of Health Facility Management and Certification, Director of Medicaid Operations, and Assistant Director of the Division of Health Care Financing. Since 1996, he has worked privately as a management consultant and in developing websites and web-based applications. His educational background includes a BA in political science from Brigham Young University (1968) and an MS in human resource management from the University of Utah (1978). From 2000 to 2002, Kurt and his wife Sheela served a proselyting mission in the Germany Frankfurt Mission. From 2004 to 2021, they served as missionaries at the FamilySearch Library at Temple Square. Kurt has served Bountiful as a volunteer since mid-2021. In December 2021, Kurt proposed that he create a replacement website for BountifulChildren.org and was given the go-ahead. Everything went to Shaela and Angela and on to board members for review. Development lasted eight months, and in August of 2022, the new website took the place of the old. Kurt began serving as a board member in October 2023.

Natalie De La Cruz, Board Member

Natalie is an instructor for BYU-Pathway Worldwide Online in the Applied Health program, primarily teaching global health. She received BS degrees from BYU in community health education and Spanish. She also received her MPH degree from BYU before completing her doctorate degree in health education and health promotion at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Natalie has been involved with health education and research related to a variety of topics in maternal and child health and reproductive health in several countries in Latin America, the Philippines, and with Spanish speaking populations domestically. She loves learning about different cultures and how they perceive and experience health. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Natalie joined Bountiful Children in 2025 and is excited to be a part of efforts to help all children and mothers thrive by achieving better nutrition and health, regardless of where they live.

Heather Hancock, Board Co-chair

Heather Hancock has been designing, implementing, and evaluating global maternal and child programs for 18 years, with a focus on social and behavior change programs. She loves bringing groups together to solve complex problems and is passionate about placing communities at the forefront through human-centered design approaches. Heather has specialized in strengthening health systems and improving the quality of care, with an emphasis on supporting healthcare providers to deliver optimal services. She has developed tools and methodologies for strengthening the capacity of health professionals across the globe. Heather received her BA in International Development and a Master's in Public Health from Brigham Young University, followed by a postgraduate certificate in Teaching Adult Learners from Johns Hopkins University. She served a mission in Madrid, Spain, and has 3 children.

Alberto Puertas, Advisory Board Member

Alberto Puertas is an academic/career counselor for the University Advisement Center at Brigham Young University. His responsibilities include: serving as the International Advisement Specialist at BYU; teaching courses in career strategies, career exploration, and effective learning; mentoring students at risk, and assisting the University in promoting career development issues and objectives.

Alberto has a Master of Science in Counseling and Guidance from BYU. He has mentored many college students doing humanitarian work and internships abroad. He has served in humanitarian projects, presented professional workshops, and career development seminars in the United States, Canada, Chile, Bolivia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Haiti, Peru, Philippines, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and India.

Alberto’s support to local and international community projects is an important component of his contribution to society. In his presentations and daily work, Alberto Puertas emphasizes the relationship between meaning, spirituality and career development. He also stresses the benefits and challenges globalization presents to vocational guidance in the international arena to this new millennium.

Alberto’s support and dedication to career orientation is tireless. He currently serves NCDA (National Career development Association) as the Latin American Director. From 2008 to 2010, he served on the Board of Trustees for NCDA, which allowed him to see the positive impact of career development in this nation and around the world. Alberto has also served as the International Career Issues Committee Chair for NCDA.

In his free time Alberto enjoys reading, nature, good cuisine and spending time with his family and friends. He truly values relationships and genuine caring for others.

Jay Keller, Advisory Board Member

Jay Keller received his undergraduate degrees in biology and nutrition at Utah State University and a Masters in nutrition and food science at Utah State. His research focused on the absorption and utilization of trace minerals. He is a registered dietitian nutritionist and worked as a clinical dietitian for several years, but for the last 22 years has taught in higher education. He is currently a faculty member at Brigham Young University Idaho. His professional focus has been in nutrition and biochemistry, clinical nutrition and sports nutrition. But recently his emphasis has been redirected on international issues as they relate to food availability and the needs of the growing international student population at BYUI. He is married and he and his wife have three children. He was born and raised in Idaho and he and his family love all the wonderful outdoor opportunities Idaho provides for them.  Jay has been on the advisory board since 2018.

Rachel Matthia, Advisory Board Member

Rachel Matthia joined Bountiful’s advisory board in October 2022 and brings with her relevant community organization experience and skills gained in her professional life, in her Church callings, and through volunteer experiences. As an employee of Cox Communications, Las Vegas, Nevada, Rachel serves on the Cox Conserves Committee which leads company recycling and conservation efforts. And from 2015-2018, served on the Cox Volunteer Committee which planned and executed large-scale employee volunteer opportunities and encouraged employee participation. Rachel served 2016-2018 as the Community Public Relations Specialist in the Elkhorn Springs Las Vegas Stake organizing quarterly community food distribution events with Catholic Charities and Three Square Food Bank. Coordinated blood drives, volunteer activities, stake-wide food drives benefiting St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church’s food pantry, and monthly volunteer events at Three Square Food Bank for stake members to participate in. Personally, Rachel has volunteered with all Hands and Hearts – Smart Response, Disaster and Humanitarian Relief in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico mitigating damage caused by Hurricane Maria and in Coastal Bend Region of Texas repairing damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. She also spent time in Tamarindo, Costa Rica helping renovate a primary school and volunteers regularly with St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Las Vegas.

Cougar Hall, Advisory Board Member

Cougar Hall is a professor in the Department of Public Health at Brigham Young University (BYU) where he teaches undergraduate courses in health education and promotion. He earned his bachelor’s degree from BYU in school health education followed by a master’s degree in health promotion and education and doctorate in teaching and learning from the University of Utah. Cougar has 10 years of experience working on maternal and child nutrition projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Cougar’s work with Bountiful Children has focused on the creation of health lessons for both coordinators and families.

Randall Barney, Advisory Board Member

Randall and his wife Sylvia, have been longtime supporters of Bountiful Children’s Foundation and its mission to fight childhood malnutrition. In 2024, he retired from a career in digital marketing and analytics. Professionally, he helped companies and nonprofits accomplish their business and organizational objectives using digital channels, media, and technology. In retirement, he became more involved with the foundation, volunteering his time and using his professional experience and talents on behalf of BCF. 

A graduate of Brigham Young University with a BA in Communication, Randall has long been a member of the professional advisory board of the Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. His volunteer experience also includes work for VAMOS!, a nonprofit providing educational and nutritional services to needy families in central Mexico. 

Randall and Sylvia live in the Seattle area where they raised their two children. They are grandparents to five grandchildren.

Rose Chaah Ansah-Antwi, Africa Regional Coordinator

Rose Ansah-Antwi has been with Bountiful Children’s Foundation since 2015 working with coordinators and families in the Africa area. Rose and her husband Eric Ansah-Antwi helped start the Foundation in Ghana with five stakes. The Foundation currently serves 11 stakes in Ghana and hope to expand in the future.

Rose graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Public Health and currently works for Intermountain Health as a Provider Data Specialist. She spends time training coordinators in the Africa area as needed.

Eric Yaw Ansah-Antwi, Africa Regional Coordinator

Eric was born and raised in Ghana before moving to the US in 2001. He and his wife, Rose, have been passionate about nutrition and literacy. They are the founders of Ansah-Antwi Foundation, which provides educational and medical supplies to school kids in Africa. Eric has been involved with Bountiful since 2015 and is currently a regional director for the Bountiful Children's Foundation in Africa.

Cristie Deyro, MD, Asia Regional Coordinator

Cristie was born to a family of farmers in Pasig city. She graduated with a Biology degree from the University of the Philippines and a medical degree from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in 1985. She started volunteering for Bountiful Children’s Foundation in 2014, but her involvement in health and community development started in her college years. She married Ernesto A. Deyro Jr. in 1986 at the Manila Temple. They were called to serve as mission President and companion in the Philippines Urdaneta Mission from 2015- 2018. She is currently the regional coordinator for Asia.

Gloria Rosales, Central America Coordinator

Gloria Rosales and her husband, Fernando Santiago, were sealed in the Mesa Temple prior to temples being opened in Guatemala. Gloria is a convert to the Church and was baptized in 1974. She and Fernando now have three grown children. Gloria has served as a ward and stake relief society president, although her favorite callings have been directing choirs and working with the Quetzaltenango Temple dedication as a musical coordinator. She has been very dedicated to the malnourished children and manages the nutrition program in her hometown of Momostenango. Her area has a very high rate of childhood malnutrition and many cases of children who are living in desperate circumstances.  She began working with Bountiful in 2008 and is currently the regional coordinator for Central America.

Natividad Samochuallpa, South America Coordinator

Natividad Samochuallpa is from Cusco, Peru. She is a teacher by profession and has taught high school, elementary, and kindergarten students. Naty is a convert to the Church and was called to serve a mission in the Bolviia La Paz Mission soon after being baptized. She started working with the Bountiful Children's Foundation soon after it started operations in Peru and worked as the local stake coordinator for the program in Cusco. She then worked as the country coordinator for Peru. She is currently the regional director for South America.