Dr. Harold Harder, Blessings International's founder and president since the organization was founded in 1981, steps down on September 9. Dr. Barry Ewy named new CEO.
After 32 years of leading Blessings International, Harold Harder Ph.D. is stepping down as CEO on September 9, 2013. A pharmacologist, former medical school professor and cancer researcher, Dr. Harder founded Blessings International to equip Christian medical mission teams with the life-saving medicines they need to treat the sick, the poor, and victims of natural or man-made disasters anywhere in the world.
“It’s been amazing to see how our faithful Lord has grown this ministry, which started very humbly in my garage, into one that now employs 17 people in a lovely, new, office-warehouse facility. But my greatest joy, by far, has come from knowing that by supplying medicines to the thousands of medical teams that we serve annually, untold hundreds of thousands of people have been given the hope of a healthier life and many have also received the promise of eternal life,” says Dr. Harder.
Blessings International is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Barry Ewy (pronounced A-VEE) as the ministry’s new CEO. Dr. Ewy earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University Of Arkansas, Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy. Dr. Ewy also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, School of Law. His pharmaceutical and legal experience, which includes six years as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma, College of Pharmacy, as well as several years working as a lawyer for a number of Tulsa firms, makes Dr. Ewy uniquely qualified for the position.
Dr. Harder adds, “The Board of Trustees of Blessings International is excited about the appointment of Dr. Ewy. Federal import/export and pharmaceutical regulations are extremely complicated and are becoming more so. We believe Dr. Ewy’s unique combination of pharmaceutical and legal expertise will help the ministry successfully navigate any challenge that might arise in the future.
”In addition to his pharmaceutical and legal experience, Dr. Ewy will bring a wealth of administrative experience in the medical arena to Blessings International. Most recently Dr. Ewy held the position of CEO for the Select Specialty Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Prior to that, Dr. Ewy worked as a senior administrator for Saint Francis Hospital South and for Indian Health Care Resource Center, both in Tulsa. Dr. Ewy holds a Masters Degree in Health Administration from A.T. Still University.
Dr. Ewy is excited about returning to Tulsa and taking up his new leadership role with Blessings International.
“I am honored that the Board of Trustees has placed their confidence in me to lead Blessings International. It is humbling to follow a man like Dr. Harder who has devoted himself to demonstrating the love and compassion of Jesus Christ through providing life-saving medications to medical teams throughout the world,” says Dr. Ewy. “I am excited to use the talents that God has graciously given me to continue the great work of the men and women committed to Blessings International and I look forward to identifying new opportunities to reach those in need.
”Blessings International is a leading provider of medicines for Christian medical mission teams. Each year the ministry supplies medicines to more than 3,000 medical teams which travel the world bringing life-saving medical treatment and care to the sick who can live in the most remote places on earth. Blessings also supplies medicines to numerous medical clinics within the USA that provide health services to people struggling to obtain medical care.