About Pathway to Freedom, Inc.
Our Mission/Vision
PTF consists of three phases:
Our Leadership
Founder/Executive Director
In, 2011, Mr. McLean became the Founder and Executive Director of Pathway to Freedom, Inc. Mr. McLean was employed with Prison Fellowship Ministries from 2000- 2011, and served as Director of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative program (IFI), Arkansas from 2006-2011. He served as the IFI Reentry Manager in Kansas from 2000- 2005. In 2005, Mr. McLean served on the Reentry Subcommittee to Foster Prisoner Risk Reduction and Reentry under Kathleen Sebelius, the Governor of Kansas. He served on Arkansas, Governor Asa Hutchinson’s Restore Hope Summit Committee since inception, and was selected to serve as the Governor’s Restore Hope Summit Moderator in 2015 and 2017; “A Call to Action for Business and Faith Leaders on Foster Care and Prison Reentry”. Mr. McLean is an Offender Workforce Development Specialist through the National Institute of Corrections and a member of the American Corrections Association. In, 2018, Mr. McLean was honored with the Marie Interfaith Civic Leadership Award, given annually to recognize people whose work addresses community issues in Arkansas. He was appointed by Arkansas Governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders to serve on the newly Legislative Recidivism Reduction Task Force in 2023.
Director of Development
Ben Colter graduated from Houghton University with a B.S. in Psychology and Bible. It was there he met his soul mate and wife Mary. They have 2 birth children, 5 adopted children, and 13 amazing grandchildren. He has served as a youth pastor, medic, test engineer, and systems engineer. From 1996 to 2004, Ben and Mary became missionaries with Cru International, managing publishing and product development at FamilyLife in Arkansas. He worked 5 years as an editor-in-chief for Lifeway Christian Resources and then in various training and development roles. Ben has focused on development and donor engagement with Houghton University and Cru Inner City ministry. He enthusiastically joined the team at Pathway to Freedom in January 2025 as the new Director of Development.
Program Manager
Ben Morton is a graduate of the University of Memphis where he studied Psychology and Judaic Studies. Ben has a passion for helping others and has broad experience in that regard: Corrections Counselor in the Shelby County Division of Corrections; Mental Health Clinic and Community Case Manager; managed a team of counselors who provided bereavement support in hospitals to families of organ donors; and he served as an Arkansas Division of Community Corrections Drug and Alcohol Counselor to help prevent repeat offenders. He served as a Sunday School teacher and Lay-Leader for Collierville United Methodist Church in Tennessee and was involved in a mission project, Jungle Kids for Christ, in Ecuador. Ben and his wife celebrate over two decades of marriage and are blessed with three children.
Program Counselor
Jon Justice is a graduate of Harding University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible. Before joining the Pathway To Freedom team, Jon worked in several full-time ministry positions serving as a Youth and Family Minister in local churches in Florida, Virginia, and Alabama as well as being the Program Director at Michigan Christian Youth Camp. He has been teaching, leading, and investing in others for the Kingdom of God and its transformative work in our world for the past 20 years. He has been married for 23 years and has two children.
Program Counselor
Anousack Vongphachanh is a graduate from Arkansas Tech University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Anousack medical-retired from Fort Smith Police Department in 2012. Anousack worked as a detective in the Special Investigations Unit investigating sex crimes. He was also the leader of the Police Explorer Program. After leaving the police department, Anousack started a real estate management business and worked at Arvest Bank. Anousack was introduced to Pathway To Freedom on a 540 missions trip in 2019 with his church Harvest Time. It was on this trip that Anousack received the Lord’s calling into prison ministry and PTF. Anousack worked as the Program Manager of PTF from 2019 to 2022. He left to go work as a substance abuse counselor with ADC and continued to volunteer at PTF. Anousack is registered as a Counselor-In-Training with the Arkansas Substance Abuse Certification Board and on track to receive his Alcohol and Drug Counselor certification. Anousack has been married for 20 years and has two children.
Re-Entry Specialist
Deryk Pritchard is a graduate of Harding University with a degree in Youth and Family Ministry. He has served in the Kingdom as a missionary in both South America and in Asia; as a youth pastor in South Texas; and as a pastor in North Texas. In addition to those pastoral roles, he has also worked in the construction and home inspection fields. He moved to Arkansas so his son could attend the Arkansas School for the Deaf, and it was here that he learned about PTF through a presentation at church. Deryk had sensed a call to prison ministry for many years, and it finally felt like the time was right. After several months of teaching the Cornerstone curriculum, he felt the call was confirmed so he jumped on the chance to join the staff when the opportunity arose. He and his wife have been married for almost 29 years, and they have 3 children.
Re-Entry Specialist
James Dalton is a graduate of Central Christian University where he earned a B.A. in Ministry. He served as a chaplain resident at UAMS Hospital in Little Rock where he received training in crisis-counseling and serving others during traumatic life-altering events. James also served as staff chaplain for Hospice Home Care in Little Rock helping families journey through their grief in the midst of loss and trauma. He served as a program counselor with Prison Fellowship in 2009 and during the transition to Pathway to Freedom Inc. in 2011 until entering private practice in 2016. James returned to us in 2020 and serves as our Re-Entry Specialist for the Northwest AR (NWA) Region. In that capacity he helps program members who parole to NWA and recruits volunteers to mentor those members. He also facilitates NWA volunteers that travel to the Hawkins Unit for Males to minister to incarcerated PTF members.
Board Member Scott McLean (see above)
Board Chair Debra Hobbs: Ms. Hobbs and her family have lived in Benton County since 1985. Her education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree, Science Composite Major from the University of the Ozarks, in Clarksville. AR; and a Masters of Education in Counseling from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR. Ms. Hobbs worked as an elementary school counselor. She served a term on the Benton County Quorum Court. She is a former Arkansas State Representative where she served in these areas: Minority Whip; Education, State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, Joint Performance Review, Legislative Council, Uniform Personnel Classification and Compensation Plan Committees; and Chaired the Early Childhood Subcommittee of Education. Ms. Hobbs served on the Board of the Benton County Sunshine School for 16 years and was executive secretary of the board for much of that time. Ms. Hobbs serves on the Benton County Meth Task Force and is a member of Drug Free Rogers-Lowell Coalition.
Board Vice Chair Walter Hussman, Jr.: Mr. Hussman joined PTF’s Board on October 5, 2016. He is publisher of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and Chairman of the parent company, WEHCO Media. He has been Chairman of the PARK Foundation Board since 1995, and is past board chairman of the Arkansas Symphony, the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina. Mr. Hussman was recently named the Easter Seals 2019 Arkansan of the Year.
Board Treasurer Robert L. Brown: Justice Brown is a Retired Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. He served as an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court from 1991 to 2012. Before serving on the Court, he was engaged in the general practice of law and also served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Sixth Judicial District in 1971 and 1972, worked in
Washington, D.C. as an administrative aide for Jim Guy Tucker in 1977 and 1978, served as a legal aide to then Governor Dale Bumpers from 1972 to 1974, and served as a legislative assistant for United States Senator Dale Bumpers from 1975 to 1977. He is also the Board Treasurer and the first recipient of the Community Support Award from the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers’ Assistants Program in 2010. The award is named in his honor.
Board Member Ron Mooney: Ron Mooney is a retired State Farm Insurance Agent after serving in that capacity for 38 years.
He was born in Little Rock, raised in Sweet Home, and born again under the ministry of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and served in the Army for 3.5 years. He and his wife, Sandra, have been married for 53 years. They have two children and eight grandchildren. They attend Fellowship Bible Church in
Fayetteville. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he serves as a mentor for several men.
Board Member Merritt Dyke: Merritt Dyke is Chairman of Dyke Industries, Inc. a building materials distribution business founded in 1866, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with locations predominantly in the southeastern U.S. He lived and worked in Atlanta, Georgia for 24 years and in 2020 moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. Merritt attended grade school and junior high in Little Rock, graduated from Asheville School, a boarding school in Asheville, N.C. in 1980. He returned to Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas, graduating in 1984. Prior to joining Dyke Industries in 2008, he worked in the banking and investment industries as well as the information services (software) industry, acquiring a diverse business experience, which led to employment at Dyke Industries, Inc. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves playing golf. He is married to Anne Dyke, and they have three adult children.
Board Member Mike Ober: Mike started a career in retail with Walmart in 1972 and is currently a retail consultant. He and his wife live in Bentonville and have 3 adult children that also live in Bentonville. Mr. Ober was one of the founding board members of Returning Home, a Northwest Arkansas organization created to help men in prison being released reenter society. He is a member and deacon at First Baptist Church Bentonville. His relationship with
PTF
began in 2013 as a mentor.
Board Member Barry Lunney:
Coach Lunney is a retired educator and coach of thirty nine years. He currently serves as the Northwest Arkansas area director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is on the board of Restoration Village, a women’s shelter in Northwest Arkansas. He and his wife, Becky, have three children and nine grandchildren.
Board Member David Burton: David Burton is owner of Burton Pools & Spas, a 43-year-old swimming pool construction and retail business in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas. They are invested in many Kingdom building partnerships such as Jesus film, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Jesus power evangelistic ministries in Kenya and Mentoring Men for the Master. They are also working with Hydrating Humanity which digs and installs water wells in Tanzania and Kenya.
David has been a member of First Baptist Church of Fort Smith since 1977. He has taught a men’s Bible Study there for many years. David has been on mission trips to Kenya, Tanzania, China and Haiti with focus on discipleship and giving study bibles to pastors and church leaders. David has been married his wonderful wife, Joyce for 46 years. They have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Board Member George R. O’Connor: George R. O’Connor earned his bachelor’s degree at Cornell University and his master’s degree from the University of Wyoming. He went on to attend Harvard Business School’s President/Owner Management Program and has had much success as a business leader and business owner in various capacities and business enterprises including ranching, industrial, distribution and railroad companies. Mr. O’Connor currently serves as Board President for the Baptist Health Foundation, the Brown Foundation, and the Brown Family Fund. He also serves as Board Chairman for Delta Bank & Trust.