Our Team

Melissa Harrison
President & Executive Director

Melissa Harrison is a bilingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience in television and radio news. She has worked as a news anchor and reporter in six different television markets including WNBC in New York City and WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth. Melissa has also worked as a writer for ABC’s World News Tonight and as a morning news anchor for CBS Radio. 

Melissa founded PURE in New York City in 2004 where she served Christian women leaders through events and retreats until 2016. She also served women executives at the C-Suite level through the CEO Forum from 2021 until 2023.

Melissa is currently an Executive in Residence at SMU where she teaches Digital Media. She earned her master’s in Journalism from Columbia University and her bachelor’s in Spanish and Communications from Baylor. She also studied with Syracuse University at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, Spain.

Melissa and her husband live in Dallas with their three young children.

Diane Paddison
Founder

Diane Paddison, 4word Founder, is a Harvard MBA, former global executive of two Fortune 500 companies, CBRE and ProLogis, and one Fortune 1000 company, Trammell Crow Company, and serves as an independent director for one corporate and four not-for-profit boards.

Diane is a leading advocate for Christian women in the workplace. Diane published Work, Love, Pray in 2011, and Be Refreshed . . . a year of devotions for women in the workplace in 2017, laying the foundation for 4word.

She authors weekly posts at 4wordwomen.org and is a featured columnist for The Washington Times and the 4word Mentor Program has been highlighted in The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.

Diane and her husband, Chris, have four children and two grandchildren and live in Dallas, Texas.

Request Diane Paddison or other 4word speakers at hello@4wordwomen.org. Honorariums are directed to 4word, a 501(c)(3) entity.

Andrea Carter
Chief Operating Officer

Drawing on nearly 25 years of experience as a Principal/Partner and Consultant at Ernst & Young, Andrea has a robust track record of advising pre-IPO and Fortune 100 companies in tech, media, and entertainment, specializing in risk management and operational efficiency. She combines strategic acumen, emotional intelligence, and pragmatic solutions, elevating mission-driven startups, corporations, and philanthropic ventures to unprecedented levels. She is currently working as a fractional COO.

A fourth-generation college graduate, Andrea’s values are grounded in her faith, family, and the pursuit of education. These personal foundations profoundly shape her professional ambitions and philanthropic commitments, as she has also chosen to apply her operational skills and gifts to positively impact the lives of others.

Andrea serves on The Hockaday School Board of Trustees. She has held the Board Chair position at Hope Cottage adoption agency and maintains a seat on the Board as a member of the Development Committee. She is a dedicated CASA volunteer, Board Treasurer of Healing TREE (Trauma, Resources, Education & Entertainment), Educational First Steps Host Committee member, and an active alumna of Leadership Dallas ’19. Andrea is the proud mother of four children and lives in Dallas with her family.

Lisa Kilgore
Chief Financial Officer

Lisa brings with her 20 years of accounting experience focused primarily within the commercial real estate industry, and she began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. She most recently has served as the Director of Fund Management for MCR Investors in Dallas, TX. 

As a native Texan with roots in the Dallas area, Lisa loves being close to family. One of her most important roles is being an aunt to her twin nephews. In her free time, she also enjoys spending time with her church family, attending Zumba classes and taking her Yorkie pup for walks. She is a certified public accountant licensed in the state of Texas and holds a BBA in Accounting from Harding University in Searcy, AR.

Brenna Eager
Manager of Operations and Human Resources

Brenna is our Manager of Operations and Human Resources.  She was introduced to 4word when she volunteered for our Gala in 2018 and 2019.  She and her husband Eric have twin boys who are now in college, and they have been living in the Richardson/Dallas area for over 25 years.  Brenna has spent over a decade as a “professional volunteer” in the community while taking time to raise her boys.  Her prior work experience is in the hospitality sales and management industry. 

Trina Lee
Mentor Program Manager

Trina is excited to connect professional women together as the 4word Mentor Program Manager. Since December 2011, she has been involved with 4word: Portland and has been blessed by the relationships she’s made. After graduating from Cornell University with a bachelor’s in communication, Trina worked for over nine years as the Executive Director for Oregon DECA, an education nonprofit for students interested in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.

She currently resides in Portland, Oregon and is the Director of Program Alignment for Africa New Life Ministries, which is transforming the lives of 11,000 students in Rwanda, Africa. When not working, Trina most likely can be found listening to podcasts, attending the ballet or reading.

Carolyn Clayton
Programs Manager

Carolyn brings an exceptional level of experience and professionalism to 4word programs from the corporate and nonprofit worlds. She is focused on strengthening and supporting all 4word programs, Community Groups, the Mentor Program and EW4C Forum, and evolving offerings. Carolyn has participated in the 4word Mentor Program as a mentee, and she helped introduce the Mentor Program to American Bible Society (ABS) while on staff there.

Jordan Johnstone
Digital Community Manager

Since 2013, Jordan has helped 4word tell its story and live out its mission through 4word’s digital content. She is the host of 4word’s podcasts, Work, Love, Pray and Driven 4word. Jordan also writes and coordinates the weekly 4word blogs and emails, and oversees the social media team. When not writing for 4word, Jordan enjoys working on her latest book idea, catching up on the latest episode of Supernatural, and going “Pin crazy” on Pinterest as she and her family dream about homestead living. Jordan holds a BS in Advertising and Public Relations from Liberty University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University. She lives in Grayson, Georgia, with her husband, DJ, and their young children.

Molly Hegenderfer
Technology Manager

Molly Hegenderfer is our Technology Manager overseeing system applications and integrations. She is responsible for the training and data management which support 4word’s programs and development. Molly lives in Newcastle, Washington and is an active member of 4word: Seattle. She and her husband Steve have two adult daughters and they love to travel and enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Molly has worked with 4word since 2018. Prior to working for 4word, she enjoyed a career in tech as a business analyst and project manager. Molly has a BA from Washington State University and is an avid Seahawks fan!

Richelle Campbell
Corporate Secretary

Richelle grew up on a farm in Southern Oregon and now works as a mom and a lawyer in Dallas, Texas. She has degrees from Princeton University and Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.