STAFF
Rev. Bonnie J. Gatchell, Executive Director & Co-Founder
Rev. Bonnie J. Gatchell is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. In 2010, she co-founded Route One Ministry to serve women and young girls who are sexually exploited and trafficked by the commercial sex trade. In 2022, Bonnie created and launched trauma training to equip pastors, elders, and churches on the basics of trauma, abuse, and best practices in response. As a minister in the Church, she deeply loves the local church. Still, she desires that we, the Church, address our blind spots around women, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexuality. Bonnie’s professional and personal background uniquely positions her to walk beside pastors and local churches as they grow in their response to abused women and girls.
She holds a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a ThM from The Boston Theological Institutes, which include Harvard and BU. In 2020, she completed the Trauma Narrative Response Certificate from the Allender Center of the Seattle School of Psychology and Theology. She lives in Boston, in the Dorchester neighborhood, where she often explores the Blue Hills, has a good cup of coffee, and enjoys delicious wine. When not in Boston, she can be seen traveling Europe!
Becca David, Site Coordinator – Springfield
After witnessing severe oppression on multiple international mission trips, I feel compelled to address the oppression of women and young girls that takes place right here in my backyard! My passion to serve exploited women in the sex industry is inspired by Isaiah 61:3 where the Lord promises to give us a crown of beauty for our ashes. My prayer is to see captives released and to comfort those who are brokenhearted. We all have a commission to serve the kingdom of God, and the Lord has used my experience building women up as a hairdresser in my community to serve and love women who have only experienced the beauty industry in terms of exploiting their beauty. I believe that there is redemptive power through Christ from the opportunities I have had facilitating multigenerational women’s small groups in my local church. In my downtime, I enjoy traveling, hiking, and enjoying local coffee shops!
Julia Gonzalez, Office Administrator
Julia joined Route One in September 2024. Born in Venezuela, now expanding her routes in Boston, MA. While lived overseas for five years along with her family, they served in different ministries helping homeless people and women who were facing difficult situations. In Colombia, Julia served as a deaconess specifically helping vulnerable women within her church community. It is a huge privilege for her to be part of Route One and the purpose they have. In her free time, Julia loves dancing, walking in nature, cooking, and spending time with her loved ones.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Abram Kielsmeier-Jones (Abram K-J, for short) desires full freedom and liberation for every sexually exploited woman. He has a deep heart for the vulnerable and oppressed; he is honored to advocate for the freedom and well-being of sexually exploited women so that they may “have life to the full.” Abram is husband to Sarah and father of three wonderful school-aged children and a rescue lab-hound mix. Abram pastors a diverse Christian church in the heart of Boston. He loves to run, box (heavy bag only! not people), play guitar, write music, and drink coffee. He writes at www.abramkj.com.
Elizabeth Klein developed a passionate concern for the sexually abused and exploited through the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements, as well as watching Rev. Bonnie Gatchell’s TEDx Talk about Route One. Additionally, Elizabeth graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2017 with a master’s degree in spiritual formation, and is the associate principal flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Fiona Parker was born in Boston, grew up in Ireland, and returned to the States for high school and college. During a presentation at a church event several years ago, she was moved by a trafficked survivor sharing her story and was struck by how pervasive exploitation is – not only in the US, but also in her own community. She began volunteering at Amirah (a local organization providing refuge to survivors) and is looking forward to working collaboratively with her fellow board members at Route 1 to help effect positive change in the lives of women seeking freedom from exploitation.
An IT auditor by trade, in her free time, Fiona enjoys crafts, Zumba, and spending time with her husband and baby son.
If you are interested in joining an outreach team, or developing a new outreach team in your area, for support and training contact us at info@lovedbyrouteone.org