Our Staff

  • Nadia Gordynsky, Founder, President & CEO

    Nadia Gordynsky is the Founder, President & CEO of Save a Life International. She has been a speaker and performer of Christian music for 25 years and has released four studio albums. During the last several years, Nadia has actively taken part in events organized by the Ukrainian diaspora at the United Nations and the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S. Nadia is a strong advocate for women in crisis situations and promotes pro-life ideas in the United States and Europe. Nadia is married to her husband Volodia and they have three children.

  • Alla Marivtsan, Chief Operating Officer, Ukraine

    Alla is the Chief Operations Officer for all of Save a Life International’s programs in Ukraine. From 2008 to 2018 she worked with the Social Insurance Fund as an accountant, three years of which she spent as the managerial head of the accounting department. She spent several years as the Director of the Chernivtsi Life Center, after which she went on to study counseling at the Coram Deo Institute of Counseling. She has also pursued UBTS counseling training (mentoring and coaching for girls). As COO of Operations in Ukraine, she now oversees several Life Centers, maintains their quality of care, and mentors Life Center staff.

  • Elina Brynza, Academy Director

    Elina Brynza has been the Academy Director since 2022. She also has experience as a Life Center director for over five years. After receiving her bachelors in economics and masters in philosophy, she went on to work as a financial manager in Ukraine. She studied at the Bible seminary and institute of Counseling - Koram Deo (counseling), and has two beautiful children.

  • Erik Brynza, Marketing Director, Ukraine

    Erik is a marketing director with many years of experience developing and executing marketing strategies for mass media brands and non-profits in Ukraine, where he has facilitated higher profitability and market awareness for his clients. He graduated with honors from Zaporizhzhia State University with a dual degree in Management and International Trading. Erik has received his Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree from the Irpin Bible Seminary. Erik and his wife live in Ukraine with their children.

  • Yura Lesko, Senior Director of Logistics

    Yura is a Logistics Specialist with a background in resource allocation, personnel management, and construction projects. He was born and raised in Ukraine and graduated from the Chernivtsi Construction College. Yura began his career as a Foreman and later worked as an Electrician, specializing in the installation of solar power plants. His experience in the field of energy led him to work for Humon Energy Poland prior to joining Save a Life International in 2021, where he has been utilizing his logistics skills to achieve success in aid collection, allocation, distribution, and planning.

  • Yulia Kozyrkova, Administration

    Yulia was born and raised in Mariupol and has actively participated in the Church of Good Changes ministry for the last ten years. She has coordinated summer camps, led a small group, and participated in the worship team. Her primary focus in the past few years was a Christmas Drive that collected gifts for kids in the frontline areas. Yulia studied International Relations at Mariupol State University and has always dreamed of helping people internationally. Since the invasion, Yulia has been residing in the States, and in the fall of 2023, she joined the Save A Life International team. She is very passionate about helping women, as her mother was sixteen when she got pregnant, and Yulia’s life is a result of her mom choosing life over abortion.

Board of Directors

  • Nadia Gordynsky, Board Chair

    Nadia Gordynsky is the founder and president of Save a Life International. She has been a speaker and performer of Christian music for 25 years and has released four studio albums. During the last several years, Nadia has actively taken part in events organized by the Ukrainian diaspora at the United Nations and the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S. Nadia is a strong advocate for women in crisis situations and promotes pro-life ideas in the United States and Europe. Nadia is married to her husband Volodia and they have three children.

  • Anelia Ras, Board Treasurer

    Anelia Ras has served as a director on the Save a Life International board since 2019. Outside of her role at Save a Life International she is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leader at Unisys where she is responsible for creating an inclusive culture globally, and supports the organization to be more representative of the communities in which it operates. Before her current role Anelia managed sales training and the employee engagement at Unisys. Prior to joining Unisys, Anelia was a human resources consultant supporting many industries. Anelia holds a B.Com degree in business management and a post-graduate business degree, B.Com Honours.

  • Alex Harbuziuk, Board Member

    Alex Harbuziuk has served on the board of directors of Save a Life International since its founding. Born in 1948 in Germany, he was brought to America in 1949 as an infant when his father was called to be pastor of the Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago. Alex went on to be active there for many years serving as a youth leader, choir director, worship leader and Sunday School superintendent and instructor. After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, he pursued a career in journalism and has experience as both a reporter and lead editor. Alex and his wife, Luba, have two adult children and five grandchildren.

  • Volodia Gordynsky, Co-Founder and Board Member

    Volodia Gordynsky has served on the board of directors of Save a Life International since its founding, when he and Nadia Gordynsky began the organization together with a vision to serve women in crisis. He is a Systems Engineer and Developer at the University of Pennsylvania. With a background as a musician growing up in Soviet Ukraine, he now uses his musical talent in church worship, and enjoys tennis year-round.

Life Center Directors

  • Kristina Skrypkar, Director, Chernivtsi Life Center

    Kristina is the Director of the Chernivtsi Life Center. She is a technologist and textile designer by education. She has been working in different spheres for ten years including in the field of business. In 2012, she graduated from the Kyiv Theological Seminary, after which she worked on staff at the Blagodat EHC Church. She has extensive experience in children’s ministry and actively mentors young women.

  • Victoria Moshkovskiy , Director, Philadelphia Life Center

    Victoria, was born outside of Odessa Ukraine. Her parents emigrated to US in late 90’s. Majored in college in Fashion and Merchandising. Worked in the fashion industry for over 10 years. In 2020 through set of uniq circumstance came to SALI as a director of Philadelphia Center. In November of 2022 after 16 long years,God blessed her and her husband with a precious daughter.

  • Oksana Yevtushevska, Director, Zaporizhzhia Life Center

    Oksana was a SALI volunteer for many years, and in March 2023 became the Life Center’s Director in Zaporizhzhia. Her higher education background is in engineering. She has experience working with children. In 2021, she graduated from the Zaporizhzhya Bible Seminary, with a focus on Christian Education. In 2023, she graduated from the Institute of Leadership, Management, and Coaching’s program titled "Mentoring.” Together with her husband, she raises three children.

  • Elenka Pcheliakova, Director, Poltava Life Center

    Olena Pcheliakova is the director of the Poltava Life Center. Her educational background is in world literature and the German language. She graduated from IRHL’s Institute of Christian Leadership Development. Since 2012, she has volunteered her time at crisis pregnancy centers, and then became Director of the Poltava Life Center when it opened in 2019.

  • Iryna Rozlutska, Director, Odessa Life Center

    Iryna Rozlutska is the Director of the Odessa Life Center. She graduated from the Yuzhno-Ukrainian Pedagogical University in Odessa, Ukraine. She has been a practicing psychologist and art therapist for 6 years. She is passionate about protecting life in all its forms. She and her husband have one teenage son.

  • Natalia Ryaba, Director, Khmelnytskyi Life Center

    Nataliya Ryaba is Director of the Khmelnytskyi Life Center. She studied at the Euro-Asian Inductive Institute, and went on to study counseling at the Coram Deo Institute of Counseling. She is formally trained as a paramedic by trade, which she has actively pursued since 2006. In 2019, she became the Director of the Khmelnytskyi Life Center. She is now furthering her education at the Khmelnytskyi National University studying Social Work, Social Pedagogy and Coaching. She and her husband have two wonderful daughters.

  • Natalia Kolesnik, Director, Lviv Life Center

    Natalia is the Direct of the Lviv Life Center. Her educational background is in physical education. She went on to become a fencing trainer and fitness instructor. From 2008 to 2022, she was a Regional Director of the FitCurves franchise company. She has several certifications in "Nordic" fitness styles. She was also a co-owner of six fitness clubs in Lviv, Stryi, Chervonograd, and Drohobych. Her husband is a pastor and together they have two adult children and two grandchildren.

  • Maria Dolacinska, Director, Gdańsk Life Center

    Maria Dolacinska became the Life Center’s director in Gdańsk, Poland, in March 2024. In 1986, she and her husband fled Poland as political refugees during the communist regime. They arrived in California, United States, in 1987. Maria's educational background is in Chemistry, and she graduated from San Francisco State University in 1993. For the past two decades, she has primarily run her own business in Poland and abroad. Since 2019, she has been a volunteer with SALI (Save a Life International). In March 2023, she began working for SALI as a Coordinator of Clients. Maria is also an active member of her local Church of Christ, where she is responsible for accounting. She has a wonderful daughter, Daria.

  • Iryna Stepurko, Director, Kamianets-Podilsky Life Center

    Iryna Stepurko is studying at Ivan Ohiienko Kamianets-Podilskyi National University. She is responsible for social ministry at Christ the Savior Church. She graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute in Donetsk, Ukraine. She has worked with multiple organizations with missions to rehabilitate people with substance use disorders. She has served as a volunteer with the Pokrovsk Life Center team for two years, one of which has been during the war. Iryna is married and has a teenage daughter.

  • Tamara Shcherbatenko, Director, Zhytomyr Life Center

    Tamara’s background is in the field of trade and economic relations. She has worked in the fitness industry from 2008 to 2023. Currently, she owns and operates three FitCurves fitness clubs in the city of Zhytomyr. Tamara conducts empowerment workshops for women and provides nutrition training. Together with her husband, she is raising two sons, and pursues cross country skiing.

  • Olha Babchanik, Director, Rivne Life Center

    From 2004 to 2021, Olha worked with the team at the Rivne Regional Phthisiopulmonological Medical Center as a nurse. Her background is in Psychology at Rivne State Humanitarian University. In 2009, she obtained her Masters of Psychology. Since the invasion of Ukraine, she has been providing psychological counseling assistance to women in crisis situations. She collaborates with organizations in both Ukraine and Poland. Together with her husband, she is raising a teenage son.