His Grace Bishop Nicholas
Bishop of the Antiochian Diocese of Miami and the Southeast
Bishop Nicholas was born in Damascus, Syria, in January 1963 to an Antiochian Orthodox family. He attended the French Lycée Laïque elementary and middle school, and the Omia High School. For the first 18 years of his life, he attended the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Damascus.
Bishop Nicholas worked for nearly 20 years as a computer engineer at several companies in the Electronics Design Automation industry, such as ViewLogic Systems and Synopsys Co.
Bishop Nicholas was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by His Eminence Metropolitan Philip on April 23, 2004, and to the Holy Priesthood by His Grace Bishop Antoun on January 9, 2005. He was consecrated to the bishopric as the Bishop of Brooklyn on December 11, 2011.
Fr. Hans Jacobse
Spiritual Advisor
Fr. Hans is a native of Holland and has been a priest for almost 30 years, serving various parishes and positions. He received his BA in History from the University of Minnesota, an M.Div from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and studied the Greek language at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece.
He serves St. Peter the Apostle Orthodox Mission in Bonita Springs, FL. He is married with one daughter.
Eric Beard
President
Eric Beard is a sales executive with 35 years of experience in the aerospace industry. He studied at Middle Tennessee State University and Belmont University in Nashville.
A dedicated Orthodox Christian for 40 years, Eric currently serves as President of the SIOC AMEN Chapter and is a member of the Parish Council at St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN. He has been happily married to Patty Beard for 29 years, and together they have raised four children.
Michael Pagani
Vice President
Michael Pagani has been a licensed Doctor of Oriental Medicine for the past 25 years, with specialties in sports, fertility, and internal medicine. He graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and received his Master of Applied Theology from the Antiochian House of Studies in 2012.
He was chrismated 16 years ago at St. Nicolas Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has been married to Rebecca for 15 years and has two children, Isabella and Michael.
He has lived in Tampa, Seattle, and Detroit, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He serves as a Sub-Deacon at St. Elias Orthodox Church and as President of the St. Elias AMEN group.
Jack Youngblood
Social Media Director
Jack Youngblood is a member of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, Tennessee, where he was baptized into the Orthodox Church in January 2026. He is a podcast and video production professional based in Franklin, Tennessee, with four years of experience in digital media and content production.
Jack serves AMEN DOMSE through video production and media, including producing and managing content for the AMEN YouTube channel. He has a passion for creating Orthodox content and is thankful for the opportunity to learn from many of the faithful clergy and leaders who serve the Church.
Jack is engaged to his fiancée, Julia, and they look forward to being married in October 2026.
Neal Pohl
Secretary
Neal Pohl and his wife Mary are members of St. Stephen Orthodox Church in Hiram, GA. They have been married for 16 years and have four children. He is a middle school Sunday school teacher, choir member, and President of his home parish’s AMEN chapter.
He graduated from Point University in 2005 with a degree in Biblical Studies, and then attended seminary for three semesters at Emanuel School of Religion. He is the owner of Courtyard Pools, a pool maintenance and pool repair company, and has 27 years of experience in the swimming pool industry.
Elias AbuGhazaleh
Treasurer
Elias AbuGhazaleh and his wife Kimberlee are members of Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Ormond Beach, FL. They have been married for 28 years and have twin daughters, Jessica & Samantha.
Elias is also the DOMSE DMC Treasurer, serves on the Camp St. Thekla finance committee, manages the DOMSE Website and Facebook page, and handles DOMSE communications.
Elias has worked in the technology industry for over 30 years, and currently works in the LegalTech field as a Director of Product Operations. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from California Lutheran University.
