Board of Directors

Phillip Hounshell, Chair

Phillip Hounshell is an Associate Pastor at Rochester Bible Baptist Church in the City of Rochester where he has been involved in Christian education, teen ministry, outreach coordination, discipleship teaching, and deacon/deaconess training.

Phil is a Programmer Analyst in the Rochester City School District Information and Technology Department. He’s also the Chaplain of the Baptist Ministers Alliance, where he connects with ministers from the City of Rochester and the Upstate New York arena to discuss the social climate, current events, and needs of the community with the mindset to address the issues as a collective unit of spiritual leaders.

His passion for outreach has enabled him to work with veterans and put on yearly recognition events; assist on the board of Komposition Kidz, a youth basketball league that focuses on performance in the classroom, community, and within the league; and organize Eastside LoveFestival, a community outreach program that brings community service agencies, local churches, and businesses together for a day of music, games, food, clothing give-aways encouragement that helps builds community.

Melody Burri, Vice Chair, Communication

Lauri McKnight

Currently the Executive Director of Children Awaiting Parents, Lauri joined the Project URGE, Inc., board in 2020.

She brings with her the rich experience afforded by a long career in child welfare, and through serving at risk families and youth and in jail programs. With a solid track record of volunteerism in local churches, she also serves on the board of the Perinton-Penfield Kiwanis Club.  

Lauri has raised a diverse family of five grown children. Three are biological, two are adopted and she has also added a former foster young adult to her family. She is Mimi to six grandchildren who she says are “the joys of my life!”

Lauri’s strengths include an expert knowledge of government, private, profit and non-profit systems and an understanding of diversity on multiple levels. Her core value is integrity, and her words to live by are: “Whatever your life’s work is — do it well.”

Tim Beck, Treasurer

Tim came to know Jesus through the ministry of Young Life at Fairport HS.  He met his wife at Oswego State and has been married for over 30 years.  Tim and his wife are members at Browncroft Community Church.  They are privileged to have three children, with all being excited about who Jesus is in their lives and involved in ministry and fellowship.

Tim has worked for Toth's Sports for 30 years and remains joyful and committed to his work.  He has formerly worked as a treasurer in ministry in the past and believes that God wants to use him in a deeper capacity to serve.  Serving on the Board of Project URGE, Inc. as treasurer is a new a venture that he looks forward to fulfilling.

Garry Manuel, Community Development Leader, Project URGE, Inc. Founder

Garry Manuel is the founder and executive director of Project URGE, Inc. the founder of Manuel's Music Studio in Fairport, NY, and a lifelong songwriter, worship leader and music performer.

For more than seven years, Garry volunteered at the Kidz Kafé program at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, helping to build support and relationships across the cultural divides existing within churches in the area. That experience inspired him to launch Project URGE, Inc.

Through Project URGE, Inc., Garry has organized networking/collaborative meetings; helped with administering the Compassion Capital Federal grant that was headed by Foodlink; organized workshops, conferences and Concert of Praise events; created the Saturday Sonshine program for children; coordinated volunteers and worked tirelessly to promote collaboration between churches, ministries and other organizations that work with the under-resourced. In addition, he has worked on a team in planning the 2015 Urban Camp Out and the interfaith coalition of The Children’s Agenda.

In 2015 Garry received an honorable mention from the Federation of Social Workers for corporate contributions to social services in Rochester through his donations and volunteer work through Project URGE, Inc. and in 2013 was nominated for the Center City Champion award for inspiring the community to work collaboratively and improving the quality of life in Rochester.