PAYH Announces New Chief Operating Officer

Paul Anderson Youth Home is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Colonel Ken Vaughn as its new Chief Operating Officer. Ken served 32 years in the army and has extensive experience in planning, operations, and training. He also commanded in combat as a Lieutenant Colonel in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2005. Ken worked and lived for a year and a half in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, developing the military history curriculum for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of the National Guard Command and General Staff College.
With degrees in history from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Capella University, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with the leadership skills developed in the Army, Ken brings a unique skillset to PAYH.
“I have prayed for some time for God to give me a new mission that I might be his instrument and I absolutely believe that His providential hand has led me to PAYH. I am humbled and blessed to be working with such fine people together to help set the conditions for miraculous transformation to happen in the lives of the young men who reside here at our home.
Ken has life-long experience volunteering with young people, including church groups, mission trips, scout groups, and Big Brothers, and has also taught mountaineering and rappelling, map reading and land navigation, and sailing. After retiring from the Army in 2012, he became a marriage and family therapist to help military families, having seen what the effects of combat and coming home afterwards can do to them.
Ken and his wife Holly come to us from the Isle of Hope in Savannah and enjoy traveling together both in the US and abroad. Ken enjoys all sports, especially Georgia Bulldog Football, playing roller hockey, sailing, and riding his Indian Springfield motorcycle.
Ken attends Christ Church Anglican in Savannah and directs the Sheepdog Ministry there. He also has his own personal ministry called “Riding for the Nazarene which is an annual, long-distance motorcycle ride benefitting Voice of the Martyrs, a charity which works to provide direct relief to oppressed Christians worldwide.
In 1961, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion weightlifter Paul Anderson and his wife Glenda founded the residential home as an alternative to incarceration for young men struggling to find the God-given purpose in their lives. Paul believed that for young men to become productive citizens in their communities, they must have a firm Biblical foundation and a good education. Over the last 58 years PAYH has had an impact on the lives of countless troubled teens and has provided numerous resources to hurting parents and families. Glenda Anderson, with a mother’s heart for the young men, continues to give leadership to the home.