New Leadership for The Salvation Army of Citrus County
Colonels Dennis Strissel – Corps Officer for Administration and Team Leader
Colonel Strissel is the son and grandson of Salvation Army Officers. He entered the College for Officer’s Training in Chicago IL. in 1972, graduating in 1974 with the rank of Lieutenant. Colonel Strissel has served primarily in the Midwest as a Salvation Army officer, both in pastoral and administrative positions, but has also spent significant service years as an officer in overseas assignments. He and his family served four years on the isolated island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean (this was the island prison for the Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte). They served in Johannesburg and Cape Town South Africa during the era of Apartheid and years later returned to Africa as the Salvation Army Leaders for the West African country of Ghana. While serving in that country, Colonel Strissel was honored by the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, with the highest award the country can give an expatriate, The Order of the Volta. The Strissel’s were the State Leaders in three locations in the Midwest; Indiana, Missouri/Southern Illinois and just prior to the retirement, the State of Michigan.
The Strissel’s have two children: their son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Shanais Strissel, along with their four children (Isaiah, Zechariah, Ethan, and Isabella) live in Southern Alabama where Scott is the Executive Director of Christian Services for Children in Alabama, a Therapeutic Foster-Care Organization as well as adjunct faculty member of City Vision University of Kansas City MO. and Shanais is the Program Director for Empowered to Conquer, a mentor program in the Birmingham AL. school district. Their son-in-law and daughter, Brian, and Sherry Blees, along with their two boys (Dylan and Logan) live in Phoenix Arizona. Brian is a Vice President of a management team for US Bank and Sherry runs her own small business called Mesquite Canyon Enterprise. They are both busy teaching life lessons to their two boys and many of their cousins. As an artist, Sherry paints is a certified welder and is working on metal sculpting.
The Strissel’s have a wealth of experience in ministry and community work, many years of serving in administration positions within the Army system, a history of visionary leadership, an understanding of cross-cultural relationships and a passion for meeting the needs of the disenfranchised. In addition to their commission from the Salvation Army College for Officer’s Training, Colonel Dennis has a BA in Organization Management from Ashford University in Clinton Iowa and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville Tennessee.
Lt. Colonel John R. Jones - Corps Officer for Program Development
Lt. Colonel Jones is the son of Salvation Army officers and chose that avenue of service and ministry for himself. He and his wife served just short of 45 years as active Salvation Army officers.
During 11 years as field officers the Lord blessed their ministry with doubled attendances in every appointment, one of their favorites being Sumter, SC where the attendance went from an average of 59 to over 200.
This was followed by 30 years of staff work during which time he was the incident commander of Salvation Army services at the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. This was followed by five years as Territorial Property Secretary where he processed and monitored all design, construction, and renovation projects in the 15 southern states. He also wrote and revised the territorial construction manual while in this appointment.
This was followed by his appointment as Communications and Development Secretary with responsibility for training and supervision on fundraising including capital campaigns, major gifts fundraising, direct mail, seasonal fundraising, and planned giving. This department also included disaster services for the territory, United Way relationships, Advisory Board development and training, public relations, and media communications. He wrote and compiled the national advisory board training manual, taught the all-day advisory board intensive at the National Advisory Organization Conference in Orlando for 200 board members, planned and coordinated the National Development Conference in Dallas, and supervised Southern Territory response to the events of 9/11. He was also appointed as chairman of the National Community Relations and Development Commission.
He later served as the Area Commander for Metro Houston, second largest field command in the territory at the time, serving a population of over 6,000,000 people with a budget of $15,000,000.
He was the divisional commander in both the Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi Division and the National Capital and Virginia Division. Between these two he was appointed to the Cabinet as the Secretary for Business Administration for the Territory. This included serving on the National Business Administration Conference, overseeing the operations of the Territorial Headquarters, overseeing eleven departments with 200 officers and employees, overseeing the financial operations of the College for Officer Training, and giving financial and development direction to the nine divisions of the territory.
The Jones’ are proud parents of three adult children, all of whom are Salvation Army Officers.
He has written articles on dynamic worship, church growth, and evangelism outreach and been a presenter at numerous conferences and seminars on these subjects.
Lt. Colonel Gary W. Haupt – Corps Officer for Finance and Property
Born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to a blue-collar family, Lt. Colonel Haupt grew up amidst the uncertainty of the Cold War and a family lacking a father. Both his grandparents and his mother instilled in him a sense of justice and fair play and a general understanding of God that enhanced his later integration into the Christian faith.
Haupt first encountered The Salvation Army in 1970, when he committed his life to Jesus Christ at a Salvation Army youth camp. Answering God’s call to full-time service, he and his wife Suzanne entered The Salvation Army School for Officer Training in 1980, graduating in 1982, commissioned as Lieutenants.
They have served together in field appointments in New Orleans, Louisiana and Laurel, Mississippi, where they served as Corps Officers (1982-1985). He served in state-level finance leadership appointments from 1985 to 1995 in Tampa, Atlanta, and Charlotte. Appointed assistant territorial financial secretary for the United States Southern Territory from 1995 to 1999, he assisted in the development of new financial reporting and accounting systems for The Salvation Army in the southeastern United States. Following this, he became the general secretary (COO) for the Florida division, where he was responsible for legal and legacy issues, evangelism and adult ministries, marketing and development, and statewide correctional services. Lt. Colonel Haupt served as area commander for The Salvation Army Baltimore Area Command from 2006 to 2008. Following this, he served at The Salvation Army National Headquarters as the national treasurer and secretary for business administration (CFO) until 2011. He next served in Russia and Moldova as the business administration secretary (CFO) until 2015.
After returning from Eastern Europe, he served again at the Southern Territorial Headquarters, where he was special project director for the implementation of a new human resources information system (HRIS). From 2016 until 2020, he served as the area commander for St. Petersburg, Florida. Following retirement in 2020, he agreed to serve an additional year as the divisional secretary for business (CFO) for the Florida Division.
Throughout all these appointments, as is customary in The Salvation Army, Lt. Colonel Haupt shared ministry with his wife of forty-four years, Lt. Colonel Suzanne Haupt. He is passionate about His Lord, his wife, and his three children, David Matthew, Joshua Daniel, and Sarah Michelle, and his eleven nearly perfect grandchildren.