Ben grew up in small mid-western town in Minnesota. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Luther College, Decorah, IA; a Master of Arts degree from the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota; and a Master of Arts degree from Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, CT.
He taught on the mission field of Papua-New Guinea.
Ben's focus has been on promoting and leading health programs for a number of healthcare systems including Operation Access, a non-profit health organization that by 2013 has mobilized a network
of 1400 medical volunteers, 40 hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, and 18 medical groups from across 7 San Francisco Bay Area counties to provide donated outpatient surgical care and specialty services to low-income, uninsured people.