Our Story

KIM DAL PORTO

Chair

Dr. Kim Dal Porto is a practicing board-certified pediatrician with Carithers Pediatrics in Jacksonville, FL. She has been caring for children and young adults for 26 years and deeply enjoys her career.  She used her medical knowledge in 6 medical missions trips to Rio De Janeiro and Costa Rica before leading a team in 2017 to launch a permanent clinic at Okoa Refuge, the House of Joy Hospital. Like all departments at Okoa, the hospital is staffed and run by talented Ugandan providers. She joined the Okoa Board in 2017 and currently holds the position of Board Chair, starting 2022. She has traveled to Okoa six times and has 3 sponsored children she loves to see. Her greatest passion is Okoa. Dr. Kim has enjoyed serving God in numerous children ministry roles over the years. She currently sits on the board of Bring Your Brokenness, a faith based non-profit that has started a residential treatment program for those who struggle with eating disorders. She is a member at the Church of Eleven22 and attends Northpoint Church online regularly.

Dr. Kim has two children who are also physicians as well as four step sons. She enjoys traveling with her husband Jeff, and she loves to experience God in creation, from mountains to beaches to waterfalls. She has a heart for those who often feel left out of the church, with a desire for them to know God’s rich love.

CHRIS FOLEY

Retiring from her career in Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness at Florida Blue (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Fl), Chris continues to use her talents in serving nonprofits and churches as a way to give back to the community. Chris currently serves as the Vice Chair on Okoa’s Board of Directors and also served as Secretary in her five years as an Officer. She loves to share that her first sponsored child in the Okoa Care Center is now 26 years old and flourishing as a wedding dress designer and seamstress in the Masaka, Uganda area.  After two trips to Okoa, with plans for a third, she loves her role as a friend and ambassador of Okoa. Chris brings a strong knowledge of all aspects of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness, ensuring that the HR practices and policies for Okoa are sound and create an environment for our employees and volunteers to flourish. Chris holds a degree in business and a Senior Professional of Human Resources certification.

Chris is married and shares 4 adult children and a one year old granddaughter with her husband Brian.  They love to travel and camp as a way to enjoy and explore the beautiful world God has given us.

CHRISTY POPWELL

Christy Popwell is a Senior Director of Development with the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a focus on Corporation and Foundation philanthropic support. Christy has been a major gift fundraiser at the University of Florida since 2006. She received her B.A. from Louisiana Tech University and M.S. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Christy joined the Okoa Refuge Board of Directors in 2017. She served as chair of the board 2018-2020 and has been board secretary since 2020. She also serves on the board’s Fundraising Committee.

Christy attends The Church of Eleven22. She and her husband, Sam, co-host a Disciple Group in their home. Christy and Sam were married in 2006 and moved to Jacksonville in 2012. They have two sons, Lucas and Connor, and a Mini Australian Shepherd, Tuck.

MEGAN PHILLIPS

Megan comes to Okoa Refuge with not only an incredible resume in academics and military service, but with a huge heart for women and children in East Africa. As a Biomedical engineer, she obtained her doctorate after eight years of honorable service as a U.S. Naval Officer. After some time in academia, she put her expertise in study design and computational studies to use as a data scientist. As a data scientist, she ran machine learning projects from inception to completion and worked alongside engineering teams to produce incredible business results. Megan holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Kentucky as well as B.S. in Engineering Science, with a minor in Biomechanics from the University of Florida. In addition to serving on the Okoa Board, Megan is a faithful member of the Church of Eleven22. She has served as a board member for Truth Republic, and with All In Ministries and Frontiers International.

Megan is married to the love of her life and best friend, Lonnie Phillips, with whom she shares one awesome son, Zachary. They love dogs, but Australian Shepherds hold a special place in their hearts! Their current fur babies are Kidron and Patagonia. Megan and Lonnie enjoy spending time in nature; hiking in remote locations to experience God’s playground as well as learning about new cultures.

GINGER ALLEN

Ginger Allen is the Sr. Director of IT Business Management Office for GuideWell Holdings, the parent company for Florida Blue (the Florida-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan).  After more than 20 years in public accounting and professional consulting, Ginger joined Florida Blue where her accountabilities have ranged from leading the traditional GAAP & Statutory accounting functions, Corporate FP&A and Cost Accounting. Ginger led the enterprise effort to bring six sigma continuous improvement methodologies into the company and to lead major cost optimizations efforts across the enterprise.  It was in this role Ginger realized that IT spend was one of the most obscure and least understood major types of spend for the enterprise.  This led Ginger to move into her current role in IT with a dedication to bring transparency and then optimization to the IT organization with annual spend of nearly half a billion dollars.

ETHAN POWELL

Ethan is an entrepreneur and business owner in Jacksonville, FL. He currently works in the medical device industry and enjoys building meaningful relationships with his customers and their teams.

Ethan has been involved with Okoa since 2016 and has a passion for the healing that God is doing there, both physical and spiritual. He currently lives in  Jacksonville Beach with his wife, Michelle and their 2 kiddos. Ethan loves to cook, especially outdoors! BBQ’n with his family and playing golf are some of his favorite pass times!

BRIAN FOLEY

Brian Foley is an accomplished professional with over forty years of experience in Marketing, Strategy, Business Alignment, Sales, Diplomatic Relations, Information Technology, International Business and C-Suite Consulting. Expertise is broad in scope, including Strategy Formulation and Execution, Finance, Client Relations, Consulting, Sales, Business Development, Information Security, Analysis and Planning, Organizational Effectiveness, Program/Project Management and Special Projects. Effective written and oral communications in both English and Spanish.

GLENN DOYLE

Vice Chair

Glenn is a Retired Navy Captain with 26 years of service and had the honor to serve as both a Squadron Commander and Commodore of the Atlantic Fleet Helicopter Maritime Strike community. He had multiple deployments overseas and various tours in the US including the Assistant Director of the Navy’s Budget Office in the Pentagon. Following his military retirement he has worked for the last 10 years with his wife at Hover Girl Properties as Broker, Realtor. Glenn has a Masters Degree in Financial Management from the Navy’s Post Graduate School and a Bachelor’s in Science (Math and Physics) from the Pennsylvania State University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Glenn has been a supporter of Okoa for many years and has been to Uganda on multiple mission trips. He and his wife Joy have been active participants in supporting Okoa in the Jacksonville area. Glenn joined the Okoa board in 2020 and currently chairs the Governance committee for the board.

Glenn currently serves as an Elder at the Church of Eleven22. He has been involved in various ministries at the church over the last 10 years. Glenn is married to the lovely Joy Lynn Graddick and they have three married daughters and seven grandchildren.

RICK GRAHAM

Rick has 35 years of experience as an executive in the medical/healthcare industry. Through his service as the VP of Supplier Management for PSS/McKesson and the Executive Director of Business Development and Corporate Strategy for Quidel, Rick brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Okoa. He joined our board of directors in 2018 and serves on our strategy committee. Rick holds his BS in Business Administration and Corporate Strategy with a minor in law. He also completed the International Business and Contracts program at the University of Tokyo.

Rick is an active member in the Church of 1122 and also serves on the board of directors for the following organizations: Manos de Fe, Seamark Ranch, Roots for Life, and the Tebow Okoa Philippi Project. Rick is married and has one awesome son.

JOSH EHRENFELD

Josh is a lawyer for Burr-Forman. Josh Ehrenfeld is a member of the Corporate & Tax Practice Group with a focus on domestic and international taxation, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, early-stage and start-up companies, private equity, and corporate finance. He advises clients worldwide on a wide-range of domestic and cross-border transactional and business-related issues. Prior to joining Burr, Josh worked in the New York and London offices of Shearman & Sterling and served as General Counsel for a New Mexico energy company managing the financing and development of natural gas generation facilities.

Josh serves on Okoa’s strategy committee and advises the organization on legal matters.

ALLISON CHANCE

Born and raised in a small town in Central Florida, Allison Chance had the rare experience of living in the same home her entire life — that is until she became a military spouse and experienced the excitement and uncertainty of relocating eight times in 10 years. Allison graduated from the University of Florida, and it was a sorority/fraternity social that brought her and her husband, Kyle, together. Their daughter Charlotte, 10, was born in Hawaii, and their son Hux, 6, was born in Monterey, CA. Allison founded Anchored Real Estate Group, a boutique real estate firm with a reputation for providing clients the personalized, professional service they deserve. She is truly passionate about real estate and helping others and gets to merge both by giving back a portion of her commission to those who serve the community when buying or selling a home. When she isn’t showing homes or negotiating real estate transactions, you can find her on her yoga mat! Allison is a member of the Church of Eleven22 and loves volunteering and supporting non-profits in Jacksonville and around the world.

RYAN COREY

Ryan has been a successful and dedicated business owner in the automobile industry for over 25 years and is passionate about helping the least fortunate and serving others. He is a relationship-driven entrepreneur who likes focusing on people, strategy, and innovation. As a board member of Okoa he is committed to making a positive impact in not only his local community but the community of Masaka, Uganda, and beyond. Faith plays a central role in his life, and he strives to live out those values in both business and service. Ryan has been a supporter of Okoa for several years and is amazed at what the Lord is doing in and through this ministry!
Ryan has been married to his wife Suzanne for 15 years and they have two German Shepherds. They enjoy spending their free time in North Carolina and love being outdoors whether it’s mountain biking, hiking, or riding motorcycles.