Who We Are
Who We Are
Founders Tom and Jill Moller with Reverend George Kendagor
Our Founders
Tom and Jill Moller founded Grace4Kenya Charitable Foundation in 2020 after personally serving the people of West Pokot County in Kenya for over a decade. The Mollers have been members of Greentree Community Church for 20 years and were first introduced to Bible Faith Church in Kenya and its various operations on a church mission trip in 2009. Since that time the Mollers have traveled to that area of Kenya multiple times, sometimes going with church groups and other times by themselves. Their most recent visit was in November 2023. The Mollers have developed longstanding relationships with a number of the key people who live in the area and are leading these ministries.
In addition to being active at Greentree Community Church, the Mollers have also supported and served several other ministries both in the US and in Kenya. The Mollers have been strong supporters of the faith-based group Opportunity International since 2008, having met numerous times with Opportunity International’s staff in the US, as well as in Nairobi, Eldoret, and West Pokot Kenya. The Mollers currently serve as Opportunity International “Governors” and “Country Champions” for Kenya, with a focus on education. In 2023 they facilitated the introduction of Opportunity International’s EduQuality program in the rural area of West Pokot.
The Mollers founded Grace4Kenya to expand the number of people involved in this ministry, provide additional funding, and broaden the base of support.
Our Board
Thomas W. Moller, President, Board Chairman
Tom is the majority shareholder, President, and CEO of Eclipse Capital Management, Inc., an alternative investment firm located in St. Louis, MO. He founded Eclipse Capital in 1986 when he and his wife first moved to St. Louis from Lexington, KY. A native of suburban Chicago, Tom graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Economics & Business Administration, and then received a Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky. He worked briefly in public accounting before taking several finance-related and consulting jobs, including serving as CFO of a Kentucky Thoroughbred horse farm. Just prior to starting Eclipse Capital, he served as Treasurer of a Lexington-based computer processing firm. Tom was a runner-up for 1994 St. Louis Entrepreneur of the Year in the financial sector, a program sponsored by Ernst & Young and Merrill Lynch. Tom also serves as President of the Board of the non-profit Made to Shine, with its virtual world (Lightgliders.com) for children ages 6-12 that provides fun, games and teaches Christian values.
Jill S. Moller, Vice-President and Executive Director, Board Member
Jill Moller currently devotes the majority of her time to the operations of Grace4Kenya. Prior to this she served for 12 years as a Stephen Leader and Stephen Minister at Greentree Community Church. Stephen ministry is a lay care giving ministry that supplements pastoral care and provides confidential one-on-one support for people in distress. Jill also served in leadership roles for The Boy Scouts of America for over 20 years while her sons were growing up, and was ultimately recognized with the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award given in Scouting to a non-paid staff. Jill also served for three years as a member of the Board of Trustees of Churchill School, a private school for high potential students with a learning disability. A native of Kirkwood, MO in St. Louis County, she graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in nursing and worked in the University of Kentucky Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She then went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Maternal Child Nursing from the University of Kentucky and taught briefly at that school. Jill worked for 10 years with her husband’s company in accounting and programming before retiring to raise their two sons. In addition to overseeing the foundation, Jill serves as Grace 4 Kenya's Director of Outreach, which includes the mobile medical clinics and community health evangelism.
Mildred Rutto, Board Member
Mildred Rutto grew up in Kapenguria, Kenya, the area served by Grace4Kenya. She obtained a BA in education from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. Mildred came to US in 2007 to attend graduate school at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO, where she earned Master’s Degrees in both Business Administration and Accounting. Mildred remained in the US after receiving her two graduate degrees. She initially worked for several years as an accountant for Churchill School, a non-profit school for high potential students with learning disabilities. She currently works as a Senior Financial Analyst at Schrodinger Inc. and is a business owner in Portland, Oregon. She is in regular contact with her family and other people in Kenya and personally supports a number of Kenyan students. Mildred serves as Director of Grace 4 Kenya's Education Branch.
David Schopp, Secretary, Board Member
Dave Schopp is an experienced health care entrepreneur, board member, executive, and consultant. He has worked with start-ups, corporations, non-profits, hospitals, physicians, multi-hospital systems and insurers. He has extensive experience creating and implementing multi-functional strategies for established and new businesses. As a co-founder and the President/Chief Operating Officer of Advanced ICU Care, a telemedicine company that provides remote monitoring and critical care services with the goal of improved intensive care patient safety and quality, Dave brings a wealth of experience to start-up organizations. Advanced ICU Care has grown to be the largest and most experienced tele-ICU provider in the nation serving hospitals and health systems resulting in over one million care interactions annually. Dave has served on the Board of Directors of Advanced ICU Care since retiring from the Company in 2013. Before co-founding Advanced ICU Care, Dave was an executive with Ascension Health, one of the largest multi-hospital systems in the country. Dave has a BS degree in Business Administration from Iowa State University and a MHA in Health Care Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dave is active in a number of non-profits, including a Board member of the Daughters of Charity Mission and Ministry Impact, various roles in his church’s St. Vincent De Paul Society, filling several administrative roles in his church, and previously having served as the Board Chair of Vincentian Service Corps. Dave is Director of Grace4Kenya Medical Services which includes the Bendera Clinic and Hospital.
Heather Socha, CPA - Treasurer, Board Member
Heather Socha is a Managing Director and CFO of Eclipse Capital Management, Inc. She joined Eclipse in 1999 and she is directly responsible for the firm’s accounting, back office, and compliance activities. Prior to joining Eclipse, she was employed by Deloitte & Touche as an Audit Manager specializing in financial institutions and insurance companies. Over the years she has served as Treasurer of several non-profit organizations including several Parent Teacher Organizations as well as her neighborhood subdivision. She obtained her B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.
Eric Van Zee, Pastor, Board Member
Eric accepted a call to be the missions pastor at Christ Community Church in Nashville in August 2024, where he hopes to continue to use his experience in ministry and missions to further Grace4Kenya’s impact. He was the Pastor of Care, Missions, and Family at Greentree Community Church in Kirkwood Missouri, where he has served since 2014. He is passionate about the spiritual formation of students and has spent 25 years working with middle school and high school students. Over the years he has done extensive short term mission work in Haiti, Nicaragua, Mexico, Greece, Peru, Jamaica, and Honduras where he developed a love for people in many different cultures. He grew up as a “military brat” which helped him appreciate the many different communities the Air-Force sent his family. When he was in high school, he lived in Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. After graduating from Covenant College and Covenant Seminary, Eric served at Christ Community Church in Franklin Tennessee for 14 years. Eric married his high school sweetheart, Jenn. They have three children: Benjamin, Kate and Addie.
Eric and Greentree Community Church have come alongside Grace4Kenya from its inception. Eric had the opportunity to spend 17 days in Kenya with Grace4Kenya in November 2023. He was so moved by the impact Grace4Kenya was having that he joined the board in January.
We would like to recognize Allen Mc.Neill, Scott Wagner, and Doug Lewis who have faithfully served as charter and past Board members. Thank you for helping Grace4Kenya build a solid foundation upon which to grow. Eric serves as Director of Grace4Kenya's Faith Branch.
Our Partners in Kenya
Medical Administrative Team:
The founders of Grace4Kenya have worked closely with Rachel Kendagor, R.N. and Pastor Samuel Kendagor since 2009 to develop and implement business plans for mobile outreach clinics and the BFC Bendera dispensary. In 2012, John Korir a certified C.P.A. was added as the business manager. John helps develop budgets and tracked the expenses of building the clinic and then the hospital. Dr. Stanley Alaka joined the medical administrative team in 2020 as Clinical Officer of the Bendera Hospital. The administrative team meets regularly with the Kenya Ministry of Health to plan services, acquire resources and obtain licensing. They account quarterly per the Grant Agreement with Grace4Kenya for the funds sent and how they were used.
Director and Manager of GKCA:
After David Kendagor’s seminary education in the U.S., he and his wife Jane returned to Kapenguria to continue their ministry in Kenya. Upon their return, David started the Bible College to train ministers and plant churches for the Bible Faith Church of Kenya. He continues in his role as Principal of the Bible College, Director of GKCA, and as a leader in the denomination. Jane Kendagor is the Manager of the George Kendagor Christian Academy (GKCA) which started with her home-schooling her own children and has grown to an accredited school for students who are pre-primary through grade nine.
Local Church Support
Since their first trip to Kenya in 2009 with a mission team from Greentree Community Church, the Mollers have continued to collaborate with Greentree Church.Greentree briefly served as the fiscal sponsor for Grace4Kenya until it received its own 501(c)(3) approval as a tax-exempt public charity. They continue to support the mission in Kenya through an annual pledge to Grace4Kenya.
