The Staff

Mike Fox (aka Poppy Mike) Co-Founder

Mike spent the better part of 25 years in various ventures, mostly in the propane gas industry. In 2003, Mike and his wife got involved in helping a handful of orphan children living in Myanmar refugee camps on the Thailand border. One small group of orphan children led to another, then another. Resolving to make a difference in the lives of orphans around the world, Mike traded out his business suits for a backpack, a mosquito net, and a passport.

Favorite things: Family, friends, cycling, orphans and God. There is nothing better.

Beth Fox (aka Mama Fox) Co-Founder

Enjoying the journey of life, Beth has been blessed with a rewarding career in the pharmaceutical world and with a beautiful loving family.  After learning about the plight of a few orphaned children in Thailand, her heart was forever touched. Today, her passion is to be an advocate for the 140 million orphaned and abandoned children in the world.

Favorite things: Spending time with family, “Funday Sundays” and running.

Joe Knittig, Executive Director

A lawyer by training, Joe left a large law firm in 2003 to start Seyferth Knittig LLC (now Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris), a KC based national employment law boutique.  In 2005 by happenstance he fell into the world of orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti.  With a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apply business and advocacy to a new kind of client, Joe left the law practice he loved in 2008 to make an all-in go of an orphan care revolution.

Favorite things:  Chasing my kids, watching my wife chase ‘em, rare KC strip.  (And reading the fibs about my colleagues’ “favorite things.”)

Trace Thurlby (aka “T”), President

Trace spent 20 years in the Air Force, financial services, and Christian broadcasting.  On a 2006 trip to Haiti, God pierced his heart for orphans and revealed the bigger story of adoption.  Now, Trace and his wife Kristin’s, life desire is to see orphans all over the world get adopted into God’s family.

Favorite Things: Family, Lake time, the Good Shepherd and watching Him “ruin people for the average.”

Alan Dietrich (aka The Professor), Operations Leader

Alan was a Cerner Exec in the day, leading in about every area imaginable, from sales and marketing to operations and even some product development.  Then, he and his family decided to build an orphanage in Haiti and they fell in love with this work.  Now, they go there every chance they get, and live for the days they spend with those kids.

Favorite things:  Hiking, Landscaping, Leading a small group of high school seniors, and Orphans.

Adrien Lewis (aka Edwin), Community Director

Adrien brings more than ten years of sales and management experience, serving most recently as the Regional Vice President for ATI Testing.  God moved on Adrien and his wife Cynthia in 2007 showing them His plan for them to care for kids.  Adrien now dedicates his time and talents to developing the relationships needed to help orphaned and abandoned kids around the world.

Favorite things: drums,digging deep, serving others and spending time with his wife and 3 kids

Sonya Wedel, (aka “V”) Communications Manager

Taking Kansas State University by storm, Sonya put her advertising degree to work for the last 3 years in broadcasting and starting her own creative design studio.  She is now in charge of our marketing operations helping effectively tell the world about orphaned and abandoned kids.

Mary Long (aka…) Financial Administrator

Mary spent the better part of the last 20 years leading HR, Finance and HRIS initiatives for companies like St. Lukes and Yellow Co.  She even implemented an entire new financial software package helping build and train along the way (wow she must have been tired).

Favorite things: time with kids, time with God and hand inputing stacks and stacks of data into our finance software

Marsha Campbell (aka big mac) Director of Education

Marsha has loved working in the non-profit world with groups like Young Life and others in a variety of development roles:  Educator, Pastor, Foundation Relations Director, Trainer & Facilitator …She loves being a connector and a catalyst for empowering others.  Her first trip to Haiti in November 2008 catapulted her into a calling to serve orphaned and abandoned children with C3 and the Global Orphan Project.

Favorite Things:  family, friends, reading, tennis and lovin’ on kids…

Francie Stoner (aka Francie Danger or St. Francie) Director of Healthcare

Francie worked in healthcare for 37 years as a med tech, EMT, including a quarter of a century as a health care IT exec and cheerleader for Cerner Corp.  Also helped well over 1000 wonderful friends learn to communicate better! Now driven to improve the health of our orphans with C3!

Favorite things: Family, Friends, Grandchildren, the Northwoods of Wisconsin, Loving life, Making a difference, Orphans, and Loves to LAUGHH (Live Abundantly using Guided Helping Hands!)

Dr. Rex Ragsdale M.D., MBA, Chief Medical Officer for Cerner East, Medical Director

Rex has degrees from the University of Evansville, St. Louis University and an MBA from Southern Indiana in addition to his medical residency at St. Mary’s Medical Center (yes he spent a lot of time in school).    Earning him the right to be addressed as Dr. Ragsdale.  He also is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine and a member of the American College of Physician Executives.   Rex  has practiced in multiple medical missions to Brazil, Haiti, and Jamaica.  All his education and credentials make him an extremely valuable member of The Global Orphan project team, he  serves our Co-Medical Director and we’re proud to have him.

Favorite things: Helping kids

Kali Nelson (aka K. Diddy) Marketing Coordinator

Kali put her Speech Communication, Public Relations degree to work for numerous companies such as NFL team Kansas City Chiefs and Farmers Insurance before she decided to start promoting more than Sports teams.  She saw the need for the orphaned and abandoned kids around the world through her parents early work as they founded C3.  After taking her first trip to Haiti in May of 2008 she not only understood their passion but had caught her own.  Nothing was the same so she decided, if you can’t beat them, join them and here she is!

Favorite things: family, friends, photography, and orphans

Cathie Simpson (aka….) Office Manager

Cathie spent eight years teaching vocal music in the Liberty public schools before serving as Education Director at a Sylvan Learning Center. After learning about C3 while working at PVBC, she is excited to be a small part of something really big that is having an amazing impact in the lives of kids.

Favorite things: watching her kids in their various activities, reading, doing anything outside on a hot, sunny day.