Meet Our Team
Samuel Kaunga
Africa Regional Program & Kenya Country Director
Samuel “Sammy” Kaunga is a tenacious operations manager and advocate for children in Horizon’s existing Micro Communities and networks in Kenya and Africa. Sammy has a wealth of experience in child development, youth empowerment and partnership development. Before joining Horizon, Sammy worked over 20 years for international child development nonprofits located in Africa.
Living in dire straits in Kenya, Sammy dropped out of high school at age 14. Mercifully, a child sponsorship organization came to his rescue; fishing him out of his village back to school. Sammy says, this act set him off as a forever crusader for the underprivileged children across the world. Sammy has graduate degrees in: Education, Sociology & Literature, Linguistics, Applied Psychology and Communications. In addition, he is an author, a journalist and an itinerant farmer.
He lives in Nairobi with his wife, Betty, and their three children-Mélodie, Sereria and Runchi.
Jacob Keeler
Chief Growth Officer
Jacob comes with over a decade of broad-range communications experience and a passion for global missions. He is a strategically-minded leader who is passionate about people and dedicated to mobilizing the masses to turn the tide in the world orphan crisis. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Elizabethtown College. Before joining Horizon, Keeler worked as Vice President of Marketing at Paul Risk Construction located in Quarryville, Pa. and as a Project Manager, Account Executive and Creative Director at a Lancaster-based creative agency. He lives in Lancaster with his wife, Nancy, and two daughters, Isabel and Josephine.
Allison Rohland
Creative Coordinator
Allison has a passion for creativity, communication and community engagement. She brings four and a half years of non-profit experience in marketing and communications, operations and event planning. Prior to joining Horizon, she empowered adults with Intellectual Disability and Autism. A Lancaster City resident, Allison is an Elizabethtown College graduate with a degree in English Professional Writing with a Creative Writing minor. She believes it is her life’s purpose to give a voice to the underrepresented, and she does it with a bit of panache as Creative Coordinator at Horizon.
Onésimo Feliz
International Program & Latin America Director
Growing up with 10 siblings, Onésimo started his passion for helping children without parental care early in life, by helping mentor over 10 children who had no parents in his hometown of Barahona, Dominican Republic. Although the children are now adults, they still consider Onésimo’s family as their own. This impact in the lives of children fueled Onésimo’s desire to live a purpose-driven life to rescue, restore and empower orphaned children around the world. Before joining Horizon as an International Program and Latin America Director, Onésimo has served in pastoral ministry, leadership and as an advocate for at-risk children in Latin America for over 7 years. He holds an MBA in holistic ministry and has a bachelor degree in accounting. Onésimo is married to Deyda and loving father of Paola and Melanie Joyce.
Jack Eans
President
Jack has worked in international relief and development for over 30 years, partnering with leaders of other nations to rescue, restore, and empower children trapped in poverty. Jack’s own story of abandonment, abuse, and loss of family led him to align his life purpose with helping the orphaned regain their identity and purpose. From Colorado, Jack is an avid mountain climber, having climbed over 200 of Colorado’s peaks and two successful summits of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Jack uses his passion for climbing to inspire others to help orphans climb out of their situations. He strives to live out the phrase, “Success is not counted by how high you have climbed but by how many people you brought with you.”
Ron Myer
Advisory Board Member
Ron Myer serves on the Dove Christian Fellowship International Apostolic Council as the Assistant International Director. He also leads the USA Regional Apostolic Council and the DOVE Europe Apostolic Team. Ron travels nationally and internationally teaching on various topics, with a strong focus on calling people to rise up to their full potential. He has authored and co-authored two books. Ron and his wife, Bonnie, have six children and fifteen grandchildren.
Larry Kreider
Advisory Board Member
Larry Kreider has been involved with Horizon’s board since the organization’s inception. As Founder and International Director of DOVE International, he earned a Masters of Ministry from Southwestern Christian University at age 60, proving it is never too late to continue learning. As the author of over 40 books, Larry’s professional life includes international speaking engagements and mentoring various organizational leaders. He and his wife, LaVerne, have four children and six grandchildren.
Rick Haller
Rick Haller is the Founder and Chairman of Haller Enterprises, a mechanical services company based in Lancaster, PA. Rick is a driven entrepreneur, starting the company out of his garage in 1981. Since then, the company has grown to employ 300 people across five branch locations in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. Rick serves on various boards and contributes to various cause based organizations. Rick and his wife Joyce spend much of their time with their three children.
Matt Burkholder
Matt Burkholder is the President and CEO of the Dutch Valley Family of Companies, which includes Dutch Valley Food Distributors, Inc. and Dutch Valley Food Development, Inc., located in Myerstown and New Holland, PA and Berlin, OH. Dutch Valley’s Vision is to give back and Share What’s Good with those involved in the business, the community and beyond. Matt and his wife, Karen, have four daughters and share a passion for helping to meet the needs of the children in Kenya and seeing lives transformed.
Steve Peroff
Steve Peroff brings a strong organizational, marketing, and advertising background to Horizon. As a successful realtor for several decades in Keswick, Ontario, he built the premier real estate team in their region. Steve and his wife Colleen are dedicated parents to Eli and Jordanna. Steve has helped in the development of Baba Nyumbani, Horizon’s flagship Micro Community in Kitale, Kenya since 2009. His work in Baba Nyumbani has given their work in Canada a fresh purpose and focus.
Jerry Weaver
Treasurer
Jerry Weaver is Co-Owner, President and CEO of Quality Custom Cabinetry, Inc., a custom cabinet manufacturer that distributes throughout the U.S. Through the QCCI Foundation founded by Jerry and his business partner, he has donated to many charitable causes through the years. Jerry’s passion using his resources to empower others, which makes his involvement with Horizon a perfect match. He lives in Lancaster, PA with his wife and is a father to three girls.
Gene Strite
Secretary
Eugene Strite is a compassionate business leader who desires to see the next generation reach their full potential. His passion is empowering others and consulting with businesses. In over 30 years of being in business, he is President of the D-111 Group LLC., developing a green community in south central PA. The author of several books, he travels nationally and internationally teaching on finances. Eugene and his wife Kathy have four children and ten grandchildren.
Daryl Heller
Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board
Daryl Heller, Chairman of Heller Capital Group, is an entrepreneur that has founded various companies within the telecom, technology, agriculture, financial and energy sectors. Heller Capital Group is a private equity firm which generally has 12-15 portfolio companies where he provides strategic oversight and accountability to the portfolio companies. Daryl is an innovative and highly respected leader, with a core competency in strategic planning, cultural development, business acceleration/execution and merger & acquisition activities. He is also a philanthro-capitalist, and co-founded Horizon in 2004.
Jim Pesce
Co-Founder
Jim Pesce is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hallehluya Food Company in Ontario, Canada. Jim has a strong passion for connecting the West with the developing world, as he believes we who are well off are indebted to those in need. He has worked with at-risk youth in his community since 1987, and is now involved with programs reaching Toronto-based immigrant children. He has served in Kenya since 1999 before co-founding Horizon in 2004. Jim and his wife, Deb, have three children and two grandchildren.