In 2012, The Rev. Dr. John Forney and his two sons, Jonathan and Christopher, founded Forney Charities, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Their overarching goal is to improve communities as a whole by helping the residents, one person at a time. Since our founding, our team has grown to include brilliant individuals that share this vision.
John
While Forney Charities, was chartered in California, the Forney Family has deep roots in West Virginia. The Forneys first settled in the vicinity of Bethany in1804. The Forney Farm (1804) is still in the family and will sponsor its third annual Wounded Warrior event in August, 2019. Dr. Daniel C. Forney is an alum of Bethany College and his father, Jonathan Buchannan Forney, taught there.
Jai
The teacher, the caretaker, the “GLUE” .
Christopher
Is a Doctoral candidate at Yale University, presently working on his dissertation in medieval history. He first proposed the idea of Forney Charities being part of the solution to the opioid crisis in West Virginia. He presently, in his spare times, assists with the editing of materials for the House of Hope.
Christopher expects to be in Morocco this coming year, preparing the English translation of a six hundred year-old manuscript concerning the expulsion of Muslims from Spain and their migration to Morocco.
Barbara
Barbara Ann Kimball is a member of St. Francis Episcopal Mission, and the House of Hope – San Bernardino planning team. For six years she was the church secretary, before she resigned to become a teacher and later an elementary school vice-principal. Barbara worked for the San Bernardino City Unified School District for 30 years. She has two adult children and five grandsons.
Alexis
Alexis Forney is currently a Software Engineer at JPMorgan Chase where she blends her background in the arts with her passion for technology. Her journey from studying Art History at Binghamton University to delving into the world of tech in the Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy showcases her dedication to continuous learning and growth.
At CollabraLink, she contributed to enhancing data management systems for federal healthcare programs. Beyond her technical vocation, Alexis is passionate about fostering diversity in technology. She is helping to empower the next generation as a tech instructor with America on Tech and as a mentor with CodePath.org, teaching and guiding diverse and low-income students with technological expertise.
Influenced by tech leaders like Timnit Gebru, Alexis is dedicated to making technology accessible and inclusive. Her commitment extends beyond her professional life into her volunteer work and personal hobbies, which include reading, board games, and outdoor sports.
As a board member, Alexis brings not only her technical expertise but also her fervent belief in technology as a tool for social good and empowerment.
Evan
Before his 2001 retirement, Evan Freund developed and delivered health care services for inner-city populations in Chicago as an executive alternately at clinic groups, an HMO, and a behavioral care joint venture.
Since retirement, Evan has worked as a project manager, consultant, and executive coach with Executive Service Corps of Chicago. Evan has assisted many non-profit organizations with strategic planning, recruitment of board members, financial management, and developing fundraising capacity. Evan served as Board Member, Treasurer, and Chair of Community Counseling Centers of Chicago, an organization which responds to behavioral crisis calls. Evan was Co-Chair of the Interfaith Criminal Justice Task Force, which advocates for criminal justice reform in Illinois and was part of the coalition that eliminated money-bail in the State of Illinois.
Evan is an active Rotarian, volunteers as a mentor for Defy Ventures, educating rejoining citizens to be entrepreneurs, and serves as a Board Member of the Inside Out Network, which provides services for rejoining citizens. Evan has served as national Board Member and Treasurer of Citizens for Global Solutions since 2014, and Treasurer of World Federalist Movement since 2023. Evan holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, an MA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from Cornell University.
Scott
Scott Evenbeck joined CUNY in 2011 as Guttman Community College’s Founding President. He served as professor of psychology and founding dean of University College at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. He joined the psychology faculty there after completing his Masters’ and Doctorate in Social Psychology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Indiana University at Bloomington.
Scott has long been involved in designing, implementing and assessing programs for students in their first years of university study. He played a major role in various initiatives to support student achievement in Indiana, including efforts to keep students in college. He has given more than 100 presentations on serving students as they enter college, and he has written many articles and chapters on academic achievement and persistence. Scott was a task force advisor for the Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year and a board member of the American Conference of Academic Deans.
He has been a resource faculty member at the Summer Quality Academy of the Institute for Higher Education Policy and for the General Education and Assessment Institute of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He served on the advisory board for the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and as a faculty member for the Learning Community Institute of the Washington Center for Undergraduate Education. The National Learning Community conference recognized him with the lifetime achievement award. He has been on accreditation teams for three regional associations, focusing on general education, assessment and programs for entering students.
