Rev. James B. Cook
Rector
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and School, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Jim serves as the rector and spiritual leader of St. Mark’s, a large Anglican congregation with a vibrant elementary and middle school. At St. Mark’s, Jim oversees a staff of 150 employees, nearly 2,000 members and 450 students. He arrived in Florida in 2007 from Minnetonka, Minnesota, where he met Mama Ada and foundation co-founder, Julie Keller, while serving as rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church

Ordained to the priesthood in 1993, Jim has served congregations in Kentucky, Wisconsin and Minnesota. During his tenure at St. David’s, Jim led the building of a 15,000-square-foot headquarters for a large food pantry on the church campus. At St. Mark’s, Jim helped create Hearts of Palm, a ministry that provides assistance to low –income homeowners with city code violations. In 2017, St. Mark’s bought and renovated several homes that are being used for supportive housing. Jim also recently led St. Mark’s through a $25-million renovation of the campus that took nearly six years to complete. He is also a founder and original board member of Family Promise of North/Central Palm Beach County and a current board member of Community Partners, a large non-profit in Palm Beach County.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Jim served as director of media for Arthur Andersen and Co. in Chicago prior to attending seminary at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He and his wife, Karen, have two grown sons.

Julie Keller
President and Founder

For many years, Julie Keller has had friends in Kenya. In 2005, she was on the first trip to visit Mama Ada and her neighbors. It was on this trip that the vision of The Mama Ada Foundation was borne, as new friends sat in a green gazebo on Mama Ada’s lawn. Since then, Julie has used her skills and passion to create communication, fundraising, programming and administrative systems in the organization, working with many others.

Julie graduated with an undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College and she holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and Social Policy from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. She has worked in a number of nonprofits in various capacities, as well as for Head Start at the Minnesota Department of Education. This experience provided her with opportunities and knowledge to do consulting work in grants management/application and strategic planning/ evaluation.

She currently resides in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where she lives with her husband, Peter, and their two sons, Evan and Ben.

When Julie is not busy dreaming new ideas for The Mama Ada Foundation, she loves reading, writing, gardening, cooking, learning French, yoga, and many other pastimes….fully believing that this world is a beautiful place, especially with friends in Kenya (and all those who love The Mama Ada Foundation!).

Nate Cook, Board Member
Yacht Manager
Ocean Independence Yachts
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Nate fell in love with Kenya after his first trip in 2006 from Minnetonka, Minnesota. His passion for meeting new people and sharing stories has lead him down a path of adventure, travel, unique experiences and opportunity to enhance lives in many capacities. Working as a Superyacht Manager for one of the largest yacht brokerage companies in the world, he continues to follow his dreams and remain focused at connecting his people to Mama Ada’s people.

Nate graduated with a degree in Business Management and minor in Leadership Studies from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the fall of 2007, Nate circumnavigated the globe with a program called Semester at Sea, where he was introduced to various cultures while earning university credit aboard a converted cruise ship. Straight after school, Nate found himself working as crew aboard private superyachts for the next 10 years, serving the most influential families across many corners of the planet. Ending his career at sea as a Captain in 2018, Nate moved ashore to develop his leadership skills in the area of yacht management, which include the financial logistics for high-net worth individuals, developing multi-million-dollar budgets, employing foreign crew, and ensuring the safety and security of the yacht passengers.

Nate has always found Kenya to be a second home. He has been an active supporter of The Mama Ada Foundation since college and is always eager to share stories of his Kenyan friends and how their lives are changed through scholarships and seeds.

Nate currently resides near the rest of his family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Jodi Gooding
Leon County Senior Outreach Advisory Council
Business Administration

Jodi's first experience with The Mama Ada Foundation began in 2013 when Fr. Jim Cook took a group to Kenya. The trip was to meet some of the farmers and students that were receiving maize and funds from the Foundation. The trip changed her life. She fell in love with the people of Kenya and their attitude of joy regardless of what their needs were in their life. The Foundation may meet a need they have but their joy and acceptance of their life taught her to realize joy doesn’t come from what we have but what we give.

She went to college at an advanced age of 38 and graduated from Florida State University in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources. She worked in several industries which included governmental, forensic engineering, potato manufacturing and distributing. The last 15 years of her career she was Vice-President of Human Resources in Jupiter, Florida at a nationwide organization that grew from 500 employees to approximately 1,200 employees with facilities in Florida, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. After retiring Jodi and her husband moved to Tallahassee, Florida to be near their two daughters and grandchildren.

Currently, Jodi serves on Leon County Senior Outreach Advisory Council, eClubSoda Legacy Steering Committee, and an Ad Hoc Marketing Committee for Westminster Oaks Community. When she is not in meetings she and her dog are in training so Cleo can become a therapy dog and serve at their local hospital. In addition, she loves to exercise, play Pickleball, and is taking a drawing class.

Colby Cook
Revenue Management Executive
Hilton South Florida

Colby Cook brings over 15 years of experience in hospitality and revenue management to The Mama Ada Foundation board. A longtime team member at Hilton, his career has taken him around the world, with roles in California, Australia, New York City, Texas, Florida, and Ohio. This global experience has fueled his passion for service, cultural connection, and creating meaningful impact.

His journey with Kenya began in 2005 during a high school trip, where he first witnessed the power of education and community development firsthand. That experience planted a seed of purpose that has stayed with him ever since. As a graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Hospitality Management, Colby has built his professional life around systems, relationships, and results—skills he now brings to his role as Treasurer.

Alongside his wife, Riana—whom he met while living in Australia—he has been a dedicated supporter of The Mama Ada Foundation for many years. The couple now lives in South Florida and recently welcomed their first child, a daughter named Ava, in March 2025.

As Treasurer, Colby is honored to take a more active role in supporting the students, farmers, and families connected to Mama Ada. He is inspired by the resilience and generosity of the Kenyan community and looks forward to serving with transparency, care, and commitment.