CO-FOUNDERS

Dan Heist grew up in the Philadelphia area. Dan and Katie moved back the Philadelphia from 2015 - 2019 for graduate school. Katie and Dan and their kids were part of the Philadelphia 1st Ward for four years and loved the youth and their families. They now live in Provo, UT where Dan teaches Nonprofit Management at Brigham Young University. They love staying connected to their Philly Family through JVF.

CO-FOUNDER

Victoria Kollie co-founded the foundation in honor of her son, Josh Vesslee. She lives and works in inner-city Philadelphia, where she serves the youth of the Philadelphia 1st Ward.

BOARD CHAIR

Jarom Hyde graduated Brigham Young University in 2023 with a bachelors and masters in Accounting and a nonprofit management minor. He is currently working at Bain & Co. in Houston. He grew up in Hong Kong since he was 8 years old and speaks Mandarin Chinese. Jarom served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Taipei, Taiwan between 2016-2018. He loves snowboarding, hiking, and spending time with his wife.

WEBMASTER AND SECRETARY OF THE BOARD

The McShanes were blessed to live in Philadelphia from 2016-2019. Chelsea enjoyed serving with the young women of the Philly 1st ward, while Scott loved serving the children in the primary. It was there that they developed a love for the youth in the city. They strongly agree that all children, especially in underserved areas, have a right to quality education.

COLLEGE PREPARATION COMMITTEE

A Utah native, Annie and her family lived in Philadelphia from 2016 to 2018. They were blessed to be part of the Philadelphia 1st ward, where Annie served in the Relief Society. Annie and her husband, Lyman, welcomed their first child there, close to the same time that Josh Vesslee was tragically killed. Their hearts broke for Josh and his family and friends; being part of the Josh Vesslee Foundation now is a wonderful way to honor Josh and support youth like him. Annie holds a Masters of Public Administration from Brigham Young University.

BOARD MEMBER

Fatu Obey was the first graduate of the Josh Vesslee Foundation program, and will return to serve on the board once she completes her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

TREASURER

Junior Muanda, a native of the Congo, understands the challenges faced by youth from modest backgrounds. Thanks to mentors who helped him access quality education, he is now building a meaningful career and giving back through his role as board treasurer for the Josh Vesslee Foundation. Junior holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from BYU–Hawaii and BYU–Provo and works as an accounting manager for Utah County. He is married and enjoys spending time with his kids.

BOARD MEMBER

Kadeem was born and raised in Philadelphia. Johanne was born in Haiti and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She moved to Philadelphia in her teens. They currently reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia and attend the Philadelphia 1st Ward where they have attended for over 8 years. Living in Philadelphia for decades between the two of them, Kadeem and Johanne are eager to help the youth in the Philadelphia area in anyway possible.

BOARD MEMBER

Shannon and her family moved to Philadelphia in 2020, where they were blessed to find themselves in the Philadelphia 4th Ward. Shannon loves serving with the young women in her ward, who amaze her time and again with their love for each other, their neighbors, and their Savior. Shannon holds a master's degree in English from Brigham Young University and teaches writing at Saint Joseph's University.