Our Team Members

  • Roman Popadiuk, a retired member of the career Senior Foreign Service, served as the first U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine in 1992-1993. From 1989-1992, Roman served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs under President George H.W. Bush, positions he also held toward the end of President Ronald Reagan’s administration. Roman is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

  • Radu Filip is Finance Head of Process at SLB (formerly Schlumberger). He is passionate about efficient finance, procurement, and logistical operations. Born and raised behind the Iron Curtain in Romania, Radu shares the Ukrainian people’s aspirations for liberty and independence.

  • Brian Ray has been supporting and volunteering with organizations assisting at risk youth in Ukraine for over 10 years. The personal relationships he has maintained with youth program graduates and nonprofit organizations in Ukraine serve as his motivation for helping Elevate Ukraine. Brian and his wife live in College Station, Texas, where he currently works as a researcher at Texas A&M University in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.

  • Jerry is a community volunteer and leader in College Station, Texas. He has served as chairman of the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce, Brazos Valley Community Foundation, College Station Medical Center, and Camp of the Hills. A Texas A&M University graduate and a career banker, Jerry’s heart is for family, church and those seeking hope. He currently serves on the board of Program for Humanity Aid, Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial and as an elder at his church. Jerry and his wife have four children and four grandchildren.

  • Kent Dale and his wife Nancy have been involved in humanitarian work in Ukraine since 2011. Kent is a business owner in College Station, TX. He and Nancy have two grown children.

  • Sean Walsh is a principal at Wilson Walsh George Ross. He works with national and multi-national companies that have issues intersecting with regulators, law enforcement, political constituencies, the media, and the public. He has nearly than 30 years of senior-level experience in federal and state government, politics, policy, and communications. Walsh has advised two of California’s governors and served on the White House staff of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, in addition to advising clients in the private sector.

  • Dan Richard’s career is one of leadership in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Richard has been associated with the successful development of major transportation and energy projects throughout his professional life including the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), and PG&E. He is currently the founder and principal at Haskell Point Advisors, LLC, an energy and infrastructure public affairs consultancy.

  • Diane Martin is a businesswoman from College Station, Texas. Diane solidified her love for the people of Ukraine while volunteering in Romania with refugees after the start of the war.

  • Jon Queen has over 15 years living and working in Ukraine. He is a member of Ukraine's Chartered Financial Analyst Society and has deep personal and professional ties to Ukraine's public and private sector. Jon speaks Russian and is learning Ukrainian also.

Our board of directors has more than 50 years combined experience with humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine and are eagerly using their network of contacts in the United States and Eastern Europe acquiring the needed goods in the most timely and cost effective manner possible.

  • Josh has over 20 years experience in the mining and energy sectors. He has an extensive and diverse range of experience in environmental permitting and regulatory policy, legislative engagement, business planning, risk management and stakeholder engagement. Leftwich is a graduate of Texas A&M University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Renewable Natural Resources. He has served a Fellowship at Oxford University’s World Nuclear University. He and his wife have four children.