Dr. Ryan Senters has a Ph.D in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Christian Leadership and another in Clinical Psychology. Ryan is a residential faculty member at South Mountain Community College and teaches developmental psychology, statistics, and research methods. He has 15 years in key leadership roles in child welfare agencies, social services, and churches. Ryan founded Ohana AZ in 2015 out of his passion to serve foster children and the underserved in our community. Ohana provides residential and social services for foster children and adults with disabilities. He is also the founder and a board member of the Friends of Ohana, a 501c(3) that provides transitional housing to girls who have been sex trafficked, mentorship to foster youth, and other supportive services.

Out of Ryan’s passion for creating jobs (especially for aged-out foster children) and environments for the community to gather, he also started and owns several other businesses in the Laveen area including Sky Zone Laveen, Hānai Coffee and Wine Bar, and F45 Laveen and Goodyear. Ryan lives in Laveen with his wife Sara and their 6 children (4 of whom were adopted through foster care). Ryan also serves on the Laveen Elementary School District Governing Board and Laveen and South Mountain's Chamber of Commerce.

Sara earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and was a teacher before starting a family and ministry in Foster care. With four foster to adoptions under her belt, she is now a mother of 6. When her home was overflowing, along with her husband Ryan in 2015 they started Ohana AZ to create additional homes to continue to serve kids in foster care. Sara provides support to the Ohana staff, children and members in various ways including her desire to turn each individual house into a home for everyone they serve. Together with a group of friends and family she helped to start The Anchor House in Phoenix to provide shelter for underserved mothers and their children in the area. Sara also enjoys being involved within the Laveen community, she served on the PTA for two years and continues to be an active member. Although she stays busy managing her own kids, her passion is that every person in Ohana is celebrated and feels a sense of safety and family.

Kevin earned a Master’s of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and has 13 years experience working within churches and nonprofits. Kevin met Ryan and Sara while in seminary and then began working together at Christian Family Care with teens and kids with special needs in foster care. During this time Kevin's love and passion continued to grow for teens in foster care and kids/adults with special needs, which motivated him to come aboard Ohana AZ. As the Chief Operations Officer, Kevin enjoys working and investing into Ohana leadership in order to help create a culture that reflects Ohana's Core Values. It is vital that all Ohana leadership and staff live out the Vision and Mission of Ohana and Kevin is excited to help make this a reality through providing oversight to improve the day to day quality service. Kevin also enjoys being an adjunct instructor at Arizona Christian University and Grand Canyon University. Kevin is married to his wife, Priscilla, and together they have 4 boys.

Mark has a well-rounded background of Business Operations for profit and nonprofit organizations. He has successfully managed several multi-million dollar organizations for more than 30 years and brings his vast experience to Ohana. Mark has led successful continuous improvement and quality initiatives resulting in major cost reduction while increasing overall quality of service. He has experience in leading organizational change and is a champion for community outreach. Mark is a native Arizonan and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, kids and 8 grandchildren every chance he gets. Mark has served on several Boards for profit and non-profit companies as well as serving in several leadership roles in Economic Development organizations.

Marissa earned her Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies and comes from a background of over 16 years of church ministry. Marissa is currently working towards her Masters of Science in Mental Health and Wellness. She transitioned into the social services field over 7 years ago where she has worked directly with individuals pursuing adoption, youth in the foster care system, those with special needs, and people who have faced homelessness and substance abuse. Marissa has a passion for discipleship and creating and implementing systems that better serve the community. She has played an integral role in church planting and laying the groundwork for organizations and nonprofits. As the Senior Program Director, Marissa has oversight of several programs. Marissa enjoys spending time with family and investing in youth and young adults.

Ryan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and Church Leadership in 2001. He has a wide variety of ministry leadership experience including, but not limited to, student ministry, young adult ministry, associate pastoring, and senior pastoring. He transitioned into a new ministry role at Ohana in April of 2021 as he now serves as the Director of Community Partnerships and Supervisor of the Anchor House. He works with church, individual, and organizational ambassadors who desire to see the mission of Ohana fulfilled and the vision expanded. For years, Ryan and his family have been involved in RFKC (camp for foster kids) and the fight against human trafficking with the ministry, Project Rescue. In August of 2019, Ryan and his wife Alyson were met with the news that their son was diagnosed with autism. This new reality instilled in them a deeper passion to help resource and support kids with special needs. In addition to their now eight-year-old son, Ryan and Alyson have a daughter who will graduate high school in 2024. As a family they enjoy traveling, riding around in their golf cart, and swimming.