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Kevin Kiser,

Board Chairman
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
I have a heart for service. Throughout my life I have always held some sort of service role in addition to my “paying bills” job. I have been on boards of other nonprofits and served in local government and ministry roles, but working with The Ladder has given me a unique opportunity to work alongside incredible people who have overcome personal obstacles. I love the stories of what my fellow Board members have been through and what God is doing within all of us to redeem our lives so that we can help others in return. Everyone on this board knows what it’s like to struggle and to need a helping hand. That includes me, and I am so honored to be able to help others. I enjoy mentoring men and traveling the world with my wife and children.

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Dave Woods,

Board Treasurer
Co-Owner, DDS Solutions
While in addiction recovery, I found a sense of purpose I had not embraced before—to bless others with what God provides for me. Through healing and sponsoring others, I have seen God show up over and over. When I started my company in 2017, the strategic plan included sharing the success of the company with those who needed help. I believe God will grow and multiply our ability to help others. In my free time, I thoroughly enjoy what God has blessed me with, including snowboarding, travel, and spending time with my wife and two children. The Ladder has allowed me a vehicle to pursue my passion of helping others and then seeing how it benefits their family and those around them for generations.

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Olivia Morgan,

Board Secretary
Community Volunteer & Mentor
After getting sober in January of 2010, I found a new way of life through a 12-step program and learned the importance of helping others and mentoring other women fighting the same struggles that I once faced. I worked for a local nonprofit called Focus on Recovery and became a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS). In 2021, I felt that God was moving me to serve Him in a new way. While praying through it, I was invited to the first board meeting of a new nonprofit that would become The Ladder. I knew with my whole heart that this was the path that God had for me. The Ladder stands for everything that I believe in—helping others get over a roadblock in their life through helping them with an immediate need under the umbrella of accountability and mentorship. I support my husband Corey’s business, Morgan Construction, as “wife-tary”. My husband, son Cooper, and I live in Helena, Alabama, where most of my extra time is spent with family and friends.

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Chris Hendon,

Board member
Owner, Summit LGS and

Hendon Lawn & Landscape

As a local business owner and father of 3 girls, I hold helping others as a vital component in my life. In 2016 I was able to open my first business because someone gave me an opportunity through a loan when I had no other options. With that one roadblock removed, not only was I able to better the life of my family, but it also enabled me to help others on a different level. When I was asked if I wanted to help start what is now The Ladder, I was all in. Being able to help others in the same way that changed my life is one of the greatest gifts I've been given.

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William Strait,

Board Member
Co-owner, DDS Solutions
Growing up, my father worked as an NCIS agent for the federal government. As a result, my grade school years consisted of packing my bags for big moves and unique travels all across the country. In 2015, I found myself a college drop-out, and I started a new life in Birmingham, Alabama. I decided to join America’s workforce, and a few years later, I was blessed with an opportunity in the trucking business. I now co-own DDS Solutions. When I am not booking freight at work, I enjoy deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and spending time with my wife. The Ladder is important to me because I have received a lot of help over the years, and I believe God has called me to pay it forward to those in need.

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Lara Allen,

Executive Director
Owner, Nonprofit Navigators
I have served as live-in staff in transitional homes, development coordinator for a multi-faceted agency in urban Denver, and grant writer/consultant for numerous nonprofits. I founded Nonprofit Navigators in 2008 and have grown the organization into a firm that serves nonprofit organizations in multiple states through grant writing and development consulting. I enjoy championing causes I believe in and encouraging people in their gifts and callings. My husband and I are raising two teens and are very involved in small groups and service projects through our church. In 2021, I embraced the opportunity to support the founding of The Ladder, believing that helping individuals overcome short-term obstacles can make a long-term difference.

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Courtney Williams,

Board Member

Owner, TMLL Brands: Leather & Lace Boutique & TMLL Beauty Co. & Dub Properties

I have served many years in the addiction-recovery community and enjoy serving others in my community. I am excited for the support and counsel I can provide The Ladder through marketing and branding skills. I also look forward to helping people in the Birmingham community climb The Ladder! 

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John Thomas, Board Member

National Account Manager, DDS Solutions

In July of 2016, I found myself at a crossroads. My addiction to drugs and alcohol had led me to a place where I never thought I would end up. I was lost. Through the help of others, I was able to get treatment for my addiction. After going through a 12-step recovery program and surrendering my will and my life to Jesus, I was finally free. At that point, I realized that a life of serving others is how I would truly fulfill the purpose for which I was created. Over the past seven years, I have served as a volunteer in various capacities at my local church and in 12-step recovery groups. I work as a National Account Manager for DDS Solutions. It was at DDS that I was first introduced to The Ladder by our owners, Dave
Woods and Will Strait. Since joining the Board of Directors for the Ladder, I have been honored to show people in our community the love of Christ in the same way that others once helped me.

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