Robby Ball grew up in Eustis, Florida before attending the University of Florida on a football scholarship (“Go Gators!”). After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Advertising & Marketing, he moved to Orlando to work as a branch manager for Winter Park Federal Savings & Loan. After several years, he moved on to work for A.G. Edwards & Sons, a financial services securities firm, and he has enjoyed his work in that industry ever since. He is currently a Financial Advisor/Wealth Manager with Morgan Stanley.

He previously served as an HOCF Trustee for multiple years, believing in the purpose of the foundation to assist and align with FPCO. He was drawn to being a Trustee again by his “everlasting love” for his home church, FPCO, and his desire to serve HOCF in its journey at this time. 

He and his wife Margie are proud parents to three children—Clint, Kevin, and Ashley—and grandparents to six grandchildren and two grand-dogs. He loves living in Orlando because he gets to be close to his family. He says, “My faith has grown as I’ve grown as a man, a husband, a father, and now as a grandfather.”

Chris Jones grew up in Orlando and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. After graduating, he worked for a bank in Orlando for a few years before moving to another bank where he stayed for 30 years. He greatly enjoyed helping people prepare for their futures through retirement planning. Recently, he retired and is now serving on several boards. He has known about the Heart of the City Foundation for a long time and is delighted to use his 40+ years of expertise to bless the congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando as a trustee of HOCF.

In his early 20s, he came to Christ as a counselor for high school kids at First Pres, and since has invested himself in myriad Sunday School classes and small groups, leading many, to continue deepening and growing his faith. He has attended First Pres for 45 years—with the exception of his time in Raleigh, North Carolina—and served with the Session of First Pres as an elder. 

He lives in Orlando with his wife, Julie, and their furry family member, a west highland terrier named Bertie. As both of them are UF graduates, Bertie is named after the UF mascot, Alberta Gator.

I became involved with the HOCF in 1996 our newborn daughter Elizabeth died shortly after she was born. I have always had a desire to impact inner city youth for the gospel, a quality education and to break the cycle of poverty. My husband Joe and I started a scholarship fund in Elizabeth’s memory which provides tuition assistance for inner city children to attend The Christ School. 

More recently, we established a fund called Kids Across America to provide scholarships so inner city students could attend KAA, a Christian Sports Camp, in Branson, Missouri.  The students who return from camp have hope in Christ and  realize their lives can be different from todays culture. 

I was asked to serve on the Scholarship Committee which awards ~$63,000 in scholarships from various funds at HOCF each year. It was such a rewarding experience that when I was asked to join the Board it was easy to say yes! The HOCF has provided an easy vehicle for Joe and me to establish a legacy for our family and impact lives in the community. 

I was born in New Jersey and moved to Fort Lauderdale when I was 12 years old. I graduated from Pine Crest Preparatory School and attended Broward Junior College. I met my late husband at the University of Florida and we were married for 43 years before his passing. We lived in West Palm Beach and moved back to College Park in 1968, where we raised our 3 children—Bobby, Lisa, and Thomas.

I got my Real Estate license in 1970 and I am still active today. With my sons, I own Hewitt Properties and Hewitt Residential. We manage, own, and develop properties in Central Florida.

I have been a member of FPCO for 50+ years and have taught children Sunday School and also served as Deacon. I have served on the House of Hope board for 15 years. I have been a Bible Study leader in my home and have been Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) board member and Huddle leader. I am presently on the Florida Fellowship Foundation board and Heart of the City board.

I remarried in 2022 to a wonderful Godly man. I am blessed. I have met many challenges in my life but know that the Lord is my Shepherd.

Kurt Wood is a Partner and the Director of Client Service for the institutional investment firm,  DePrince, Race & Zollo.  He began his investment career 34 years ago at Sun Bank Capital Management.   Kurt and his wife of 31 years, Karin, have been covenant partners of the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando (FPCO)  for 29 years and have three adult children.  At FPCO, Kurt has taught Youth Sunday School, served as Upward Basketball Commissioner for three consecutive years, and is proudly serving his second stint as an Elder.

Kurt is a graduate of Clemson University.  He is a former board member and past president of the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE) and the Winter Park Little League.  He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the $120 million Winter Park Health Foundation where he’s the Treasurer and Chairman of the Investment Committee.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Public Pension Trustees Association.

Ellen Arnold was born in Columbus, Georgia, and grew up in The Episcopal Church. Her faith grew even stronger as she attended Bible Study Fellowship for 14 years. She got her first taste of Orlando while attending Rollins College for her first two years of college before completing her BS in business administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, becoming a lifetime fan of the Tar Heels. 

Once she graduated, she came back to Orlando to work at Boston Company of the Southeast, an investment firm where she greatly enjoyed managing portfolios. After she had her twin daughters, she became a stay-at-home mother, bringing one more daughter into the world. Today, she loves caring for her grandbaby, Anna Kay, two days a week and spending time with her 17-year-old cat, Nala.

She put in 8 years on the Board of Samaritan Village, always grateful for the support Heart of the City Foundation gifted to them, and ultimately was inspired to be a part of the gifting of support to Christ-centered ministries and young people pursuing higher education.

Charles is an Orlando native, graduating from Boone High School, earning a degree in finance from the University of Central Florida, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Rollins College. He has an extensive background in business operations; having served for over 25 years in various roles in financial services, corporate banking, information technology, and finance/administrative services in the real estate, hospitality, and title industries. In addition, he brings experience in the non-profit space, having served operational roles in his church and as an interim COO/CFO for a local organization focused on at-risk youth. He is now the COO of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. He is married to Kimberly, a fellow Orlando native, and has three children.

Jenie Kolar

Trustee