Meet the Board

  • Founding Board Member & President

    Jared and Carolyn (Koval) Brynildsen both grew up in the Riverbend area. Both grew up in military families, and ended up at Scott Air Force base early on in their lives. Never knowing each other as kids, they ultimately met overseas while they, themselves each served in the military.

    Jared is an Army MEDEVAC pilot and Hospital Administrator with graduate degrees in Healthcare Administration (Baylor) and Business Management (Embry Riddle). Carolyn is an Air Force Intelligence Officer with a graduate degree in International Relations. Together they have two boys, Ezekiel (4) and Ezra (2) and currently reside in Tokyo, Japan on military orders.

    They started Germania Brew Haus (GBH) in 2017 and Mountains to Molehills (M2M) in 2022 as a means of giving back to the community they plan to retire in. They are passionate about service to their global and hometown communities and have built service-oriented, capable teams who currently run the daily operations for both organizations. Jared is one of the co-founders of M2M and currently serves as President. Jared and Carolyn co-founded GBH and both serve as GBH executives, maintaining ownership with Jared’s youngest brother, Ben Brynildsen.

  • Founding Board Member & Operations Director

    David L. Newton provides situational recovery and resource coordination through collaboration with other agencies, volunteers and donors.

    David is driven by his conviction to provide a “hand up” to those in need of home repairs, life skills and betterment through affiliation and collaboration with others.

    David has over 45 years experience in construction management, property sales, finance, risk management, disaster recovery and public safety. He desires to make a positive change in as many lives as he can in this life.

  • Founding Board Member & Treasurer

    Aurora McKenzie is Treasurer and a Board Member of Mountains to Molehills. She has 27 years of experience in the accounting profession. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration on Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University and a Certificate in Leadership Principles from Harvard Business School. Aurora believes in giving back from the many blessings she has received. She volunteers as a CASA Volunteer for area foster children and holds a position as a Senior Accountant with a local accounting firm. She provides careful stewardship of funds and resources donated to Mountains to Molehills.

  • Founding Board Member & Secretary

    Josh S. Jump is a founding board member for Mountains to Molehills. Josh is an associate attorney at Craney Winters Law Group LLC in Edwardsville, Illinois. In addition to serving as a board member, Josh provides pro bono legal services for Mountains to Molehills through his law firm.

    Josh is a Madison County native. He grew up in Godfrey, Illinois, and attended High School at Metro East Lutheran, Edwardsville, Illinois.  Josh obtained his undergraduate degree from Lindenwood University where he majored in political science and public administration.  During his time at Lindenwood, Josh was also a member of the cross-country team.  From Lindenwood, he then went on the graduate from Southern Illinois University School of Law, Carbondale, in 2018.

    Josh is a sports enthusiast and enjoys playing any sport during his free time.

  • Founding Board Member

    Graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2014 as an Aviation Officer and Blackhawk pilot serving across the US, Europe, and Japan. Graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Master's Degree in Applied Economics in 2021.

    While studying Economics, volunteered with the United Nations Development Programme modeling COVID-19 under the scope of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). After transitioning from the military, worked at the Blackstone Private Equity Group as an associate intern before beginning studies at Harvard Business School (current).

  • Founding Board Member

    Mike Babcock is a founding board member of Mountains to Molehills. He works as a commercial insurance broker for Babcock Insurance & Financial Services. Mike’s primary roles are to provide risk management consultation and connections within the St. Louis area. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Liberty University and an MBA from Saint Louis University. He also attended Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville, IL.

    Mike is married to his wonderful wife, Leah. He is a father to a beautiful baby girl and energetic dog, Georgie. He was born and raised in the St. Louis area and is thankful to have both his family & his wife’s family living there as well. His passions include spending this with his family, playing sports, and volunteering his time to help others.