Hello! My name is Mike Ruesler, I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and moved to Columbia to attend the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2011. Upon graduating in 2016 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering I decided to call Columbia my home. I have been working for a small company, Centurion Stone, here in Columbia for over 10 years now where I manage the outside sales and material installation portions of our business. Over the past 13 years I have also had the privilege of serving on the boards of multiple different not-for-profits.

I just recently completed my 3rd GFR trip, this time to the Peruvian Amazon, and I look forward to embarking on many more journeys with GFR. To try and summarize these trips is sometimes almost impossible, however what has struck me on each one is the immense care that every person in need receives. There is no “lather, rinse, repeat” methodology when it comes to GFR’s approach in helping people, it’s truly about identifying their needs and working to find the best possible solution to their problems. Whether that is through medicine, health education, or infrastructure projects.

Having the opportunity to serve on GFR’s board and help to support and grow the mission is an honor for me.