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Meet Troy Okum

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About Troy Okum,
Project Manager

Troy’s dynamic background in local government, newspapers, nonprofits, and academia equips him with a diverse set of tools to tackle the varying challenges that GMS clients face. After earning degrees in journalism and sociology, he served as the director of a children’s food charity with AmeriCorps, where he successfully helped close funding gaps. Troy then worked to secure his own funding for graduate school and was awarded a leading fellowship at the University of Florida. He engaged in qualitative and quantitative research and taught more than 150 undergrads how to conduct research of their own. Before joining GMS as a Project Manager, Troy served as the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority’s Grants Specialist. He was charged with evaluating dozens of private, public, and non-profit community and economic development projects seeking federal funding. He also published and edited hundreds of news stories while working in local media, giving him the ingenuity to create powerful narratives about any topic and analyze complex information with a moment’s notice. Troy currently serves as a board member for Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area, which seeks to put God’s love into action to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope.

 

Fun Facts — Troy has backpacked or camped in 19 states ranging from Death Valley in California to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. His most memorable times hiking are when he came face-to-face with four black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains, skirted along cliff sides on Matanuska Glacier, and faced the ice and rain on Franconia Ridge. Despite this apparent love for thrill-seeking, Troy is far happier when sitting under a tree, reading the works of J.R.R. Tolkien in peace and quiet. 

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