Who Are We
Two veterans, united by service and transformed by Christ, committed to ensuring no uniformed brother or sister walks through darkness alone.
Trip Ballard
Co-Founder
"Restore the ones who were forgotten. Bring the fathers home. Break the cycle."
Trip Ballard served his country with honor, but the battles didn't end when he took off the uniform. Like too many veterans, Trip faced the darkness of PTSD, the isolation of civilian life, and the crushing weight of feeling forgotten by the nation he served.
His journey through "survivors guilt" became a divine appointment. Scripture states "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Through his mentoring behind prison bars, Trip encountered Christ as light within the deepest darkest recesses of a forgotten society. He discovered that his identity wasn't defined by his worst decisions, but by the One who made him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." That revelation and blessing changed everything.
Today, Trip leads KINGDOMVEST with the conviction that no veteran should walk through their valley alone. He understands that true restoration isn't about fixing broken people—it's about revealing who they've always been in Christ. His mission is personal: to ensure every incarcerated veteran and individual knows they're not forgotten, not abandoned, and not beyond redemption.
Trip's work focuses on breaking generational cycles by restoring fathers to families, mentoring returning citizens, and building communities where veterans can heal, grow, and ultimately pour into others. His leadership is marked by fierce loyalty, unwavering faith, and a refusal to give up on anyone—because someone didn't give up on him.
Ken Manuel
Co-Founder
"I see the man beneath the mistakes, the soul beneath the sentence, and the father beneath the failures."
“I see the man beneath the pain, the soul beneath the sentence, and the father beneath the failures.”
Ken Manuel is a U.S. Navy Veteran who served his country with honor, discipline, and integrity. His military service forged resilience, leadership, and an unbreakable bond with fellow service members — but like many Veterans, the transition home carried wounds that were not visible. Ken returned from service carrying PTSD, wrestling with the unseen impacts of trauma that linger long after the uniform comes off. Rather than turning away from those wounds, Ken allowed God to meet him in them. Through faith, counsel, and calling, his pain was not wasted — it was redeemed. That redemption shaped the man he is today.
Ken did not walk the road of addiction or incarceration himself, but he chose to walk into those places intentionally — bringing understanding, empathy, and spiritual authority rooted in lived trauma and hard-won healing. Through ministry as a mentor, and spiritual father, Ken has spent years inside prisons, listening to men the world has written off, praying in moments of despair, and reminding them that trauma does not disqualify purpose. Ken understands that incarceration does not erase dignity — and that a sentence does not define a soul. Today, he enters cell blocks and communities carrying the steady presence of Christ, seeing not statistics but sons; not offenders but men made in the image of God. He sees the man beneath the pain, the soul beneath the sentence, and the father beneath the failures.
At KINGDOMVEST, Ken leads with a pastoral heart — focusing on in-prison discipleship, Veteran mentorship, and restoration of the individual with purpose, where Veterans can experience stability, healing, brotherhood, and purpose after release. His approach is grounded in relationship, not programs — because true transformation happens when someone understands your wounds, believes in your future, and walks beside you through the process of restoration. Ken’s life and leadership stand as living proof that trauma does not have the final word, and that no uniformed brother is ever abandoned on his watch.
A Shared Mission
Trip and Ken didn't just find redemption—they found their calling. Together, they lead KINGDOMVEST with a fierce commitment to ensure no veteran is left behind, no father stays separated from his family, and no returning citizen walks alone.
Their leadership is marked by authenticity, compassion, and an unshakable belief that Christ transforms lives. They're not running a program—they're building a movement of restored veterans who become restorers themselves.
Volunteer & Board Leadership
A growing team serving with humility, excellence, and commitment to restoration.
Andy Piper
Volunteer Transporter and Transport Coordinator
John Hickerson
Volunteer Transporter
Melissa Kingry (COL)
Community Outreach Lead
Matt Wright (DMVI)
Director of Military & Veteran Integration
Darcy Peterson (DFIP)
Director - Faith & Institutional Partnerships
Andrew Grieb
Board Member