About Us.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
Isaiah 43:2
Elliot’s Story
Elliot was diagnosed at age 7 with an Inherited Retinal Dystrophy (IRD) called Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) with the RDH12 mutation, causing low vision and blindness. The path that led to this blinding diagnosis was not only long and difficult, but life changing. LCA is the most common cause of inherited blindness in childhood.
In pursuit of raising a child in the sighted world along with the preparations of being non-sighted, Elliot’s parents established Focus Ahead to bring awareness and advocacy to our community for those living with visual impairments and blindness. Blindness does not mean an inability, but an ability to do things in other ways not seen.
Board of Directors
Allison Wolf
Executive Director and Board Member
Clint Wolf
President and Board Member
Clint and Allison are the parents of four amazing children-Julia, Jack, Mary, and Elliot. Clint is a Sales Engineer with Trane Company and Allison is a Registered Nurse Case Manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. They were born and raised in North Dakota and have been married since 2001. As a family, they love time at the lake or traveling to a sunny beach destination. Elliot’s vision loss has taught them to appreciate the sunrises and sunsets, and often the overlooked beauty of our world that is taken for granted when you have your eyesight. Along with the support of their family and friends, Clint and Allison created this organization to bring community awareness and education on Inherited Retinal Dystrophies as they advocate for Elliot and others in a world made for sighted people. Through the journey of Elliot’s sight loss, they desire to change the perception of blindness and teach others that the best things in life aren’t necessarily seen.
Bill Huber
Vice President, Treasurer, and Board Member
Bill is a Territory Sales Representative for Bayer Built Wood Works, Inc. Bill lives in Reiles Acres, North Dakota. He has been married to his lovely wife Jennifer for 24 years, and together they have two adult children and a freshman in high school who are all close to Elliot. As Elliot’s Godfather, Bill has known Elliot since the day he was born and looks forward to helping bring awareness to this disease.
Katie Dukart
Secretary and Board Member
Katie is an experienced marketing, development and communications leader of more than twenty years who is passionate about servant leadership, collaboration and cooperation for the unified goal of mission advancement. She has served on multiple boards in the community and has devoted the majority of her professional career to consulting and contracting with the non-profit sector. Katie is married to Eric, and they have three children together — Joey, Bella, and Charlie. As a family they love to travel and spend time together at the lake.
Tammy Linn
Board Member
Tammy Linn, M.Ed, is a mom, wife, business professional, educator, and community servant. She and her husband of almost 42 years are parents to Alex (28), Austin (24), and Andrew (21). She spent 25+ years in business, followed up with working for the Governor of Arizona and the Superintendent of the Arizona Department of Education where she started the first free comprehensive character education program in the United States. However, she is most proud of her decades of volunteer and community service work. Tammy served in hands-on and executive positions for dozen of not-for-profit organizations, including the Junior League of Phoenix, the Ronald McDonald House in Phoenix, and the Arizona Character Foundation. In 2009, Tammy lost her sight in one eye, and lost sight in the other eye in 2022. This was caused by a rare auto-immune disease. She is hopeful that she will regain some sight in one eye in the future. However, this experience has taught her much about dealing with blindness and never giving up hope.
Dr Ryan Capouch
Board Member
Dr. Ryan Capouch is the founder and optometrist of Lumen Vision in Fargo, ND. He graduated from the University of Mary in Bismarck with a degree in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Theology, and completed his doctorate at the Arizona College of Optometry and worked in several clinics focused in family practice and pediatric optometry. While completing his training, Dr. Capouch found his passion for developmental optometry, a branch of eye care that treats school-aged children, athletes, and brain injury patients. His desire to help patients meet their potential, alongside the increasing demand for his unique approach to vision therapy, led to the creation of Lumen Vision. Dr. Capouch is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor for the Arizona College of Optometry, and provides educational training at Lumen Vision for fourth-year optometry students. He has conducted eye-related research in the fields of pediatrics, women’s health, and skin disorders. Additionally, Dr. Capouch serves on the advisory panel for Our Visual Brain, one of the world’s most cutting-edge vision therapy software platforms.
Jenna Burgad
Board Member
Jenna is from the small town of Linton, North Dakota. There, Jenna lives on a farm with her husband and their beautiful 9-month-old son who is affected by Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). Jenna is a teacher and has a passion for helping others. It is her hope that through this organization that change can be inspired for the Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) community.