Meet the Founders
Kalin Gouli, Co-Founder and Ministry Leader
Kalin Gouli is a faith-driven entrepreneur, business leader, and minister whose life and work are grounded in a commitment to advancing the Kingdom of God and creating meaningful impact in the lives of others.
Originally from Côte d’Ivoire, where he was raised, Kalin's Christian faith has been a defining influence in his life, shaping his values, character, and approach to leadership. He believes that purpose extends beyond personal achievement and that every opportunity, relationship, and endeavor presents an opportunity to reflect God's light and make a lasting difference. With a diverse professional background spanning human resources, interpretation, agriculture, and international sales and trade, Kalin brings a broad perspective to business, cross-cultural relationships, and community development. His experience in commercial activities across Africa has cultivated a strong interest in entrepreneurship, investment, and building meaningful economic bridges between Africa and the United States.
As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ChosenLight, Kalin helps lead the organization's vision of connecting purpose, enterprise, faith, and meaningful impact. Through Chosen Light Impact, he also leads the ministry's evangelical efforts, sharing the Gospel, encouraging spiritual growth, and creating opportunities for people to experience the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
His approach to ministry is rooted in the conviction that faith should extend beyond the walls of a church and be reflected in how we live, serve, love, and influence the world around us. He is passionate about bringing the light of Christ into everyday communities and believes that genuine leadership carries a responsibility to recognize potential, create value, and positively influence the lives of others. Whether through business, ministry, mentorship, or outreach, Kalin remains committed to living out his calling with intention and purpose. His guiding conviction is to live chosen, walk in purpose, and illuminate every place and life he is called to reach.
Ja’La Brown, Co-Founder and Chief of Staff
At the heart of everything Ja'La Brown does is a simple conviction: every person carries God-given worth and purpose, and the world changes when people are equipped to recognize their value and walk boldly in their calling. Originally from Alabama, Ja'La's faith and commitment to serving others have shaped her vision for creating opportunities that inspire growth, cultivate purpose, and bring meaningful change to individuals, families, and communities.
As Co-Founder and Chief of Staff of ChosenLight, Ja'La helps translate the organization's vision into action, bringing together strategic thinking, operational leadership, and a passion for people. With a professional background in engineering and cross-functional leadership, she has developed a strong ability to navigate complexity, build effective systems, connect people and ideas, and turn ambitious visions into practical, sustainable outcomes. She holds an MBA in Finance and Business Analytics from the University of Illinois Chicago and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tuskegee University. Beyond her professional experience, Ja'La's passion for mentorship, youth development, and community engagement has reinforced her belief in the transformative power of investing in people. She is particularly drawn to the work behind building organizations that function with intention, developing processes that support growth, and creating environments where people are empowered to contribute their gifts and reach their potential. Her interests span organizational strategy, operations, business development, entrepreneurship, education, and community impact.
Her commitment to ChosenLight is rooted in the belief that advancing the Kingdom of God extends beyond words and is reflected in how we serve, lead, create, and care for others. Through Chosen Light Impact, she supports a mission centered on compassionate service, mentorship, outreach, and equipping individuals and communities to move forward with dignity, confidence, and purpose. Ja'La believes that meaningful impact requires both vision and action: the heart to recognize what is possible and the discipline to build what is necessary to make it happen. She is passionate about helping create something that extends beyond the present, cultivating opportunities and building a foundation that can positively influence generations to come.
Her guiding conviction is that when people recognize their God-given worth, are equipped with the right opportunities, and are encouraged to walk in purpose, their light has the power to transform everything around them.
Let’s Work Together
The ChosenLight Leadership Team is available for seminars, workshops, speaking engagements, and more. To partner with us or book a session, please complete the form below, and a member of our team will be in touch.