MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

Funso Olufade, PhD, MBA

Somerset Hills YMCA

Meet Funso Olufade, PhD, MBA. Funso and his family have been members of the Somerset Hills Y since 2005.  Before his more than one-hour commute to his office in Princeton as a healthcare finance leader and pharmaceutical executive, Funso heads to the Somerset Hills Y to join what he calls the 5 am crew to get in a workout. “I have met some very interesting and intelligent people over the years during this early hour,” he says. “There is just a certain type of person that gets up before dawn to get their day started. I not only enjoy what an early workout gives me physically but what it does for me mentally, and the conversations I find myself in before sunrise with other members sets the tone for my day.”

Funso was born in West Africa and spent a good portion of his formative years with his grandparents before joining his family in the US at the age of six and settling in Union, NJ. His interest in healthcare came from his father’s early work as a Professor of Medicine working for various colleges in the US. 

He says he was fortunate to have lived on three continents over the years – Africa, Europe, and North America – which opened his eyes to the disparities in healthcare around the world and is why he founded Devoted Skies in 2019, a not-for-profit organization that provides medical resources to globally underserved communities. 

If his work as a healthcare executive and founder of a not-for-profit was not enough to fill his days, Funso is also the co-chair of The American College of Healthcare Executive of NJ and Treasurer for the Somerset Hills Mountaineers as well as one of their football coaches. 

When talking with Funso about his work with the Somerset Hills Mountaineers he says, “It’s not just about the game of football, it’s about what these young people learn in the process. Sports as in life is all about discipline — teaching our youth about skills also requires developing the right temperament; how to show up, sportsmanship, respect, and teamwork.” All skills he learned as a cadet in the U.S. Army  – Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).

It has been a pleasure getting to know Funso from my own early morning routine over the past couple of years; and if you find yourself at the Somerset Hills Y before the sun rises, I encourage you to stop and say hello.