President's Council

Jerry Barker is the Founder/CEO of Novex Innovations, LLC, a contract development and manufacturing company located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, focusing on biologics, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Prior to forming Novex, Jerry was Founder/CEO of Ocular Systems, Inc., the first company to redefine the way to prepare and process human cornea tissue for endothelial keratoplasty.

Jerry holds a B.S. in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry from University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. He holds a certification as an EBAA Certified Eye Bank Technician and has completed the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership. He was a distinguished finalist for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and has received numerous awards and recognition in the medical innovation arena.

Jerry serves on the North Carolina Biotech Advisory Committee for the Piedmont Triad Region and is a Life Member of Gretna Fire and Rescue, where he is a certified EMT and firefighter. Jerry is an active member of White Oak Worship Center. In his free time, he spends time with his wife Ashley and works on his cattle farm in Gretna, Virginia.

Matthew Brannock is a Martinsville, Virginia, native who returned to the area after careers in the United States Air Force and the Virginia Sate Police. Now, as the Regional Vice President for Track Operations in the NASCAR Mid-Atlantic, Matt oversees not only all event operations but also the day-to-day operations of the facilities at Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Darlington Raceway.

When not focused on NASCAR’s operations, Matt enjoys spending time with his family. Matt, and his wife of nearly 25 years, have two children – Caleb and Lyndon. The family are members of Baptist Temple Church in Reidsville, North Carolina.

Ryland Clark is a proud native of Nathalie, Virginia, with a lifelong commitment to learning and community improvement. Ryland graduated from Halifax County High School in 2005, then pursued an undergraduate degree in engineering at N.C. State University. During his time there, Ryland co-founded the first closed-circuit TV station for N.C. State students. Following graduation, he began his career in Asheboro, North Carolina, as a quality engineer at an injection molding company. Ryland returned to N.C. State to achieve his Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification, deepening his expertise in process improvement.

With a goal of bringing his skills back to southern Virginia, Ryland attended Duke University to earn a masters degree in engineering management, equipping himself to be highly competitive in the job market. Afterward, Ryland joined Hitachi Energy as the Community Relations and Engagement Manager, a role that allowed him to return home. Ryland completed his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2021 and graduated from the Lead Virginia program in 2022.

His commitment to community improvement drives Ryland to leave every place better than he found it. Since returning to Virginia in 2014, he has engaged with various local and regional community initiatives, focusing on building connections and fostering hope and opportunity. Outside of work, Ryland is actively involved in church, enjoys scuba diving, flying drones, running, and traveling. He also owns RCFlyBy, a drone services company he started in 2018.

John Edward “Jeb” Burton is a professional stock car driver, competing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He started his racing career at South Boston Speedway, where his family is known for competing, as well as at Ace Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Jeb has raced in each of NASCAR’s three national series. In his 2021 Xfinity Series feat, Jeb logged seven top-5 finishes, 16 top-10 finishes, and captured his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Jeb was born in Halifax County, Virginia, where he graduated from Halifax County High School. He is an avid outdoorsman and hunter, and is featured regularly on the Sportsman Channel on the program “Crossroads with the Burtons.”

Brandon Divers was born in Richmond, Virginia, and lived in Virginia until he graduated from Virginia Tech. Following college, he went to work for Alsco Uniforms in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a part of their Management Training Program. He worked in Utah, Colorado, and Louisiana before returning home to Virginia in 2018, all with Alsco Uniforms.

Brandon has been blessed with a wonderful wife, Jennifer, as well as two sons, Shep and Hudson. Brandon enjoys playing golf, attending NASCAR races and spending time with his family.

Lynnie Doughton is the President and Chief Steward of DRP Performance Products, Inc., an innovative manufacturer of high-performance automotive products to help win races. He has worked at DRP Performance for more than 30 years and fully surrendered the company to Jesus in 2012. He’s a numbers person who loves well-planned strategy while still being ready and willing to adjust at any moment.

Lynnie has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for 19 years and has two daughters, Piper and Hadley. He loves studying God’s Word and enjoys running marathons and ultra-marathons including the 2018 Boston Marathon. He’s a member of Franklin Heights Baptist Church, of C12 Group, and the Gideons International.

Born and raised in Java, Virginia, Stone Gregory still calls the region home – and is the 6th generation living on his family's land. After farming and logging for many years, Stone started Gregory Trucking Co., Inc in 1988, and still operates the business with his wife, Dee. The company currently consists of 25 full-time employees.

Between Stone and Dee, they have two daughters, a son, and five grandchildren. Stone attends County Line Baptist Church where he currently serves as a Deacon, and his wife, Dee, leads the music program. Stone also enjoys spending time on the farm and riding his trike.

Dennis Harris is the Central Outreach Director for Church of the Highlands with oversight of Highlands Dream Centers, Highlands Disaster Response, and Outreach Resources. He also works under the Association of Related Churches in disaster events to support, resource, and network ARC churches for coordinated response.

Dennis loves networking with churches and partners to be better together. His vision for reaching people is what drives his passion each day to make a difference through strategic and innovative ways to reach people of all walks of life.

His beautiful wife of 34 years, Kris, serves together with him. They have been serving in ministry since the day they met. In their ministry life, they have been Youth Pastors, Pastors, Missionaries, Dream Center Directors and Outreach Trainers. They have two grown kids who love Jesus and their families. In his free time, Dennis enjoys hunting, fishing, and building things.

Beth Kaura has been working and serving in the non-profit field for more than 25 years, primarily in education and faith-based entities. She currently works with the Giving University, managing daily operations, teaching, and leading small groups abroad.

Her passion in ministry is for those who have suffered abuse, relational brokenness, and have the need for spiritual healing.

Married to James for 29 years, they have one child in college.

Andy Moore is the President/CEO of Moore’s Electrical and Mechanical, Inc. He is passionate about leading the organization’s vision, mission, and core values by developing its key leaders and providing excellence in commercial, industrial electrical, and mechanical services. Moore’s Electrical and Mechanical is a full service electrical, HVAC, and plumbing contractor offering 24/7 service, employing 580+ partners, and operating in four states.

Moore has worked for 24 years with Moore’s and has risen through the company after starting as a HVAC Technician. His most important achievement thus far is the growing company culture of caring, servant leadership, giving back, and ministry. Moore’s spends time and resources daily through internal and external programs, striving to be good stewards of the business they have been entrusted with, as they believe it belongs to God 100-percent.

Tony Nunley has worked at Coca-Cola Consolidated for more than 25 years. Three years ago, he was asked to develop and manage the Coca-Cola Rapid Response Team and says it is a blessing to live out his calling of “serving in a time of need.” The team serves teammates and partners in the community, as well as working alongside many organizations with the same passion to serve others.

Tony was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and now lives on a farm in Moneta, Virginia, with his wife of 25 years. He is a Born-Again Believer and servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. He and his wife are members of Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Peyton Sellers is known in the Danville,Virginia community as an accomplished racecar driver, but he is also the third generation to oversee his family’s grading and excavating business. Peyton has won the 2005 and 2021 national championship of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. He also won the Southeast Region and Virginia start titles, as well as track championships at South Boston Speedway and Dominion Raceway.

Peyton started his race career in karting at age seven. By age 13, he was driving open wheel sprint cars, with 11 feature wins in his first 20 races. He competed at South Boston Speedway in Virginia as a rookie in 2002, winning Rookie of the Year in the Late Model Stock Car Division and winning 14 of 16 starts there in 2005.

With many racing wins to his credit, Sellers also works alongside his family to grow Sellers Brothers Construction and Sellers Racing. Peyton and his wife, Jennie, have been married since 2012 and recently welcomed their first daughter into the world. They live in the Ringgold, Virginia, area and are active members at HOPE Church in Danville.

Mike Taylor was first elected as Pittsylvania County Sheriff in 2007, following his work as a deputy, investigator, chief investigator, and lieutenant. Mike is a 1983 graduate from Danville Community College, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Longwood University, and graduated from the Sorenson’s Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

He graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy. In 2017, Mike received the Alice H. Overby Award from Chatham Hall, and in 2018 he received certification through the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center of Public Policy for his advancement of public safety as a profession in law enforcement.

Mike is married to his wife Becky. They have two sons and two daughters-in-law, as well as four grandchildren. Mike serves as a member and deacon of Saint Mark Church in Danville. He is also a member of the Kentuck Fire Department, on the Board of Directors for Boys and Girls Club of Danville and Pittsylvania County, is a member of the Gideons International, and of the Masonic Lodge in Blairs.

Kari Wagner is a journalist, author, and philanthropist. The mother of two attributes her professions to her hometown spirit. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky where people took care of one another to not only survive but thrive. Helping people and storytelling were two key components of her life. Her podcast, Kari The Light, focuses on positive things to brighten your day and light up the world around you. She meets ordinary people doing extraordinary things and discovers how you can change the world.

Since graduating college, Kari has worked in television news across the U.S., traveled the world, and interviewed world leaders. Kari has also lit the capitol of Tennessee pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, organized the Big Hug to spread kindness worldwide, created the America 4 Boston Prayer Canvas to display unity and support after the Boston bombing, and responded to natural disasters in multiple states.

Tonja Ward is passionate about serving, producing, and underwriting community outreach events for non-profit organizations, working with faith-based media, and encouraging youth character development through sports and Christian music. She began her current position at PraiseLive in 2020, directing strategic partnerships, and working to advance the ministry's growth and expansion locally and globally with the African staff and affiliate stations. Additionally, she hosts the weekend morning show for the PraiseLive network of stations in the Midwest and across Africa.

Tonja previously served as Director of Promotions and Outreach at KSBJ Radio in Houston and has helped station leadership with fundraising and marketing at WOW 90.9 in Florida, as well as serving as the midday host.

She is a candidate for the Master's in Digital Media Management degree at the University of Southern California, has a bachelor's degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, and a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. She is a longtime youth ministry teacher and worship leader and serves on numerous boards.

Tonja and her husband founded the Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation through which she has produced Christian music events, sports camps, and youth character development programs. She was the 2022 recipient of the New York-based Determined to Educate, Inc. Light-Bearer Award.

Tonja and her husband, Charlie have been married for 27 years, live in Florida, and are the proud parents of Caleb, Hope, and Joshua.