Men of Valor is also supported by an Advisory Board, made up of successful community leaders who give generously of their time and talents.

They are:

Nashville Advisory Board

Mike Baas has been with Houchens Insurance Group for 25 years starting as an intern in 1997 while finishing his B.A. in Finance from Western Kentucky University.  He currently serves as President of HIG’s Southern Region which includes four offices in KY & TN.  HIG was recently ranked #5 in the country for Best Places to Work in the insurance industry and is also 100% employee owned. 

Mike and Stephanie have been married for 18 years and have two sons, Will (14) and Ben (13).  They reside in Brentwood and spend most of their time at soccer games, playing golf as a family, or on the lake.  They attend Holy Family Catholic Church and Mike also serves on the Board of Directors for Nashville Rescue Mission.

Jonathan Barnes has spent the past two decades in business leadership, developing strategy, curating winning cultures, managing effective teams, and executing high-growth plans successfully. After launching and leading an Inc. 500 company in the healthcare technology staffing space, Jonathan started Work Heartily, a fractional executive firm that helps business grow. He and his wife have been married for 21 years and have six children.

Jeb earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Belmont University. He currently serves as the Managing Director, Federal and Local Partnership Development for CoreCivic.

He also serves as a Board Member for Easter seals, Fight DMD, Trustees Member at Franklin Road Academy, Nashville Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition among others.

Runcie Clements is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Cumberland Trust and Investment Company. Mr. Clements has been with Cumberland Trust for nearly 20 years and advises the company on trust and estate administration, special assets administration, fiduciary compliance and corporate governance matters.

Prior to joining Cumberland Trust, Runcie was the Charitable Giving Counsel for the American Cancer Society where he advised nationwide staff on legal and tax issues in the areas of planned giving, outright gifts, and other charitable giving arrangements. He has also worked in a private legal practice in the areas of estate planning, taxation, real estate, and general business.

Runcie is a graduate of Baylor University with a B.B.A. in Accounting. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University.  Runcie and his wife, Donna, have four children.

Brandon has been with Houchens Insurance Group as an Employee Benefits Advisor for 5 years. He guides employers through their overall benefits spend and helps clients deliver top tier benefits attract and retain talent. Brandon and his wife Sydney live in Nashville with their golden retriever Sunny. They enjoy being active outdoors, traveling, and volunteering in the community. Brandon is a member of Phoenix Club of Nashville, where he has served various roles in the organization that benefits underserved youth in and around middle TN. He also has partnered with Men of Valor, a program dedicated to disciplining men in prison and equipping them with the purpose and tools so successfully reenter society as men of integrity. He was also selected as a member of the 2022 Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

John has a BS in Accounting from Mississippi State University.

He has worked for the following companies:

IBM 1967-1971
Econocom 1971-1981
Jobs for Tennessee Graduates 1981-1982
Equity Investments 1982-1990
Community Bancshares 1990-1995
Tennessee Commissioner of Finance 1996-2000
Corrections Corp of America 2000-2016
Retired 2016-

John is married to Carole Smalley Ferguson, they have three daughters, three sons-in-law, ten grandchildren and two grand sons-in-law. He is also a member of First Presbyterian Church in Nashville.

Jameson has served as a mentor with Men of Valor for over ten years and is the Chief Operating Officer of Newport Healthcare, a leading provider of evidence-based healing centers across the U.S. for teens, young adults, and their families struggling with mental health issues.  Before his role at Newport, Jameson served as the President and CEO of Vanderbilt Behavioral Health, leading behavioral health services across the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network.  Jameson began his career serving as a U.S. Marine infantry officer and continues service in the Marine Reserves.  He lives in Nashville with his wife, Anna, and three children, Jameson (10), Claire (7), and Caroline (4).

Connor is currently the Vice President of Business Development at Ellsworth Systems, where he oversees the development and growth of Ellsworth’s business strategies and vendor relationships. He graduated from Auburn University with a BS in Finance and Entrepreneurship in 2016 and now lives in Franklin, TN with his wife Jessie. Connor is passionate about serving on the Advisory Board because Men of Valor not only helps men in prison reenter society but more importantly teaches them about Jesus Christ.

Steve has been involved with MOV for the past 10 years volunteering as a mentor, mentor coach and discipleship leader. Born and raised in Nashville, he has been married to Wendy for 36 years with three children and eight grandchildren. Steve earned a bachelor’s along with a master’s degree from Trevecca University and works as an investment advisor. He also serves on the board for Mapleridge Ranch, a Christian youth camp in Owego NY and in addition teaches Junior Achievement classes in the Metro Nashville High Schools. Since knowing Carl Carlson as a Christian mentor to him before MOV was in existence Steve appreciates the passion that continues to resonate within all involved who are serving the Kingdom in this ministry today. 

Knoxville Advisory Board

Richard has spent the last 13 years in the financial services industry and is currently a wealth advisor with TVAMP (Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners). He is a graduate of Johnson University (B.A.) and University of Arkansas-Grantham (MBA). Richard is excited about the difference MOV will make on the Knoxville community and the men that will be served.

Richard resides in the Seymour community with his wife (J.C.) and three children.

Brent N. Jones is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee.  He is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the United Air Force Reserves and an adjunct professor at Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University.  Brent was born and raised in middle Tennessee, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and received his law degree at Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.  After law school, he entered active duty in the United States Air Force for 11 1/2 years serving as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.  Since Brent is a government employee, it should be emphasized that he is participating in Men of Valor in his personal capacity and that any views expressed by Brent in his participation in Men of Valor are his personal views and not those of the Department of Justice or the Department of Defense.

For twenty years John Moudy has been with Moffit Media starting in Orlando, FL as Business Manager.  He is now General Manager of WRJZ and WETR radio stations in Knoxville, TN.  In addition, John serves on the Board of Directors of Foothills Resource Group where he oversees WKTS in Kingston, TN, WOAY radio in Oak Hill/Beckley, WV, and the Christian Resource Center in Knoxville.

John and Angela have been married for 33 years and have two daughters and three grandchildren.

Married to Caroline 18 years as of July 31, 2022. One more year and we will be married as long as Caroline was not married. (Insert cradle robbing joke here!)

Two great kids, Auguste, who is 14 going on 35, and Iris, 11 years old, 55 pounds, and packs the biggest punch of a family.

I’m a Tennessean to be sure but I had enough of a stint in Texas to pick up the accent or, as Caroline calls it, a mumble.

I work for Hackney Furniture, a domestic manufacturer of custom, hotel guestroom furniture. Before Hackney, I worked for a family office that invested in distressed assets. If it wasn’t broken, we weren’t interested. Before that I was a pastor, which could be described in much the same way as the family office.

Lisa Cole has lived in Knoxville for 14 years with her husband and three children. Before settling in Knoxville, Lisa and her family lived in Chicago, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Nashville, and Seattle.

Lisa and her husband Matt met while attending Vanderbilt University. Lisa is a Campus Pastor from Faith Promise Church and provides ministry to Morgan County Correctional Complex and Bledsoe County Correctional Complex for men and women. It was while ministering Inside prison she learned about Men of Valor. Lisa is currently a doctorate candidate, researching ways discipleship can lower recidivism. She is excited to work with Men of Valor and all the great things they provide men and their families.

Ronald started his banking career in 1994, as a management trainee with a local bank. In 2007, he joined the ORNL FCU family as a Commercial Lender. Ronald has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Business Administration. He also holds a Real Estate Affiliate Broker, real estate license. He regularly attends Knoxville Chamber and Farragut Chamber events along with other networking activities.

He is married to Trina Nesbitt, has 6 children, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is an active ordained minister at his church

Judy King is founder and principal of Quality Management Services, an organizational development and training firm based in Knoxville, TN. Since 1988, QMS has assisted clients achieve excellence by connecting people to a higher level of performance.  Leading edge and emerging organizations, from large to small in both the private and public sectors, have benefited from Judy’s expert assistance in:  Quality + Service, Leadership + Staff Development, Facilitation of Strategic Planning + Meetings.

I am a life-long Tennessean, originally from Memphis.

I have been married to my wife, Sally, for 47 years.  We have 3 married children, a son and two daughters, and nine grandchildren.

We moved to Knoxville in 1985 to work with University Cardiology at UT hospital.

Over the past 10 years, I have worked with an Aids project in Ethiopia and The Free Clinic of Knoxville.

I am looking forward to being a part of Men of Valor in Knoxville.