Officers and Board of Directors
Officers
Greg Pruett, PhD
President, Pioneer Bible Translators; Author, Extreme Prayer
Jeff Wilhoit
Executive Vice President, Pioneer Bible Translators
JR Bucklew
Chief Advancement Officer, Pioneer Bible Translators
Scott Graves
Personnel Officer, Pioneer Bible Translators
Anthony Parker, PhD
Global Partnerships Officer, Pioneer Bible Translators
Clare Smitham
Chief Legal Officer, Pioneer Bible Translators
Clint Stringer
Chief Financial Officer, Pioneer Bible Translators
Brad Willits, PhD
Field Ministries Officer, Pioneer Bible Translators
Board Members
Mike Chambers, PhD
Acting Chairman of the Board
Mike joined the Board of Directors in 1994. He holds a B.A. in Missions from Lincoln Christian College, M.A. and M.Div. degrees from Lincoln Christian Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Ancient Philosophy from Warnborough University. Dr. Chambers first learned about Pioneer Bible from Rondal Smith, President Emeritus. He was compelled to be part of the board due to his interest in missions and biblical languages.
Janet Hayes
Corporate Secretary
Janet joined the Board of Directors in 1985. She holds a master’s degree from Johnson Bible College. She currently works for Home Healthcare in Tyler, TX.
Dick Jorgensen
Corporate Treasurer
Dick joined the Board of Directors in 1982. He holds a B.A. from Lincoln Christian College and a B.D. from Lincoln Christian Seminary. Dick has served as a minister for several churches and an administrator for various Christian colleges.
Greg Pruett, PhD
President, Pioneer Bible Translators
Greg Pruett has been President of Pioneer Bible Translators since January 2007. He and his wife Rebecca, along with their three children, lived in West Africa for more than 12 years, where they completed a translation of the entire Bible into the Yalunka language. Greg holds a Masters and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. Tyndale House published Greg’s first book, Extreme Prayer: The Impossible Prayers God Promises to Answer, in 2014.
Mike Armstrong
Board Member
Mike joined the Board of Directors in 2015. He holds a B.A. in New Testament Theology from Ozark Christian College and a M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Arkansas. He has worked primarily in campus ministry, including serving three terms as President of the Association of College Ministries. He admires Pioneer Bible’s “vision and commitment of the ministry and those who have given themselves to its purpose” and believes that this vision intersects with his life’s work.
Bill Bourland
Board Member
Bill joined the Board of Directors in 2008. He holds a B.S. in Mass Communication and Business from Abilene Christian University. He has spent his career in broadcasting, marketing, and as a video writer and producer. Bill wanted to be part of the board due to his passion for Pioneer Bible’s mission as well as his personal connection to several staff members.
Jerry Chubb
Board Member
Clif Davis
Board Member
Tom Ewald, PhD
Board Member
Tom joined the Board of Directors in 1984. He holds a B.A. from Lincoln Christian College, M.A. and M.Div. degrees from Lincoln Christian Seminary, and a M.S. in Educational Psychology from Indiana University. Upon his retirement from teaching career in 2010, he was granted a D.Div. from Lincoln Christian University. Dr. Ewald joined the board because he was impressed with Pioneer Bible’s commitment to “work on the cutting edge of world evangelism.”
Doyle Jennings
Board Member
Doyle joined the Board of Directors in 2014. He holds degrees in physics and mathematics from Abilene Christian University. Doyle has worked for Unysis and Oak Hills Church, where he oversaw technology and facility management.
Susan Jennings, PhD
Board Member
Susan joined the Board of Directors in 2014. She holds a B.A. from UTSA, a M.A. from Trinity University, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Texas. Dr. Jennings has served as a licensed psychologist for over 30 years.
Patricia Magness, PhD
Board Member
Pat joined the Board of Directors in 1987. She holds a B.A. in English from Milligan, a M.A. in English from Vanderbilt in English, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies from Emory. She taught at numerous schools and colleges in her career. Dr. Magness joined the board with “the desire that people have Scripture in their own heart language, their own mother tongue.”
Jonathan Ott
Board Member
Jonathan joined the Board of Directors in 2018. He and his wife Stephanie have been married twenty-two years and have two children: daughter Elise and son Ian. His favorite verses are Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 1:29. Jonathan currently serves on the deacon board at Faith Bible Church in DeSoto, Texas, with Stephanie in their AWANA program, and in Bible Study Fellowship’s children’s program. After graduating from Texas A&M University, Jonathan’s work experience was in IT management until returning to his family’s electronics contract manufacturing business. After hours, Jonathan enjoys remodeling, spending time outdoors, tech, and listening to audiobooks.
Bridget Schnautz
Board Member
Bridget joined the Board of Directors in 1997. She holds a B.A. from Lincoln Christian University and has worked primarily in human resources. Bridget wanted to be part of the board because “Pioneer Bible’s mission has always been at the very heart of what God expects of us and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Jack Straus
Board Member
Paul Turner
Board Member
Paul joined the board in November of 2020 after having been a friend of PBT for nearly 20 years. Through personal relationships with institutions such as Atlanta Christian College (Point University), Milligan College, Savannah Christian Church, and Compass Christian Church, he learned of the work being done by PBT and became personally involved through Compass. Paul holds a Business Management degree from Berry College, and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. He has worked in the Mortgage Industry with two major banks for over 25 years. Paul has been married to his wife Jennifer since 2002. They have a son, Alexander (Xander).
Our Mission
Pioneer Bible Translators exists to disciple the Bibleless, mobilizing God’s people to provide enduring access to God’s Word.