Bill grew up in San Antonio, Texas, the third of four sons. His dad loved to hunt and fish, so Bill spent much of his early years outdoors.
After receiving a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin, Bill served 20 years in the food packaging industry. His positions included: Plant Manager, Regional Manufacturing Manager, and Director of Strategic Planning. As Vice President of Manufacturing for Amoco Foam Products Company, Bill managed 11 plants and 1,400 employees. He then served five years as Vice President of Operations for PRIDE Enterprises, a not-for-profit company that manages the prison industries throughout the State of Florida, where he managed six operating divisions.
Since leaving the corporate world, Bill has founded and operated two small businesses. Window Savers provided window repair and replacement services in north Atlanta. Freeman Mediation Services provides conflict coaching, mediation, and reconciliation services.
Since 1999, Bill has been registered as a General Mediator, a Domestic Relation Mediator, and an Arbitrator with the State of Georgia. He has received significant training in Biblical reconciliation, conflict coaching, and mediation from Peacemaker Ministries, and since 2002 has been registered as a Certified Christian Conciliator with the Institute of Christian Conciliators. In 2013, Bill was certified as a coach, trainer, and public speaker by the John Maxwell Team.
Bill has balanced his career responsibilities with a strong commitment to his family and his faith. Bill and his wife Sandy have been married for 45 years, have raised six children, and currently have eleven grandchildren. Bill enjoys playing an active role in each of their lives. He has served as an Elder at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA and currently serves as an Elder at Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, GA.
Philip grew up in Guilford College, North Carolina, a small college town later swallowed up by Greensboro where he was the youngest of four siblings. His childhood days were filled with roller bat, hide and seek, Cowboys and Indians, and Little League baseball in a town where everyone literally knew everybody else. Philip and his siblings all worked their first jobs in their Dad’s Rexall Drug Store. Those old enough will no doubt remember such outposts of civility, the kind with the “Soda Fountain” in back where everyone gathered to eat and greet.
Philip later graduated from Appalachian State University (BA in Psychology/ Philosophy & Religion); Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.Div.); and The Graduate Theological Foundation (D.Min. In Pastoral Counseling).
Philip served in Pastoral Ministry (eleven years) and Pregnancy Care Center Ministry (six years) before completing an internship and residency in Clinical Pastoral Education (2,300 hours). He also served as an Intern in a Chemical Dependency Intensive Outpatient Program and has received significant training through PeaceMaker Ministries in conflict resolution and mediation. Since 2004 his calling has been focused on Hospital Chaplaincy, Community Mental Health, and more recently as a Hospice Chaplain and Bereavement Counselor (nine years) in a large non-profit Hospice in NC.
Philip and his wife, Laure moved to the Atlanta area in 2016 and opened their own business, Work As Worship, Inc. Laure serves as a C12 Chair and trains owners and C-level leaders who meet once a month all day in peer advisory groups focused on best business practices and faith integrated principles. Philip offers counseling focused on Grief & Loss, Illness & Caregiver Support, Career Assessment and Transition, Pre-Marital and Marital Education, Divorce Recovery, Conflict Resolution, Depression and Anxiety.
Philip & Laure have been married for sixteen years after both having been on the receiving ends of heartbreaking divorces. They have learned much on their journey about grace and forgiveness. They are members of Perimeter Church in John’s Creek where they lead a Connect Group in their home and mentor couples through the Right Start pre-marital ministry.
Their three children (Ryan, Aaron & Caitlin) bring great joy to their hearts because in spite of going through the difficulties of divorce, they have grown up to become wonderful followers of Christ and are all married to believers (Annie, Jessi, and Andrew). Laure and Philip celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, Margaux Jayne last year.
JEFF PETTY – Lead Chaplain • Raleigh, NC
Jeff grew up going to the circus with his brother Bruce. He’s the guy at the top of the page. Also sharing a love for baseball they played on the same Little League team. They still play catch, only now they stand closer together. Jeff’s favorite food group is peanut butter, which he spreads on almost everything.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts from Lincoln Christian University he pursued his first love, the newspaper business, working for two major metropolitan newspapers. Building on this experience Jeff became a print broker successfully owning and operating Creator’s Ink.
In God’s providence, Jeff was prompted to change career paths. Born from his own experience of emotional loss and personal setback the desire of his heart became to help others find help and hope.
He went back to school, graduating from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, with a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling. Upon completion, he established a private practice, Right Choices Counseling. His life experience, education, and training have uniquely prepared him as an effective marriage and family counselor in Raleigh-Durham NC, and Lead Chaplain for businesses and organizations therein.
Jeff is married to Cindy, his bride of nearly 20 years. As a cancer research scientist, he credits her for being the beauty and brains of the family. Eight years ago by God’s grace, they adopted a little blonde hair blue-eyed girl, Megan. Her favorite place to be is atop a horse. She rides often, takes part in two 4-H groups, and is fast becoming quite the equestrian. The Petty’s are also crazy about their German Shepherds, which they affectionately call, “The Girls”.
RUSSELL WHITE – Lead Chaplain
Russell White grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and has lived in the Southeast all of his life except for a few years in Aspen, Colorado. His friends and family called this brief time, “Getting it out of his system.” He has a degree from Georgia Southern University in Journalism and Public Relations.
For the past 20 years, he has enjoyed a parallel career in Sales, Marketing, and Ministry. He has served as Associate Pastor of a large non-denominational church in South Georgia as well as Director of a Family Counseling center and Child Protection Specialist for the Department of Family and Children Services.
Russell has two amazing daughters, a son-in-law, and a grandson that already reminds him way too much of himself (a little scary.)
He is proud to be a member of the team with “Today’s Chaplain.” In the words of Bruce Petty – his boss, his mentor, and his good friend, “Russell has proven experience. He effectively provides invaluable support to business owners caring for their most valuable asset – their employees. I’m excited to have him on our team.
Bruce grew up going to the circus. His hometown of Peru, Indiana is known as the Circus City Capital of the World as several famous circuses including Ringling Brothers made it their winter home. He went to school with the grandson of Emmitt Kelly the famous hobo clown known as “Weary Willie”.
Jeff is a Staff Chaplain for Today’s Chaplain, a corporate chaplain agency whose mission is serving the needs of a company’s most valuable asset, their employee.