M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Board Leadership & Development

Meet the Team

The role of a Board Leadership & Development coach is to accompany participating organizations as these organizations identify the Top 5 Action Steps for their board and begin to execute them over 6 months following the end of training. Coaches are independent contractors for the program and are paid by the Trust. They are partnered with 2-3 organizations per cohort and customize their coaching support to each organization’s unique mission, work, challenges, and goals. In addition to preparing the organizations before the training and journeying with them through the training sessions, coaches meet virtually or in-person with organizations for coaching following the conclusion of program sessions. These tenured coaches bring years of experience as nonprofit and for-profit executive leadership, board service, and coaching/consulting of other nonprofit leadership teams. Meet our fantastic team of Board Leadership & Development coaches below!

Board Leadership & Development Coaches & Faculty

Kimberly Thornbury
Vice President, Nonprofit Leadership & Development
Dr. Kimberly Thornbury joined the Trust in 2019 after 26 years of working in private higher education. Her work has focused on college student development, strategic planning, enrollment, new media initiatives, and marketing. Her most recent work was at The King’s College in New York City. Kimberly is a nationally recognized expert in crisis management and college student success, and has spoken widely at national conferences and colleges. Her insights on leadership have been featured in publications such as Christianity Today and Christian Higher Education as well as numerous chapters included in books such as Life as Triage and Christian Leadership Essentials. Kimberly has served on both national and local nonprofit boards and has been a consultant for Christian colleges for almost 15 years. She tweets about organizational development at @kthornbury and can be reached at kimberlyt@murdocktrust.org.
Bob King
Coach & Faculty
Bob King is the founder and Principal at C.O.O. Services, LLC., which provides fractional Chief Operating Officers (C.O.O.’s) to mid-market companies and non-profits. In addition, the firm, which was started in 2008, has a retained executive search arm and consults with business owners and non-profits on exit, succession and transition planning, Bob’s specialty. Prior to starting C.O.O. Services, Bob served as President of a national manufacturing company in the office products markets He started his career at Georgia-Pacific Corporation, where he held a wide variety of managerial and leadership roles, culminating in being named Area President for a major division. Bob currently serves on the Board of Directors for three local corporations (a healthcare company, a Trust Company and a chemical manufacturer) and two non-profits (a Christian Camp and Warriors & Quiet Waters). He has a BA from Middlebury College and a Masters in Business from Emory University. Bob is a Certified Executive Coach, a Certified Management Consultant (CMC®), as well as being a Certified DISC Assessment Professional. Jeannie, his wife of 42+ years, and he, have three adult children and five grandchildren, all who live in the greater Seattle area. He tries to live by his life mission statement, The 7 F’s.
Jennifer Jukanovich
Coach & Faculty
Jennifer Jukanovich brings nearly three decades of domestic and international nonprofit leadership and board experience to her role as Managing Partner of Ambactus Global Solutions, which harnesses the power of connection to solve complex problems in governance, international development and education through trust-based solutions. She actively works with a diverse range of nonprofit clients and serves as a coach and faculty for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and a co-investigator for the internationally celebrated 2020 GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) project. She is the co-author of a forthcoming book, The Culturally Conscious Board: Setting the Boardroom Table for Impact, to be published by Berrett-Koehler in September of 2024. She served as Vice President for Student Life at Gordon College from 2013 – 2019. Prior to this, Jukanovich lived and worked in Rwanda, where her family co-founded Karisimbi Business Partners, a management consulting and private equity firm. She has also held positions as the Founder and Executive Director of The Vine, executive assistant to the president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and personal assistant to the religious liaison for the President of the United States, and as an associate with the Renaissance Weekends. She has her Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University, Master’s in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Political Studies from Gordon College. Jennifer serves on several nonprofit boards and lives with her family in the Boston area.
Russell West
Coach & Faculty
For more than 30 years — College President, Dean & Professor, Impact Strategist, Executive Coach…and even Marine Drill Instructor for Officers — West has partnered with work leaders to align efforts to impact. By profession, Russ is a certified executive performance coach, facilitating C-suite decision support for Advent Health in Tampa, Ocala, North Pinnelllas and several non-acute teams (HR, Marketing, VPs). He excels at cultivating empathic work teams that leverage their strengths for uncommon social impact. In his spare time, he learns quiet from horses, autonomy from a sailboat and whimpering through pandemic-induced yoga.
Ron King
Coach & Faculty
Ron King is a Senior Fellow at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and has extensive experience in both the business and nonprofit sectors. For twenty years, Ron served as CEO of Western Family Foods. He has also served on several nonprofit boards. He holds degrees from Washington State University and the Stanford Executive Program.
Ed McDowell
Coach & Faculty
Ed McDowell is the CEO of Warm Beach Camp Ministries. He also coaches and consults in the areas of Board Leadership and Development to bring fresh perspectives to perplexing situations. As a partner in the Alliance for Board Effectiveness, Ed believes that Boards control the bandwidth of what an organization pursues in response to its mission. He has 20+ years of experience working with Boards on issues of culture, governance, sustainability, and strategy. Ed is the author of a devotional series titled A Well-Planted Faith in an Uprooted Culture. The goal of his writing and speaking is to challenge people to have God’s word inform the way they live. Ed and his wife, Bev live on Camano Island, WA. To learn more about Ed’s consulting, or to contact him, visit: https://www.standpoint360.com.
Alec Hill
Coach & Faculty
Alec Hill is president emeritus of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA. He has also served as dean of the School of Business and Economics at Seattle Pacific University and as a Regional Director for World Relief. He holds a law degree from the University of Washington and has served on numerous boards, including Christianity Today, the World Affairs Council, and the Union Gospel Mission. Alec teaches part-time at Regent College (Canada), mentors rising leaders, and is the author of two books, Just Business: Christian Ethics in the Marketplace and Living in Bonus Time: Surviving Cancer, Finding New Purpose. He lives with his wife, Mary, in the Seattle area and is the blessed survivor of a bone marrow transplant in 2015.
Adam Edgerly
Coach
Adam Edgerly is the founder and CEO of Culture Consultants, and an interculturalist with Awaken Group. He is an intercultural specialist and gifted communicator who has led transformational workshops for thousands across five continents. With over thirty years of experience in public speaking, Adam has a unique ability to distill complex concepts into memorable principles and actions. His consulting work draws upon the latest technology in the fields of intercultural communication, behavioral science, and the neuroscience of change, along with his twenty plus years of senior executive experience, leading and training diverse teams. Adam loves learning. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Biola University, where he earned his BA and MA in Intercultural Studies, with field research in leadership and language in Mali, West Africa. He also has an MBA from Emory University, with an international exchange at the University of Manchester, and a Certificat de Langue Français from Université Paris Sorbonne (Paris IV). Adam is passionate about integrating biblical principles into life and leadership. He is the Founder of Newsong Los Angeles Covenant Church, a multicultural community committed to reconciliation in Christ. Prior to his twelve years as Lead Pastor of Newsong LA, Adam served the Evangelical Covenant Church Denomination as Associate Director of Global Evangelism, and as the Pacific Southwest Regional Director of Church Planting. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he loves spending time at the beach with his wife and daughter.
Dan Wolgemuth
Coach
Dan Wolgemuth became the 9th President of Youth For Christ USA in April of 2005. On June 1st, 2021 he officially assumed the role of President Emeritus. Before YFC Dan spent 28 years in for-profit corporate work. His corporate career included roles in financial services, manufacturing, publishing and technology consulting organizations. This included small start-up companies and large multi-national organizations like General Electric where Dan served for 8 years. Dan loves the local church and is a member of Colorado Community Church in Aurora, Colorado. Dan was elected to the Board of Trustees of Taylor University in 2006. In addition, Dan has written extensively. He currently writes a weekly devotional piece called “Friday Fragments”. It is posted on Dan’s blog site: www.FridayFragments.com. Dan has published three books: The Monday Memo.Com in 2000, Fragments in 2010, and Give Life in 2014. Dan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Huntington University on May 12, 2012. Dan and Mary have three married children and eleven grandchildren, all living in the Denver, CO metro area.
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