The Seed Company™ - Accelerated Bible Translation

J. Todd Peterson, Chairman

Todd, an entrepreneur and 13-year veteran of the National Football League from 1993-2006, is chairman of the board of Pro Athletes Outreach. During his NFL career he served six years on the NFL Players Association Board of Player Representatives. Todd has also served on the boards for Passion Conferences, Giving Wisely and Young Life’s Malibu Yacht Charters, a for-profit venture. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in banking and finance from the University of Georgia in 1993 and was a GTE Academic All-American in 1992. He and his wife, Susan, live in Johns Creek, Georgia. They have two children.

Michael Stoltzfus, Vice Chairman

Michael is president and CEO of Dynamic Aviation, where he has worked since 1990. He serves on the board of Young Life Committee Harrisonburg/Rockingham County and the executive committee of the Young Presidents organization, U.S. Capital Chapter and has formerly served on the board of the Bridgewater Retirement Community Foundation. He is also an experienced pilot with 5,000 hours of flight time. Michael attended Eastern Mennonite University and is an alumnus of the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They have two children.

Jason S. Baker

Jason is a retail broker in Houston, with more than 15 years’ experience serving companies that include Best Buy, OfficeMax, Citigroup, FedEx and Sears. He and his partner, Kenneth Katz, have also purchased/built more than 30 properties in the Greater Houston area. Jason has served as president of X Team International, an alliance of 150 real estate advisors in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and has served on the boards of Boys and Girls Country and CCIM/Gulf Coast Chapter. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Jason and his wife, Susannah, live in Houston with their three young daughters.

Rick Britton

Rick is owner and president and Digital Monitoring Products (DMP). The company manufactures network and cellular alarm communication devices. DMP continues to grow, in both personnel and productivity, under Rick’s able leadership. In addition to his responsibilities with the company, Rick serves on the finance board of his church, Graceway (formerly Kansas City Baptist Temple). He is also a consultant on the church’s expansion projects. Rick and his wife, Jan, live in Leawood, Kansas. They have two adult children.

Jeffrey W. Brown, Chairman of Advancement Committee

Jeff is a partner in Skanska HealthRealty, a health care, medical facility real estate development company with offices in Tennessee and Texas. He has worked as a private practice attorney, as executive director of investments for Cox Communications, as senior vice president of strategy and development for Aptiv Digital, and has served on many boards. Jeff has a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and accounting from the University of Houston and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from South Texas College of Law. He and his wife, Ginny, live in Bryan, Texas. They have two children.

Freddy Boswell

Freddy is the executive director of SIL International and has served both as a linguist and translation advisor to the Cheke Holo language group, Solomon Islands, and also in other international leadership roles with SIL and Wycliffe. He serves on the board of Oral Roberts University and the Wycliffe USA president’s council. Freddy received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in biblical studies from ORU and is a doctoral candidate in linguistics from Vrije University of Amsterdam. He and his wife, Bekah, live in Dallas. They have three adult children.

Samuel Chiang

Samuel is executive director of International Orality Network, which includes many organizations that use oral strategies to make God’s Word available globally to unreached people. Samuel, who writes and speaks on orality, was ordained at The Peoples Church in Toronto and has served with the Church in China. He was chief operating officer of Trans World Radio from 2002-2008. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Roberta, live in Hong Kong. They have three adult children.

Bob Creson

Bob is president of Wycliffe USA, the largest interdenominational sending agency in the world. He serves on the boards of SIL International, Wycliffe Global Alliance, and Crisis Consulting International. Bob graduated from Pepperdine University with a teaching credential and a Bachelor of Arts in political science/government. He also attended California Lutheran College for graduate studies. He and his wife, Dallas, live in Orlando. They have four adult children.

Lisa Cummins

Lisa is the president of Urban Strategies LLC, a company focused on connecting and resourcing faith and community-based organizations to effect change among communities in need. Her work includes program design and implementation of programs for at-risk youth, strengthening marriages and families, early childhood development, and adoption. Prior to founding Urban Strategies, Lisa served in the White House Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Before that, Lisa served as senior vice president of community development for Bank of America. Lisa and her family reside in Washington, D.C.

Jeff Johns

As senior vice president of the National Christian Foundation, Jeff serves 24 local affiliates who, together with the national office, have granted more than $2.5 billion to churches and affiliates worldwide. He provides strategic direction and support to these local offices. Formerly, Jeff worked as a management and strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies. He is a member of the board of Tijeras Foundation and The Gathering, where he helps families train their children in the art of giving. Jeff and his wife, Jacqlyn, live in Albuquerque. They have a son and daughter.

Bill Williams

Bill is the CEO of National Christian Foundation and spent 33 years with BellSouth, most recently as the vice president of its Technology Group. He serves as the chairman of the board of Georgia Technology Authority. Bill received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University. He is a senior executive fellow of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bill and his wife, Regina, live in Cumming, Georgia. They have three adult children.

Joyce Williams

Joyce has more than 25 years’ cumulative board governance experience with Cornerstone Trust, The Gathering, and Gull Lake Ministries. Involvement in development work has offered her the opportunity for extensive international travel. For more than 10 years, Joyce worked as a staff member with Young Life and volunteered on its local committees. Joyce and her husband, Ron Williams, live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have four grown children and two grandchildren.

Past Leadership

Bernie May, Founder

Bernie is the founder of The Seed Company and an advisor to the Wycliffe family of organizations. He began his missions career as a pilot in South America, where he served for 16 years. Later, he served five years as president of JAARS, a Wycliffe-affiliated technical organization, and 12 years as president of Wycliffe USA. In 1982 Bernie launched the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project, Wycliffe’s intercessory prayer effort. In 1993 he founded The Seed Company as a Wycliffe initiative to connect investors with national-led translation projects. Bernie and wife, Marian, live in Fort Mill, South Carolina. They have five children.

Peter M. Ochs, Founding Chairman

Peter is chairman of TFC Holdings LLC, a residential real estate development company founded in 1981 with operations in California, Utah and Texas. He currently serves on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations including Prison Fellowship Ministries. Peter is a past board chair of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the founding chairman of The Seed Company. Peter and his wife, Gail, are co-founders of First Fruit Inc., a private charitable foundation which works with Christian agencies throughout the developing world. They live in Corona del Mar, California. They have four children.

Board Alumni