Westar names Interim Executive Director

—February 2010     

The Board of Directors elected Chuck Jones as its new Interim Executive Director of Westar Institute on January 20. Chuck succeeds Charlene Matejovsky, who moved into part-time status with Westar and Polebridge Press in October 2009.

Chuck is the founder and chief executive officer of NonProfit Communication Strategies in Atlanta, Georgia. He brings a broad range of experiences to the position, having been a minister, the executive direc­tor of a not-for-profit agency, and a marketing executive with two Fortune 500 Companies—Arthur Andersen and KPMG—and for a major Atlanta law firm. In addition Chuck served as Public Relations Director at Freebairn & Company, an Atlanta advertising firm.

“Chuck is a perfect appointment for us at this impor­tant time in the organization’s life,” said Board President Andy Scrimgeour. “He brings a wonderful skill set, particu­larly in the areas of marketing, public relations and strate­gic planning. He obviously knows brand management, and Chuck considers the Jesus Seminar one of the strongest brands in the religious marketplace.

“In this year when we will be celebrating our 25th anni­versary, while also bringing out perhaps our biggest book in a decade—the scholar’s translation of the letters of Paul—we felt Chuck’s leadership could be sensational. We were also pleased to be able to find someone with a good understanding of the workings of Westar. He has been an Associate for a decade, and has attended a number of Jesus Seminars on the Road and semi-annual meetings. In fact, he is hosting a JSOR at his wife’s church in Atlanta this spring.”

“Another area of strength for Chuck is fund raising. In his consulting work, he served on the board and helped establish the development function and oversaw the fund-raising staff for a number of years at the O’More College of Design in Nashville, Tennessee,” added Bronson Davis, Westar board member who chaired the search committee. “This experience will help us in the final two years of the Campaign for Westar.”

“Chuck will work in this role for a minimum of one year,” explained Bronson. “We believe that the strategic and marketing issues he will address will strengthen Westar as an advocate for religious literacy, and will position us well for our eventual search for a permanent director.”

Chuck has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Freed-Hardeman University, and a Master of Arts in Religion from Harding University Graduate School of Religion. He is married to the Reverend Erin Reed Cooper, associate minister of the Sandy Springs Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ) in Atlanta. Between them they have four children Seth, Lauren, Olivia and Oskar.