LEADERSHIP
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Joe Pryor
President/CEO
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JR DeGroot
Vice President of Major Initiatives
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Allis Gilbert
Vice President of Advancement
Joe Pryor
President/CEO
Joe Pryor became the president and CEO of Crossroads Prison Ministries in February 2022.
Joe has dedicated much of his professional career to prison ministry. He joins Crossroads with thirty years of experience in corrections, including time spent as the chief chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, senior director of reentry services, warden and assistant warden. Before taking his first chaplain position, Joe earned his master of divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Marshall University. Along with his chaplaincy career, Joe has served as the senior pastor of three churches.
Joe and his wife, Vickie, love spending time with their three grown children and six grandchildren.
“I love the purity of the Crossroads mission,” Joe said. “Bringing the Gospel to incarcerated men and women around the world and matching them with Christian mentors is truly life-changing. I am humbled and honored to serve alongside the dedicated staff, mentors, board and volunteers of Crossroads Prison Ministries.”
JR DeGroot
Vice President of Major Initiatives
With a BA in business and accounting from Calvin College and 30 years of business experience, JR lives for financials, budgets, forecasts—anything that can live in a spreadsheet. Before coming to Crossroads in 2015, he worked for 23 years in the private corrections industry, managing finances and operations of multiple facilities across the country. He has been married to his wife, Laura, for 30 years and has twin daughters who are both Calvin grads. He’s a native of Chicago but grew up in Colorado, where he developed a passion for the Rockies, Broncos and University of Colorado Buffaloes.
Allis Gilbert
Vice President of Advancement
Allis Gilbert joined Crossroads Prison Ministries in March 2024.
Over the past seventeen years, Allis has spent her post-military career in the nonprofit sector. Allis believes in mission-driven work and has a passion for service.
In 2011, Allis left the Army after five years as a captain. She earned her doctorate in education focusing on organizational change and leadership from Southern California University.
She has been married to her husband, Allen, for eighteen years and has one daughter. She has spent time in various areas of the country but has always called the Midwest home. She loves to sail, camp, and hike with her family; when not exploring, she can be found in her garden or reading a book.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Sara Marlin
Chair | President & Founder of BLOOM Brand Strategies, LLC | Leesburg, VA
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Garland Hunt
Vice Chair | Pastor, The Father’s House | Atlanta, GA
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Craig Klamer
Secretary | Business Consultant, former VP of Merchandising at Family Christian Stores | Grand Rapids, MI
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Tom Nobel
Treasurer | Founder & Executive Chairman, Baruch Senior Ministries | Grand Rapids, MI
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Mark Inch
Retired Secretary of Corrections | Santa Rosa Beach, FL
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Dr. Zándra Jackson-Bishop
Founder of ZC Consulting | Houston, TX
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Jesus Manuel Huertas
Retired Chaplain, Federal Bureau of Prisons | Lexington, KY
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Elizabeth O’Dell
CEO, Community Mental Health, St. Joseph County, MI (Retired) | Sturgis, MI
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Joan Sharda, MD
Retired Physician | Ada, MI
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Bishop Darren A. Ferguson, D. Min.
Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church | Teaneck, NJ