Board of Directors
Acting President
Jim Jackson
Originally from Georgia, Jim gave up a discount drug store business to work with CBU after radically meeting Jesus in 1972. Jim brought his entrepreneurial drive to bear on the ministry, leading it from being a Christian book distributor to a conference ministry with international reach. Jim lives in Black Mountain, NC with his wife Mary Jo, and they have three children and 11 grandchildren. Jim doesn't go fishing nearly as often as he'd like, but he does keep a rod and reel handy - just in case.
Pastor
Taylor Stewart
Board Chairman
is a missionary church planter who moved his family to Micronesia for a decade in the early 90s to establish churches in Guam & Saipan. Taylor now pastors a church in Raleigh called King’s Park Raleigh that he and his wife Elizabeth founded in 2011. Along with pastoring and teaching, Taylor enjoys stewarding his call to enjoyable ongoing prayer and intercession. Taylor and Elizabeth are blessed with three lovely daughters.
Wayne Graham
Wayne Graham is a real estate agent based along the North Carolina Outer Banks with Landmark Sotheby's. He has enjoyed a long connection with CBU starting with his first trip to Israel with CBU in 1989. Wayne graduated from Fuller Seminary with a degree in Cross-Cultural Missions. He has spent over 25 years working in China, North Korea, and across the Middle East. Wayne and his wife Michele have five children and one grandchild.
Dr. Lee Nelson
is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) and has been a partner at Boulder Neurosurgical & Spine Associates (BNA) since 2006. Lee attended CBU events as a boy growing up in Montreat. Dr. Nelson moved to Colorado to enjoy the outdoors and enjoys skiing, hiking and motorcycle touring. He resides with his wife, Debbie, and their three children in Boulder County.
Staff Team
Financial Administrator
Eric Syfrett
Some people paint with brushes, others paint with words; Eric paints with numbers. With a background in accounting and church administration, Eric does a great job serving as a bookkeeper and keeping our finances in order. He has a watchful eye and helps us faithfully steward the money God provides through the generous giving of His people.
Communications Director
Nicole Williams
With over 10 years of experience at CBU, Nicole brings a fresh perspective to partner communications and written communications. Formerly an administrator at CentrePoint Church in Scotland, she experienced firsthand how CBU advances the Gospel internationally. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her scientist husband and two kids.
Our Founder
Founder
Ivery Haynes
Ivery was a Korean War veteran with a background in IT who worked for the Lowe's Corporation. He founded CBU in 1972 to promote the gospel by distributing Christian books throughout the marketplace. Ivery passed away on December 10, 2022, peacefully in his home. Through CBU, Ivery touched thousands of people all over the world. Praise God for his legacy!
