Our Team

Dr. James E. Dill

Founder/President

James & Linda Dill have invested their lives in ministry.  James has held workshops pertaining to church growth in twenty-seven countries. While serving as a pastor in Texas, California, Hawaii and Canada, he planted ten congregations and re-established several others.

James holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Louisiana Baptist University & Seminary, honorary doctorates from Jacksonville Theological Seminary, Jacksonville, Florida and SEMISUD, Quito, Ecuador.  Currently, he serves on the Advisory Board of Youth With A Mission, Garden Valley, Texas, a ministry that trains and sends people into various ministries around the world.

James & Linda felt the call to minister to pastors and leaders.  Shepherd’s Heart Ministry began offering workshops in Tyler, Texas, enlisting strong pastors/leaders within the area as instructors.   These workshops included “Dealing with Depression”, “Burnout”, “Suicide Intervention”, “Growing Healthy Churches”, “Casting a Vision for the Local Church”, “Forgiveness”, “The Father Heart of God” and others.  These workshops are always held at no cost to those attending. 

With over 50 years’ experience, James and Linda know what it takes for Christian leaders to stay the course.  Experienced as pastors, they have the passion and knowledge to mentor these leaders to success. 

Since Shepherd’s Heart Ministry’s inception, it has ministered to and mentored over 3,500 ministers/laymen in East Texas and around the world.

Board Members

Rocky Gill

1st Vice president

Rocky and Carrie Gill have been invested in the Tyler community for many years. Rocky graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He started out working for Squyres, Johnson, Squyres & Co., becoming a Senior Accountant before leaving to go to work for one of their clients, East Texas Medical Center (ETMC). He served as Corporate Controller, with accounting responsibilities for most of the entities in the multi-hospital chain. He left ETMC to open the Tyler franchise of Express in November 1995 with one other person. His goal was and is to provide the best staffing services available to our clients in East Texas. The Tyler office has been honored as a Circle of Excellence office every year since 1998. The last several years, the Tyler office has been included in the Chairman’s Club, recognizing the top 10 offices out of nearly 600. Carrie began her career after earning a teaching degree from Baylor University. She was an elementary teacher with the Tyler Independent School District for several years before leaving to give her full attention to their two daughters, Hannah and Campbell. The Gills have served on the boards of various organizations in Tyler including Junior Achievement, Children’s Village, Rose City Kiwanis, Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, Tyler YMCA, Workforce Solutions East Texas, and United Way of Tyler/Smith County. Most recently, their charitable focus has included orphaned children through their service with Hope for 100, a program initiated by their church (Green Acres Baptist Church) in which more than 100 children have been placed into Christian homes.

The Gills are passionate about making difference in the lives of people. It is this passion which fuels their work with Express. “Most people don’t call on Express because they want to; they have a need – either for a person to work in their business or a job! Because we meet up with people who are desperate for help, we view our work from the standpoint of a servant. We want to make things better for our clients and associates. Service is our middle name!” Rocky attributes his office’s success to the team that works at this office. Since they started in 1995, Express Tyler has placed over 20,000 people in jobs. Express offers commercial/industrial, administrative and professional associates. They also offer HR resources, custom training services and temporary or permanent assignment solutions.

Dr. Terry D.Davis

2nd Vice President

Dr. Terry D.Davis began his journey with Burger King in 1980. Terry became a Franchisee in 1983. He formed U.S.Merit Inc. in 1990, where he serves as president/Owner. Terry operates 15 Burger King Restaurants, as well as 5 Taco Buenos and manages several Properties . Terry leads a very experienced Management Team, headed by Lee Chadick, Director of Operations. Lee began with BK in 1974. Terry has always maintained that “We are in the People Business , we just sell burgers”. Terry’s companies employee over 400 Team members. Terry’s Operations are consistently Ranked as a Top 3 Operator nationally . Terry serves on several Charity
Boards in East Texas. Terry is a long time member of Landmark Baptist Church. Terry is a Graduate of Louisiana Baptist University. Terry is married To his childhood sweetheart Lynne Davis and has 2 children , Georgia Harris ( who works in the U.S.Merit office) and Wayne Davis(Deceased). Terry and Lynne have 4 Grandchildren , which bring much Joy! Terry Davis is also a Internationally known Music Artist. He is a “Canyon Creek Records” recording artist and songwriter. Terry has had numerous #1 country gospel singles and was recently inducted into “ the International country gospel music associations , Hall of Fame “. Terry is known in East Texas as a Man of Faith and Integrity , who lives to Encourage others.

Linda Dill

Treasurer

Coming soon

Jim Gillen

Vice chairman

James B. Gillen, Jr. is a 1973 graduate of Baylor University School of Law. He has served the Tyler community for over 40 years. He is an active member and adult Sunday School teacher at Green Acres Baptist Church. He is past president of the Smith County Bar Association.

Jim has practiced for over 40 years in the primary areas of business law, real estate law and estate planning/probate law. He has attained an AV Martindale-Hubbell peer rating.

Martha Hook

Board Member

Martha B. Hook, born in Dallas TX, is a fourth generation Texan, and now lives in Tyler TX . She is a graduate of NTSC, now NTU, with a degree in English Literature ‘57, and holds an MA in Literature from SMU ’59. In recent years, she has pursued further training in writing and counseling. Martha has taught English Literature to college students and Bible Studies to women. She worked with Pine Cove Conference Center and helped with the development of Christian radio in East Texas: KVNE and KGLY. She taught a weekly Bible Study on air and hosted a book review program, (The Reading Well). Martha is a trained lay-counselor and has led numerous divorce recovery groups and creative therapy workshops. She has written a children’s Bible Story Book, 3 Bible Study Workbooks for women, and 4 inspirational novels. Currently, Martha volunteers at (The Open Door), a half-way house for older parolees. She has a heart for ministry servants who struggle with heartbreak or burn-out. Martha has 3 daughters. She is the grandmother of 12 and great grandmother of 1.

Thomas Saali

Board Member

Pastor Thomas Saali is in his 24th year of leading Cornerstone Assembly of God in Tyler, Texas. He is a Presbyter of the Tyler Section of the North Texas District of the Assemblies of God. He oversees 25 AG churches and 100 Ministers in the Tyler Section; as part of the District Presbytery, he assists in leading 650 Assemblies and 1,800 Ministers. Thomas and Starla have been married and in ministry together for 33 years; they are blessed with a daughter, a son, a son-in-love, and three grandchildren. Tom enjoys cooking, golfing, spending time with family and friends, and traveling on mission trips.

Leland Paris

Board Member

Leland Paris is the Director of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Tyler, Texas. He has served as YWAM’s Director of the Americas, overseeing the regions of North, South and Central America, and the Caribbean, and also has served as a member of YWAM’s Global Leadership Team. Having served in International YWAM leadership for more than the last four decades, Leland has pioneered many new works. He is presently pioneering several works in Asia, including a feeding program in a famine stricken region. The YWAM campus that he directs has discipled thousands of young people through various training schools, many of whom have gone on to start other YWAM bases. Leland has a passion to see revival and spiritual awakening in America, and for this generation to make an impact on the world with the Gospel.

Dr. Ralph Caraway, Sr.

Board Member

Pastor Caraway is the senior Pastor at St. Louis Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas and has a passion for unpacking the truths of Scripture in real terms and real applications. 2018 marked his 20th year of service at St. Louis Baptist Church. He and his wife, LaQuita, have three children and six grandchildren. Pastor Caraway is the current Moderator of the Original East Texas Baptist Association which represents 40+ churches in Tyler and the surrounding area. A visionary and dynamic leader and teacher, he takes his shepherd’s responsibility seriously in God’s church.

Elam Swann

Board Member

Elam Franklin Swann III is a native Tylerite and partner in Swann’s Furniture and Design (swanns.com), one of the oldest retail furniture companies in America, having been founded in 1895. After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University School of Business, Elam went directly into his family’s business, at that time located in downtown Tyler. Years later, and after 2 new locations, he is a partner with his son, Elam (Franklin) Swann IV. In addition to Swann’s Furniture and Design, Elam is active in real estate, higher end climate controlled storage, ranching and various investments.

Elam and his wife Betty have 2 sons, Franklin and wife Brooke, Lewis and wife Naomi, and 4 grandchildren. Franklin is the current President of Swann’s Furniture and Design and Lewis is the Founder and President of Sight.org, a Christian sight restoring ministry in Togo, Africa. Elam and Betty are members at Grace Community Church, Tyler, and Mountain Life Church, Edwards, Colorado.

Elam has served on various boards and committees including The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, All Saints Episcopal School,  East Texas Medical Center, East Texas Medical Center Regional Health Care System, Alzheimers Alliance of Smith County, Episcopal Diocese of Texas Suffragan Bishop Search Chairman, US Magistrate Judge Eastern District of Texas Search Committee, The Encouragement Media Group,  Camp Allen, Christ Episcopal Church Vestry, Junior and Senior Warden, Susan G. Komen Foundation Tyler, Sheppard’s Heart Ministry, and UT Health Tyler. In 2019 he led CityFest East Texas by organizing and chairing a region wide outdoor Christian revival with the Luis Palau Association, drawing 37,000 to Tyler with another 91,000 online.  He is also a founding board member and Chair of the East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) Foundation, a Tyler foundation created as a result of the sale of the East Texas Medical Center Regional Health Care System to The University of Texas and Ardent, creating UT Health Tyler. The ETMC Foundation has completed its first year of grant funding including 15 local organizations, all with an emphasis in “behavioral health” needs, 10 local organizations responding to COVID needs, and a seed money multi-year grant totaling $80,000,000 for the new University of Texas Medical School Tyler set to begin classes in 2023. The ETMC Foundation is “dedicated to improving the health and quality of lives in Tyler and the surrounding East Texas communities”.

Elam has a heart for Tyler and East Texas, as his local family history goes back to the mid eighteen hundreds. He is committed to the pursuit of answers and solutions for the behavioral and physical health challenges that we are experiencing in East Texas.

Tom Prothro

Board Member

Tom founded a one-man CPA firm in 1992 with the faith of family and friends and a vision for dedication to clients. With over 35 years of accounting experience, Tom remains a visionary and entrepreneur in the firm currently named Prothro, Wilhelmi & Company, PLLC. Tom’s practice with the firm includes financial statement audits of small to medium-¬sized businesses, entities subject to The Department of Education audit requirements, not-for-profit entities and entities subject to Yellow Book and Single Audit requirements. Tom works with individuals, corporations, partnerships and fiduciaries in preparation of income tax returns and related planning. He serves as the firm’s Managing Partner.

Tom is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the East Texas Chapter of Certified Public Accountants. He is an Associate Member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), where he serves on the Audit Committee. He is a past member of the statewide Peer Review Committee of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, a position where he helped evaluate hundreds of accounting practices in Texas. He served on the board of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy from 2009 to 2015, and served as the Presiding Officer from 2013 to 2015.

In 2013, Tom earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) professional designation from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of the American College. The CAP program provides professionals in the nonprofit and financial services fields with the tools needed to help clients reach their charitable giving objectives, while also helping them meet their estate planning and wealth management goals. He also holds various securities and insurance licenses. Tom is involved with his church, Bethel Bible Church of Tyler, having served as Treasurer, Deacon and Elder Board Chairman. He currently is involved with the church’s weekly worship service as a video engineer.

An active member in the community, Tom is a graduate of Leadership Tyler Class II, past president of Rose City Kiwanis, and a current member of the City of Tyler Tax Abatement Committee. Tom also serves as a member of the audit committee of the local Boy Scouts of America chapter.

Tom is a 1979 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. He is married to the former Kimberly Burt of Tyler and celebrated his thirty-fifth wedding anniversary in 2015. Kimberly obtained a Masters of Theology degree at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2013. His daughter, Ashley Trant, was deceased in 2013; his married son, Evan, lives in Flint, Texas. He enjoys his seven grandchildren, playing golf, racquetball, riding his 2007 Harley Davidson Street Glide and learning about any of the latest technologies. He has Private and Commercial Pilot Certificates and holds an Instrument Rating. In 2012, he earned / passed his SCUBA certification.

Ms. Christie Adams

BOARD MEMBER

A native of Hope, Arkansas, Christie Adams completed her undergraduate education at Texas A&M University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry with a minor in biology.

She continued her education at the University of Texas School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor. Christie is the proud mom of one Brook Hill graduate, Chipper, and one who will graduate in 2019, Peyton. Christie’s family loves to travel and practice their Spanish, most recently in Puerto Rico, Spain and Cuba.

Christie has enjoyed a lifelong love of learning, and she wants to inspire that in her students.

Dr. Jerry Phelps

BOARD MEMBER

Coming soon

Don Thedford

Board Member

Don opened Don’s TV & Appliance on Nov. 1, 1979. Now, 35 years later, his two sons, Donnie and Brian, are co-owners in the business that has grown to 40 employees. They long ago moved from the 2,000-square-foot building on Front Street and now own a 25,000-square-foot facility housing a 15,000-square-foot showroom and service department, as well as a 12,000-square-foot warehouse on South Broadway Avenue.

Pastor Sharon Wickware

BOARD MEMBER

Coming Soon

Stephen Dement

BOARD MEMBER

Stephen Dement was born in Tyler, Texas, a descendant of pioneer families who moved to the area in 1848. He graduated from Tyler schools and then Baylor University with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, as well as a law degree. Upon returning to Tyler, he established his law practice. In 1985, he became manager of Landmark Title and in 1992, purchased the company. He currently is CEO of Landmark Title and maintains a real estate law practice. He taught 12 th grade Sunday School at First Baptist Church Tyler for almost 20 years, leading an accountability group of students for many of those years. While participating in a bible study in 1989, it became clear that he needed to become involved in private education in East Texas. Following that calling, he founded The Brook Hill School in 1997, a private Christian day and boarding school, currently serving almost 700 students from over 30 countries in grades pre-K through 12. He currently teaches 12 th grade U.S. Government and History classes at the school as well as serving as Chairman of the Board and the sponsor and trainer of the school’s artillery crew. Annually, he takes a group of students to the Virginia Military Institute for a course in courage, character, and leadership. Believing that our nation’s history was not being emphasized as it should be in our schools, he founded the American Freedom Museum in 2010, a 15,000 square foot teaching museum of American history with over 650 artifacts. The Museum reaches over 15,000 people annually, mainly public school students who take advantage of the more than 20 course offerings in various disciplines. The Museum recently received the coveted “Purple Heart Business” designation from the Military Order of the Purple Heart, only one of two recipients in all East Texas. A member of South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler, he has served as Deacon and as Personnel Chairman. In the community, he serves as a Board member of the East Texas Communities Foundation, a member of the Smith County Bar Association, and has been recognized as City of Bullard’s Citizen of the Year (2004), City of Tyler’s Citizen of the Year (T.B. Butler Award – 2010), and the recipient of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Gene Stallings Heart of a Champion Award (2009). Appointed by Senator Ted Cruz, he has served on the Service Academy Nominations Board for 5 years.

Dr. John English

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. John English is the CEO and Medical Director of Bethesda Health Clinic in Tyler, Texas. Dr. John English is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has been practicing medicine since 1993. Prior to becoming the Medical Director of Bethesda Health Clinic, he practiced medicine at Trinity Clinic in Tyler, Texas. John holds a M.D. degree from U.T. Southwestern Medical School. He completed his residency at John Peter Smith Hospital.

Dr. Grace English

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Grace English, MD graduated from UT-Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1993 and finished her internal Medicine residency training program at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas in 1996. She is married to Dr. John English, MD and they have been in Tyler since 1997. Dr. Grace has been involved in numerous civic organizations including PTA & school committees, Junior League of Tyler, Women’s Symphony League & has served on several community Advisory Boards. She is the founder of CARE (Christ-centered Abortion Recovery & Education) a non-profit organization that helps men and women find hope & healing from their previous abortion experience. She has been a volunteer physician at Bethesda Health Clinic, worked at Hospice of East Texas & currently is in private practice at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital. She and her husband are active members at Green Acres Baptist Church and have taught Sunday School for young adults and in the youth department for many years. They have three grown children Sarah (21), Daniel (19) and Matthew (17). Her hobbies include medical & foreign missions, volunterism & travel.

Brad Shotts

BOARD MEMBER

Bradley Shotts began his ministry in the funeral industry in 1988 at Lloyd James Funeral home in Tyler, Texas.  Brad currently serves as a director at Slay Memorial Funeral Center in Aubrey, Texas.  He and his wife, Amy live in Bedford, Texas.  They have two adult children, Blaine and Braylee, and one grandson, Matthew Bradley.  Brad is a member of Rotary International and enjoys serving in his community.  As God directs, he enjoys singing and speaking.  He is an ordained minister and loves being used of God.

The Shepherd’s Heart is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit Christian based ministry operating under the auspices of Final Harvest Ministries. Shepherd’s Heart Ministry is supported by caring individuals who understand the challenges that ministry brings.

There is no charge for the services Shepherd’s Heart Ministry offers.

Phone:(903)241-2816

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