Executive Director

Gregg Tipton has been in full-time campus and athletic ministry since his radical encounter with Jesus as a college athlete at the University of Hawaii in February 1987.

Gregg has served on hundreds of universities and athletic teams worldwide. Since his first mission trip in the summer of 1995, he has started two thriving mission organizations including One Week Missions which aims to inspire, activate, and empower Christ-followers into a missional lifestyle. To date, Gregg has had the privilege to lead 73 trips to 17 nations with over 3000 participants from 7 to 78 years old. Currently, he is the founder and Executive Director of Athletes Chasing Greatness: an athletic ministry that challenges athletes and coaches on all levels to chase with passion Jesus and His purpose for their lives and to influence and invite others to join them in their pursuit! Even now at 59, Gregg is still actively involved on many campuses and athletic teams challenging young men and women to not only be great on the field or court but off as well.

After losing his wife Suzanne of nearly 32 years to a brain tumor, Gregg recently married again in 2023. Danielle and Gregg currently live in Franklin, Tennessee. Gregg has two daughters and sons-in-law and Danielle has a son, daughter, and son-in-law. Gregg loves playing golf and spending time with his 5 beautiful granddaughters who affectionately call him “Tippy.”

Chair of the Board

Chris Veal is an accomplished entrepreneur and the founder of a consortium of businesses within the design and construction industry, where he has demonstrated exceptional leadership over 25 years. His tenure has been marked by the establishment and successful growth of these enterprises. Chris's areas of expertise include vision formulation, systematic processes, and business development. Drawing from his extensive experience, he guides his teams toward the realization of their objectives. His strategic focus on innovative solutions has enabled him to harness the knowledge acquired from his years at the helm of these companies.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is an enthusiastic outdoorsman who enjoys pursuits such as bow hunting, fly fishing, and embarking on memorable journeys with his family. He has been happily married to his wife, Lori, and is a proud parent to two children: Roma Lee and Rocco.

Vice Chair

Jeff has 25 years of experience driving global go-to-market strategy in the enterprise software sector, with 17 years in executive leadership roles. Most recently serving as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer in Thoma Bravo-backed Veriforce, Jeff shaped the company’s near- and long-term strategies and led all facets of marketing, inside sales and sales development, product management, and strategic alliances. He also sat on the company’s M&A committee. Over his four-year tenure with the company, Veriforce experienced incredible top-line growth (circa $20M to over $100M) while maintaining the industry’s highest EBITDA (52%). Prior to joining Veriforce, Jeff held the same position at industry-leader, Avetta, whose enterprise value increased from $79M (Norwest Venture Partners) to $656M (Welsh Carson) during his four years with the company.

Jeff is a recognized thought leader in the supply chain risk and compliance management sector and the architect for much of the industry’s innovation and growth over the past decade. Throughout his career, Jeff has worked for some of the biggest names in technology, including Oracle and HP, and several well-funded early-stage software endeavors, including Saba Software and Deem.

Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He resides in Franklin, TN, a small community just south of Nashville, with his wife and two children, having relocated there six years ago from their hometown of Newport Beach, CA.

Finance Chair

Michael started his accounting career in 1986 after graduating from the University of Tennessee with his undergraduate and Masters degree in accounting. He started with Ernst & Young in Nashville, Tennessee working in the audit department and gaining experience with non-profit organizations and small businesses. He then worked for 9 years with a local Nashville CPA firm helping individuals, small businesses, and non-profit organizations with their tax and audit needs. Over the years Michael helped numerous individuals take the entrepreneurial step of starting their own business, and in 1999 he took that same step and started the firm McKerley & Noonan. In 2019, they merged with a local firm and now operate under the name of Puryear and Noonan, CPAs.

Michael is a native Nashvillian and is married to Susan and they have four grown children, and three grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and fishing on his farm in Squeeze Bottom, Tennessee (yes, it is a real place).

Special Projects Chair

Originally from South Africa, Dr. Rob Murray is the CEO and co-founder of Transformed Leader, where he empowers mission-driven organizations and leaders to overcome their greatest challenges. Rob uses experiential and transformative learning processes to guide leaders who feel frustrated, depleted, or fragmented into new levels of growth and effectiveness. Rob has worked for over 12 years, playing a strategic role alongside Westfall Gold in helping raise $2 billion for nonprofits through major donor events, and he continues to help organizations become more transformative and strategic in their vision and mission. He holds a Master’s degree in Social & Civic Entrepreneurship and a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership. Rob also hosts the Talk of Change Podcast and is the co-author of The Human Operating System: Recovering the Heart and Soul of Your Leadership and Fighting for Heart: How Emotional Intelligence Can Transform the Way You Live, Love, and Lead.

Board Member

Omar currently works for the Milwaukee Bucks organization in the NBA, serving as a Player Development Assistant Coach for their GLeague team the Wisconsin Herd, and providing coverage as a college scout when needed for the Bucks.

He is the Co-Founder / President of the Circle Legacy. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization devoted to prayer, leadership, and building groups of Godly leaders in sports serving the NBA and NCAA coaches and executives. He also serves as the Director of Partnerships for Champion Forward, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping with sports performance and mental health in youth, college, and pro sports. Champion Forward was started by former World Series MVP Ben Zoberist.

Omar and his wife Rebecca have been married for 14 years and have a nine-year-old son Zion. Together Omar and Rebecca feel passionately about mentoring and disciplining other married couples.