Martin Institute Advisory Board

Jane Willard has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1976. After receiving her M.A. from Azusa Pacific University, she began her practice of 25 years at Shepherd’s House, a Christian counseling center in Van Nuys, CA. There she specialized in treating adult survivors of childhood trauma, utilizing imagery prayer and inner healing. She presented papers on this topic at conferences of Christian therapists. In 2010 Jane completed a three-year program in spiritual direction and led 3 groups through the 30 weeks of Ignatian Exercises. She continues to offer spiritual direction and prayer counseling from her office in Chatsworth.

Jane and Dallas have an adult son, a daughter and son-in-law, and one very precious granddaughter.

James Catford is a global consultant on leadership, personal development, and resource mobilization. He specializes in spiritual formation, faith in the public square and signature gift fundraising. 

Currently he serves as Chair of the UK publisher SPCK and the Apprentice Institute at Friends University, where he helped establish the Dallas Willard Chair in Christian Spiritual Formation. He is a consultant to American Bible Society on signature gifts from globally minded Christians and he coaches and mentors leaders around the world. 

Previously James was the Chief Executive of the British Bible Society where he emphasized public conversation around faith and the Bible through government, the arts, media, and education, His early career was in commercial book publishing and served as publishing director at HodderHeadline (now Hachette) and HarperCollins in London. He was educated at the University of Wales Aberystwyth and the University of Bristol. 

James is a Board and Ministry Team member of Renovare, founded by Richard Foster, and he previously served for ten years as vice-Chair of the Amity Printing Company in China, the largest provider of Bibles in the world.

A frequent visitor to the states, James lives in London with his wife Sue, a career journalist and broadcaster who now specializes in media and theater.

Mark Nelson

Diane Ziliotto