JOSHUA & AMY PHILLIPS

Joshua and Amy attended an experiential training like the Encounter in 1997 and found it to be transformative in their relationships. Then in 2005, they co-founded the Encounter Training along with Derek Watson. Joshua and Amy will celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2022 and have four adult children, all of which have been involved with the Encounter. They lead the local Encounter teams that serve the training and the local community.

MARGARET PHILLIPS - ENCOUNTER ADVISOR

Margaret Phillips, M.S. holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology.  She is a clinical fellow in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and has over 30 years of experience in private practice as a state licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.  She is a published author of "The Marriage Ark".  She lives in Nashville, TN, residing with her husband, Gary, of 48 years.  They enjoy their grown children and 13 grandchildren.

JASON B. JONES - MARKETING ADVISOR

Jason B. Jones is an accomplished Creative Director and Designer in the Music Industry. Jason went through the training in November of 2015 and found it to be a life-changing experience. He continues to serve our team by using his marketing background to create, organize and deploy strategies that expand our ability to positively impact lives through the Encounter Training program.

DEREK WATSON

Possibilities for Life

Derek Watson has been facilitating Encounter Trainings in the Nashville area since 2005 and he has trained thousands of people since 1995, assisting them to reignite passion and empowering them to live in freedom.  Previously, Derek worked full-time in ministry.  Currently, he works in financial management and consults with companies and individuals in peak performance management.

Derek lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife Laurie, and their three sons, Reed, Soren, and Tristan.  He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in psychology and linguistics, and an MBA in finance from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.  Derek is the primary author of the book "Killing the Victim Before the Victim Kills You: Building Relationships Through Keeping Promises", which examines the principles that contribute to living a victorious and vibrant life.

JEAN-MARIE JOBS

GAP Community

Jean-Marie Jobs is a master trainer, having delivered over 15,000 hours of training time since 1997. Her experience ranges from corporate marketing in the U.S. and international markets to intercultural work in Canada, Holland, Africa, and the Middle East. Jean founded Yellow Marker with the vision of bringing character and values to the foreground in the commercial sector. Prior to founding Yellow Marker, Jean was CEO of Culture ROI. She developed and co-authored training materials and resources for CultureROI, their corporate clients, as well as several non-profit and humanitarian organizations. In 1999, Jean became a Law Enforcement Chaplain, serving nine different law enforcement agencies in Sonoma.  She graduated from Jack Hayford’s School of Pastoral Nurture in 2006 and Dallas Willard’s Spiritual Formation for Pastors in 2009.  Jean is also the Director and Founder of GAP Youth Training Services, a ministry founded in 1998 dedicated to character development training for young people around the world. In 2012, GAP Youth became GAP Community and expanded to include work with adults and families both locally and internationally.

Jean has trained over 100 facilitators and trainers in various organizations, developing both their skills and opening up new ways of thinking about themselves, others, and their environment. Working in small businesses as well as Fortune 100 companies, she has developed custom curriculum and training programs to meet the specific needs of her clients.

Jean’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in management from St. Mary’s College in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her studies included two years of liberal arts and philosophy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and two years of marketing and international business studies at Loyola Marymount in upstate New York.

AMY MAXWELL

GAP Community

Amy Maxwell is a Master Trainer who has delivered over 8,000 hours of training time.  Her experience ranges from corporate training in the U.S. and international markets, to intercultural work in Canada, Philippines, Haiti, and Africa.  Amy joined GAP Community with the vision of bringing character training, forgiveness, and joy to the communities she serves. She has developed and co authored training materials and resources for corporate clients as well as several nonprofit and humanitarian organizations.

Amy has 17 years of training in the corporate and private sectors.  Her clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses looking to catalyze participation and leadership in their teams.

Amy’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Davis. Her studies included multi-disciplinary coursework and hands-on learning.  She has also completed postgraduate work at Georgetown University with a specialized track in Transformational Leadership Training. She lives outside Washington D.C with her husband and two children.

NATHAN NEIGHBOUR

GAP Community

Nathan Neighbour is a speaker, author, spiritual entrepreneur, and transformational trainer who specializes in the field of spiritual development and character transformation. He began his professional career at age 12, working as on-air talent for the Children’s Broadcasting Corporation, performing live with Disney, Universal Studios, and the Academy of Television and Radio. Nathan continued his career in the arts, including work in theatre, music, and experience design.

Nathan graduated with a B.A. in Youth Culture and Modern Music from California Baptist University and holds a double masters in Entrepreneur Leadership and Theological Studies. He spent six years working with the Mosaic LA community, serving with the artisan and communicator teams.  Nathan founded and currently leads Humanity Church in the heart of the Downtown Pomona arts colony, developing communities that speak to the core of human creativity and spirituality.  He released his first book Enhanced: It’s Not Enough to Just Believe in 2020.

Nathan has trained thousands in both personal and professional contexts as a certified transformational trainer and coach.  He is passionate about seeing others experience freedom by realigning vision with commitment, discovering their uniqueness, and living out the dreams that are placed within their soul.  Nathan strives to create spaces where communities become an intentional force of beauty – seeing their lives as the most powerful medium to shape the future of humanity.

Nathan lives in Pomona, CA with his wife, Marla, and two sons, Jackson Brave and Collin Blaze.