Founder and CEO
Don can best be described as an entrepreneur with a passion for God, family and his community (in that order). He founded Minister Match after serving on two separate search committees - one inside and one outside of the church. He was struck by the lack of resources that were available to help the church identify best practices and source a strong pool of candidates as compared to what he was seeing in the professional community. Through Minister Match, he aims to help congregations make better hiring decisions that lead to longer minister tenures and healthier congregations.
Christian Service
Between Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ and the Una Church of Christ in Nashville, Don has taught an adult Bible class almost continuously for 20 years. He has worked extensively with programs such as the College Ministry, Young Marrieds Ministry, the 30’s and 40’s Ministry, and the Prison Ministry. Today he serves as the Education deacon at Jefferson Avenue where he continues to teach and serve on various committees.
Family
Don married Ashley Branson Viar in August of 1994 and together they have 3 beautiful teenage daughters who have all obeyed the gospel. They enjoy spending their summers together on Center Hill Lake and stay busy throughout the year with their daughters numerous sporting, academic, and youth group activities. Don and Ashley also enjoy bluegrass music and often attend regional performances.
Community Service
Cookeville Putnam County Chamber of Commerce- Board of Directors - 2012 - Present (Chair-Elect for 2016)
TSSAA BlueCross Bowl (Tennessee’s State High School Football Championships)
- Steering Committee - 2011 - Present (Chair-Elect for 2015 and 2016)
Tennessee Technological University
- College of Business - 2014 Dean Search Committee
- College of Business Board of Trustees - 2003 - Present (President in 2013)
- Business Information Technology Advisory Board - 2012 - Present (Founding Member)
Boy Scouts of America
- Friends of Scouting Campaign - 2007-2010 0 (Co-Chairman in 2009 and 2010)
Professional
Don comes from a long line of entrepreneurs (going back at least 5 generations) and has been involved with numerous startups throughout his career.
- Wholesale Frames – Started when Don was 14 to make ready-made picture frames for sale to picture frame shops in the Eastern U.S.
- Information Architects – Started when Don was in college to focus on the technology support needs of small businesses.
- ConnectedHealth.Net – Don served as a co-founder of this 14 million dollar subsidiary of Ernst & Young at the height of the “dot.com” era.
- Epic Technologies – Don was brought in as a partner to help the company mature its business practices and prepare for growth. Don continues to serve as Managing Partner of Epic today.
Along the way, Don also managed to earn his Certified Public Account license. He practiced as an Financial Auditor for Ernst & Young in the early 1990’s before transferring to the firm’s IT Consulting division. After Ernst & Young, Don also served as the head of retail accounting for Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores where he founded the Inventory Control department.
Awards and Honors
- 2010 Forty Under 40 Award – Nashville Business Journal- 2005 Outstanding Young Alumnus – Tennessee Technological University
- 1990 Vigil Honor (Boy Scouts of America)
- 1989 Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)