Buddy Stone

Buddy Stone is Co-founder of Stand in the Gap (1997) and is currently the Executive Director. He founded Stone Computer Supply which was voted as one of the 500 fastest growing privately held companies in America (1986 to 1997). From 1982 to 1986 he was Vice President Mirex Corporation a business equipment distributor. From 1974 to 1982 he worked for Southwestern Bell and AT&T as Division Marketing Manager-Product Development.  Buddy is a 1974 graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

FranÇois Cardinal

Francois Cardinal is the COO for Stand in the Gap Ministries.  Francois recently retired from a 20+ year corporate career focused primarily on technology and related industries with IBM, MCI, AMR Corporation (American Airlines) and Texas Instruments.  Most recently he co-owned Tulsa based Straxis Technology a software development company that specializes in trusted social networking web sites.  Prior to Straxis he spent 10 years with IBM in several roles including managing IBM’s global relationship with key eBusiness and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software partners such as Siebel Systems/Oracle.  Francois also led a team in building and operating a major call center for AMR Corporation to support several functional business units for the American Express Company.  Francois earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Baylor University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Dallas.  Francois likes to spend time with his wife Laura and three children, ride his road bicycle, is active with his church and men’s accountability group and supports several local ministry organizations.

Danielle Stendahl

Danielle is the Communication Coordinator for Stand in the Gap focussed on administration of the Tulsa office and she assists with delivering our Women in Transition curriculum.  Danielle was born and raised in Wisconsin, lived in Arkansas and relocated to Tulsa in 1997.  Danielle graduated from Tulsa Community College and plans to continue her education to become a Web Designer.  Danielle also works at a technical support help desk and manages a team of associates.  Due to some life situations, Danielle found herself in a hard place and needing the support of an SITG spiritual family. She completed her year commitment as a Neighbor which built a foundation for her become more stable and self-sufficient. Danielle states that the prayers of her SITG family were the cement mixture to her new foundation.  She looks forward to being part of a spiritual family and supporting someone else through a difficult time in their life.  Danielle enjoys working in the yard, fishing and spending time with family.

Barbara Saunders

Barbara Saunders wrote and developed the Women in Transition (WIT) curriculum for Stand in the Gap.  Barbara was incarcerated at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center from August of 1994 to June of 2000.  Barbara developed WIT because she never saw or was made aware of any women who left prison and did not go back. The only women she ever saw were those who sadly came back because they didn’t make it. She designed the program to teach behind the walls so that women can believe they really can live clean, sober and sane in the free world.

As a frequent presenter to church and civic groups about re-entry and Stand in the Gap Ministries, Barbara has done presentations to corrections classes at Tulsa University and was a speaker on a panel focusing on Substance Abuse, HIV and Domestic Violence at the 3rd Annual Women and HIV Conference in Oklahoma. She has also been a presenter at a regional conference for the Corrections Education Association and a breakout speaker at the 2003 International Corrections Education Association conference. She is an award-winning poet and has had poems published in three anthologies.  Barbara passionately believes that we, as women of strength, can become models and guides and encouragers. There is a way out, a way to break the cycle.

Tommy Goode

Tommy Goode is the Missouri SITG Director and he focusses primarily on using the SITG model to help youth who are aging out of foster care institutions/group homes.  Across the country there are some 20,000 kids in the foster care aging-out population that lack the relational and spiritual support systems needed to successfully transition into adulthood.  Foster care programs have introduced multiple strategies for helping young people transition out of foster care.  These strategies are designed intentionally to scale back levels of support and increase personal independence.  In spite of the custodial services provided by foster care programs, this transition into independent living presents the young person with multiple challenges.  The outcomes are tragically predictable for too many of these kids— failure to graduate high school, unemployed and unemployable, substance abuse, homelessness— are all too frequent.  The support from a Stand in the Gap ministry can help give them an opportunity to grow and have the support they need, the discipline they need and to give them that extra push they will need to be successful.