Long a dedicated volunteer with a variety of non-profit organizations that meet the human needs locally and nationally, Doug and his wife, Lorraine, made a life changing decision when Doug left industry to answer a calling to full time Christian ministry.
Doug is now the President of the international outreach, Joni and Friends. Founded by visionary, author, artist and quadriplegic, Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends serves those affected by disabilities and their families in the United States, western and Eastern Europe, China, India, Africa and South America. Life Magazine and NBC Television have featured one of many Joni and Friends programs, Wheels for the World, that establishes wheelchair restoration centers in American prisons and provides restored wheelchairs to disabled people throughout the world.
Doug has been the recipient of a national award from the organization Women Against Violence in the Media for his public stance against sexism and for family values.
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REV. BILLY C. BURNETT
Vice President/Chief Financial Officer
 Engineer, Businessman, and Pastor. . .
God often takes people through a circuitous route as He develops in them the skills and gifts they need to perform His call on their lives. Indeed, the road that brought Billy to JAF began over 35 years ago in aerospace manufacturing and management. Developing skill and expertise in technology and management, Billy spent almost 25 years in a career that included stints at many well-known aerospace companies, working on highly visible projects such as Skylab, the B-1 bomber, and the Apache helicopter, where he oversaw the manufacturing development of a major component of the Apache weapon systems.
He developed and honed his skill as an administrator and budget manager at his last stop along the way. In 1982 at Colt Industries, Burbank facility, he oversaw multi-million dollar budgets and multiple departments, making productive one of the largest automated manufacturing installations on the West Coast, earning him the company's respect and sponsorship into Pepperdine University's well-respected Graziadio School of Business and Management, where he earned his MBA degree in 1987.
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| Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." |
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In 1990, after serving two years as an elder in a thriving church in Newbury Park, California, the teaching pastor invited Billy to join the staff as the church's executive pastor, overseeing the financial/administrative system and some key ministry programs. Saying yes to that began his new path, one that took the years of experience and love for the work of God's kingdom, and broadened his personal walk and enlarged his contribution to others. Personal relationships developed through those years of pastoral ministry and opened the gateway to becoming a member of the team at Joni and Friends.
Since coming to Joni and Friends in 1997, Billy says his life has a deeper resonance than any of his prior plans could have ever afforded. Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
"Overseeing the financial and administrative systems at Joni and Friends has been a blessing," says Billy. His faith has grown as has his expectation for what God is and will be doing in the future to bring hope to people affected by disability.
If anyone can make a difference, Joni and Friends can, and we will be at the forefront affecting the lives of those with disabilities and influencing the culture as it relates to them, affecting change on a global scale.
Billy has been married 42 years to his lovely wife Shirley and has two adult children. He lives in Moorpark, California.
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As the senior American executive for American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Doug authored the marketing plan that successfully launched Suzuki automobiles in the United States. Under his leadership the Suzuki Samurai was named one of the top 10 marketed products in the United States and became the subject of a Harvard case study.
