Conversation Starters
  • Hiking, snorkling, and SCUBA diving
  • Young Life Capernaum
  • Things to do in Australia and Austria
  • Life as an empty nester

Laura Coverstone


Laura serves as the Managing Partner for the JobfitMatters team. She has nearly two decades of managerial and leadership experience in the Human Resources field. She earned a Master’s Degree in Communication from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Communications from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Since joining JobfitMatters in 2009, she has been instrumental in developing best-practice improvements and efficiencies, growing our K-12 leader network, and successfully delivering our search consulting services to over 200 clients. Since 2020, she has lead and managed the JobfitMatters practice.  She and her husband, Alan, have two sons and are active in church, family, and community pursuits.

What others are saying about Laura:

Conversation Starters
  • Adoption and raising teenage girls
  • Uniqueness
  • Golf

Ed Poff


Ed joined the work of SIMA® and JobfitMatters in 2003. He works with Christian organizations to identify and apply the unique gifts, abilities and talents of leaders to build and maximize high performing teams and ministries. Prior to his practice work, Ed enjoyed 20 years of identifying talent and team building at AT&T. He served in multiple leadership and management roles, and was an integral part of two internet startups. In addition, Ed has been a lay leader his whole adult life and led or served on numerous boards including his home church and two Christian schools. Ed cherishes his wife/high school sweetheart and their four children.

Ed earned a master’s degree in leadership development from Liberty University and a bachelor’s degree in business from James Madison University.

What others are saying about Ed:

Conversation Starters
  • The Florida Panhandle
  • Long bicycle rides
  • Hammond B3 Organ

Tommy Thomas


Dr. Tommy Thomas is the Founder of JobfitMatters, as well as a Senior Consultant in select searches. He specializes in cabinet-level retained executive search for nonprofit and faith-based organizations. Tommy has been a licensed SIMA consultant since 1996, and is widely regarded as one of the premier leaders in Christ-centered executive search.

One of his greatest assets is his very extensive network of contacts and connectors in faith-based organizations. Tommy has led more than 300 cabinet-level searches, many of which have included some of the largest and most well-known Christian institutions in the U.S. He has also served on the adjunct faculties of the University of Alabama at Huntsville, Southeastern Institute of Technology, Samford University, and Omega Graduate School.

Degrees he holds include the Doctor of Philosophy from Omega Graduate School, the Master’s in Business Administration from Samford University, and the Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. Tommy is the author of The Perfect Search: What Every Nonprofit Board Member Needs to Know About Hiring the Next Chief Executive and is a contributor to Christian Leadership Essentials – A Handbook for Managing Christian Organizations, editor: David S. Dockery.

What others are saying about Tommy:

Conversation Starters
  • Faith and work
  • Living in Scotland
  • Boston Terriers

Marana Basie


Marana serves as a Search Consultant on the JobfitMatters team. Her background is in Christian higher education recruitment & selection, residence life, and talent development. Additionally, she has experience in K-12 curriculum editing and has served in various roles in the for-profit business sector. Marana earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science from Erskine College and is a certified facilitator of the team assessment, The 6 Types of Working Genius.

An enthusiastic people developer, Marana is passionate about the gift entrusted to JobfitMatters of partnering with schools, universities, ministries, and non-profits to identify the top-tier leaders who are uniquely gifted, equipped, and called to lead these exceptional Christ-centered organizations.

Marana and her husband, John, have three college-aged children. In her free time, you can find her spending time with family & friends, welcoming students around the dinner table, and walking her energetic dog.

Conversation Starters
  • Best “bang for your buck” restaurants
  • Running
  • Funny videos and memes

Annie Patton


Annie serves as a Search Consultant for the JobfitMatters team.  She began her career as a recruiter in 2006 at an information technology recruiting firm, where she held roles in Senior Recruiting, Account Management, Client Relationship Management and as the first internal Trainer for the firm.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Business from the University of Tennessee.

Since joining JobfitMatters, she has delighted in working with a stellar group of professionals who work tirelessly to fit leaders with the right schools, universities, ministries and non-profits. She and her husband, John, have a daughter and three sons and are active in church, a very large extended family, and community pursuits.

Emily Swanson
Survey Consultant
Nathan DiGesare
Video Production
Allison Hoog
Graphic Design
Don Kiehl

SIMA® Analyst

Kim Miller
SIMA® Analysis
Ron Evans
SIMA® Analysis
Suz Grimes
SIMA® Analysis
Joshua Miller
SIMA® Analysis
Bill Hendricks
SIMA® Analysis
Trey Spain
Accounting
Tamie Heichelbeck
Administration