WHO WE ARE

Troy Duble is the President of Canaan Group & Associates. He brings over 30 years of experience in fundraising development: 2 years with Covenant Theological Seminary and over 28 years with Covenant College where he serves as special counsel to the VP for Development. Previously, he worked with his father E. Allen Duble for 10 years, serving clients across the country.

His personal experience running businesses, working with Covenant College’s board, and serving on other boards equips Troy to confidently help organizations grow their fundraising efforts. Troy specializes in major donor programs, board training, building development teams, capital and annual campaigns, nonprofit operations and management, and communications.

Troy serves as a Ruling Elder at Grace Community Church (PCA) and lives in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. He and his wife Sarah have 6 children, 5 on earth.

Jason Coffey brings 11 years of experience in fundraising, nonprofit management, board training, and fundraising communications. He previously served as Director of Fundraising for the Tennessee Valley Presbytery Church Planting Movement and enjoys running a few small businesses.

A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Jason received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance and Accounting from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. From 2012-2017, Jason served as Development Director for Christian Businessmen’s Connection (CBMC). While there, the organization grew from a $5 million ministry to a $10 million ministry. This included increasing the annual fund from $1.8 million to $3.5 million and raising project funding totaling $5.2 million during Jason’s 5 years there. Additionally, he brings 10 years of prior sales management expertise and small business ownership.

Jason is a trained facilitator for Journeys of Generosity through Generous Giving and he holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Jason serves as a Ruling Elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) and lives in Chattanooga, TN. He and his wife, Catherine, have 3 children.

Matthew Bryant brings over 20 years of experience in the areas of fundraising, church relations, enrollment, and nonprofit communications and marketing. He currently serves as the Director of Fundraising for the Tennessee Valley Presbytery Church Planting Movement. Previously he worked in K-12 and higher education settings, serving as Senior Vice President of Development at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) and as Vice President of Advancement at Chattanooga Christian School (CCS). Prior to CCS, Matthew served for 14 years on staff at Covenant College, working in a variety of roles related to admissions, church relations, communications, and financial aid. Also active in the community, Matthew is a past President of the Pachyderm Club in Chattanooga and a past Chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party. He is an Eagle Scout and loves the outdoors and Atlanta Braves baseball. 

Matthew joined Canaan Group and Associates in 2012 and has served a variety of clients from schools to churches, para church ministries, and other nonprofit organizations. His work across a wide spectrum of education as well as nonprofits brings expertise in fundraising, organizational team building, development assessment, admissions and recruitment, search services, and communications.

Matthew received his Bachelor’s degree from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA (2000) and his M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN (2009). He and his wife Jocelyn were married in 2005 and have 4 children. Both native Chattanoogans, they live in Lookout Mountain and attend Rock Creek Fellowship (PCA).

Marc specializes in the area of planned giving and estate design and planning. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and he graduated from Covenant College with a B.S. in Business Administration. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Covenant College Foundation and the Director of Planned Giving for Covenant College.

He is a member of the Chattanooga Estate Planning Council and the National Association of Estate Planners. He holds designations as a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) and Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC). He previously spent 17 years in the insurance industry managing an $850,000 book of business; helping business owners, CFOs and other decision makers make strategic decisions regarding their employee benefits.

Marc serves as a Ruling Elder at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church (PCA) and lives in Lookout Mountain, GA. He and his wife Greta have three children.

Carol Ann Ferguson currently serves as the Executive Director of a local nonprofit, Choices. She came from a background in nonprofit operations but had little experience in fundraising and development. With Canaan Group and Associate’s help, Carol Ann developed a passion for calling on donors as she implemented the recommended major donor strategies. Through her efforts, Choices increased revenue by 61% in the four years under her leadership. She has also gained experience in board training, strategic planning, system metrics, and nonprofit management. 

At CG&A, she witnessed guidance from Godly people who truly cared and wanted to see God’s love permeate our nation and world. Her passion to provide this care and equip other nonprofits led her to join the Canaan Group & Associates team in January 2021. 

Carol Ann and her husband, Teron, were married in 2016 and reside in Chattanooga, TN where they attend New City Fellowship. 

John’s work for over 20 years deals with the science side of fundraising—focusing on the effectiveness of the work being done “behind the scenes.” As a Certified Fundraising Manager through the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI, John understands the process of developing a vision, putting in place the processes, and managing the outcomes along the way. As a certified administrator for PDPWorks, John has served numerous organizations by coming alongside their employees and aiding them in discovering their natural abilities, the environment in which they work, and guiding them on a path of personal growth. He currently serves as a Development Officer at Serge.

John did his undergraduate work in Behavior Science and Business Administration at Covenant College and has an MBA from Nova Southeastern University’s School of Business and Entrepreneurship. John enjoys teaching Entrepreneurship at a collegiate level. John is the Founder and CEO of Bulwark Ventures. He and his wife Donna have two grown children and currently live in White Pine, TN.

Dan Nielson brings 13 years of nonprofit fundraising consulting experience in a broad range of fields, including churches, schools, ministries, healthcare, and professional societies and foundations. This experience includes capital campaign management, feasibility studies, case development, strategic fundraising planning, leadership training, and annual fundraising programs.

Dan holds a bachelor’s degree from Covenant College, and a Master’s of Science in Education degree from Baylor University. His family attends Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Wheaton, IL where he serves in music, children’s, and men’s ministries.

Dan grew up in Wheaton, IL, and has spent a number of years in the Chattanooga area as well as in central Texas, before returning to the Chicago area, where he resides with his wife, Lyndee, their two daughters, 7 and 5, and one son, 1.

Mark joined the CG&A team in February 2019 and took on the Office Manager role in January 2021. He does a little bit of everything within the administrative realm at CG&A and loves the simple thrill of seeing things function. 

Having graduated from Covenant College in 2016 as a Biblical and Theological Studies major, Mark has a passion to recognize and highlight God’s ongoing Kingdom work in all aspects of life—in the workplace and beyond. Through his work at CG&A, he’s learned to recognize development as not just raising money, but as connecting people to the Kingdom work they’re passionate about.

Mark, his wife Sarah, and their one son live in Trenton, GA and are members at Grace Community Trenton, where he serves as the worship leader. He is not related to the other Marc Erickson, it’s just a small world.