Staff & Leadership

The founders of Twelve Stones Ministries Inc., Dr. Garrett Higbee and Robb Besosa share a common conviction that the care of souls is the responsibility and privilege of the Church. Twelve Stones is a ministry born out of a desire to see families receive hope through Christ-centered counsel while equipping those who come along side them. Over the past several years God has worked through countless hours of meetings and the help of wise counsel to bring the vision of Twelve Stones to a reality. Twelve Stones is not just a good idea but a God idea and belongs to all who participate in its growth.

Dr. Garrett Higbee is the founder and President of Twelve Stones Ministries, Inc. (TS). Dr. Higbee was trained as a clinical psychologist with a specialty in family counseling. In the early 1990’s Garrett had an epiphany: God showed him lasting and true hope through Christ and His Word. He has over 25 years of experience with couples, families, and youth both as a counselor and training others. Since starting TS he has been a frequent speaker helping the church and Christian organizations embrace soul care as a privilege and responsibility.  As part of the expanding ministry of TS, Garrett and his family have relocated to Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Illinois to begin developing a biblical soul care model within the local church.   Garrett will still be serving as President of TS and will continue to oversee the ministry.

Robb Besosa is the co-founder and Site Director of Twelve Stones Ministries, Inc. (TS).  Robb has a Master of Arts Degree in Biblical counseling from The Master’s College, CA. He and his wife Mary spent six years working with troubled youth at New Horizons Youth Ministries in the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Indiana as lead house parents and in various managerial positions. Prior to moving to the TS campus, Robb helped incubate the vision of TS while working at College Park Church. He and his family were pioneers of the ministry helping to establish a permanent home in Brown County, In. in 2005. They have three boys and live next to the TS Campus.

Scott O'Malley joined the staff in July of 2007 and now serves as Staff Counselor/Site Administrator of Twelve Stones Ministries, Inc. (TS). Scott has worked with troubled children and families in a variety of settings for over 15 years. After working with hundreds of troubled children in residential care for over 7 years, and seeing the devastation of broken marriages on children, Scott finally realized that the best way to help children is to teach their parents how to live biblically to the glory of God. Scott has a Master of Arts Degree in Biblical Counseling from the Master’s College, CA. He and his wife Tara were married in 1992 and have seven children.

Kim Ruder joined our staff as the Ministry Assistant in June of 2009. Kim has previous administrative and secretarial experience and was a stay at home mom for twelve years. Kim grew up in the Greenwood, IN area where she still resides with her husband, Mike. They have been married for twenty two years and have three boys.

Craig Mercer joined the staff in January 2010 as Staff Counselor.  Craig and his wife Lisa were married in 2003 and came from Long Island, NY where Craig was working as a church planter.  Craig grew up in Northern Ireland and experienced the transforming grace of Christ in 1995.  He came to the United States in 1998 for Bible College and never left.  His journey to becoming a part of the TS family includes: serving on a pastoral team at a local church, church planting, and seven years as a counselor in a Christian residential recovery program.

Rhonda Garrison joined the staff of Twelve Stones (TS) in February of 2006 before transitioning to Harvest Bible Chapel to assist Garrett in developing a biblical soul care model for the local church. While Rhonda serves at Harvest on a daily basis, she continues to serve as Assistant to the President for TS.  Rhonda graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Health Administration. Previously serving as the executive assistant to the president of St. Vincent’s Hospital, and a variety of other executive roles, Rhonda brings a wealth of experience in organizational administration. Her administrative skills and more importantly a sincere heart for individuals and families to experience deep reconciliation with God and others is a tremendous blessing to the ministry.

Through personal testimony, God's grace, mercy and truth we desire to bring into view God's personal and providential concern for each person who comes through the gates of Twelve Stones. Our leadership, staff, volunteers, and advocates are the heart of the ministry as God uses imperfect men and women as His ambassadors of reconciliation.

Board of Directors

Newt Crenshaw - Co-Chairman
Vice President, Corporate Affairs - Eli Lilly

Bill Carmichael - Co-Chairman
President, American Surety Company

Heather Jennings - Corporate Treasurer
Partner, Third River Partners

Bob McLaughlin - Corporate Secretary
President, DiscipleData, Inc.

Garrett Higbee - Member
President, Twelve Stones Ministries

John Schmidler - Member
Executive Vice-President, Crossroads Bible College

National Ministry Consultants

Elyse Fitzpatrick, M.A.
Women Helping Women Ministries

Ken Jennings
Managing Partner, Third River Partners

Randy Patten
President, National Association of Nouthetic Counselors

Ken Sande
President, Peacemaker Ministries

Dr. Paul David Tripp
President, Paul Tripp Ministries