Leadership Profiles

Dr. Paul Irwin, President
The Rev. Dr. Paul G. Irwin is the president and CEO of the American Bible Society. He is a veteran member of the Bible Society's Board of Trustees and has chaired the Audit Committee, the Committee on Trustees and the Development Committee.

Paul Irwin was educated at Roberts Wesleyan College, Boston University, Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Andover Newton Theological Seminary and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Rio Grande College.

As an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, he was pastor to several congregations in New York and Massachusetts. He also taught for six years at the Boston University School of Theology. He retired in 2004 as president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. He also served as president of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, EarthVoice, the Center for Respect of Life and the Environment, the International Center for Earth Concerns and Humane Society International.

Richard B. Stewart Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Richard Stewart is the COO and Vice President of Corporate Service for the American Bible Society.  Mr. Stewart is a Senior Executive with over 35 years of operational and financial experience that has been used to service organizations ranging from start-up companies to large multinationals managing the challenges of rapid growth, as well as, the difficulties confronted by needing the “report” themselves strategically, or through restructuring, re-enervation and/or reinvention.  This experience spans a spectrum of industries: technology, manufacturing, financial, and service.

Dr. Lamar Vest, Executive Vice President
Dr. R. Lamar Vest is the executive vice president of Global Scripture Ministries for the American Bible Society. Immediately preceding this appointment, Dr. Vest served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Bible Society. He was elected to the Board in June 1991 and assumed the role of chair in October 2001. He also chaired the Bible Society’s Executive Committee and was a member of the Committee on Governance.

In addition to his Bible Society responsibilities, Dr. Vest holds the position of International Ministry Representative for the Church of God, which has a global membership of approximately seven million and a presence in more than 160 countries. His previous service to the Church of God includes two terms as bishop, one term as chancellor of the Division of Education and various positions on the International Executive Committee.

Dr. Vest served as chairman of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) as well as first vice-chairman, second vice-chairman and a member of the NAE’s board of directors and Executive Committee. He is presently the secretary of the Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America and a member of the Presidium of the Pentecostal World Fellowship.

Dr. Vest holds a B.S. from Lee University, an M.A. from the Church of God Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Lee University. He has written and published books and articles and is a guest speaker at conferences, seminars, conventions and churches around the world.

Simon Barnes, Executive Vice President
The Rev. Simon Barnes serves as the executive vice president of Development, Marketing and Research for the American Bible Society. From 2004-2007, Rev. Barnes served as a senior vice president of Geneva Global Inc. and the director of its Advisory from 2006-2007. (Geneva Global is a professional philanthropic services firm providing independent research and insight to international donors.)

For 12 years prior to 2004, Rev. Barnes served as president and executive director of the Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools Inc. (FOCUS), a national ministry serving America’s independent school population. During his tenure at FOCUS, the organization experienced unprecedented growth developing into an effective vehicle for ministry to the wide and diverse “prep school” culture.

Rev. Barnes graduated from the University of Warwick with a joint honors B.A. in English Literature and Religious Studies and post graduate certificate in teaching in 1986. He earned his M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of London in 1988 and completed further post-graduate studies in Business Administration from the Warwick Business School in 1992. He is ordained in the Episcopal Church.