Dr. Mark Whitacre has been a part of our JPW3 prison outreach ministry for several years and in many ways, has been the role model and living example as to how we all can live in God's grace. As Douglas Burris, Chief of U.S. Federal Probation in the Eastern District of Missouri has stated publicly, "The story about Mark Whitacre’s redemption and second chance is one of the most inspirational stories of our time."

Mark Whitacre is best known for his whistleblower role in the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) price-fixing case in the mid-1990s. He was the FBI informant of the historic case and wore a wire everyday for almost three years. However, he was charged for several white-collar crimes including fraud that occurred during his tenure as President of the Fortune 500 company's BioProducts Division. Whitacre served over eight and half years in federal prison, almost all of that in minimum-security camps.

Four FBI agents, lead by the former FBI Supervisor of the ADM case (Dean Paisley), continue to lobby for a Presidential Pardon for Whitacre. Today, the FBI calls Mark Whitacre a national hero.

In light of staggering divorce rates of 99% for inmates serving over five years in prison, it is indeed a rare occurrence to have a family survive and remain intact during such an ordeal. The Whitacre family not only survived but thrived. For example, his wife (his high-school sweetheart) and children moved to each location that Mark was located and they visited him every weekend. Their commitment to each other and their solid foundational faith are the bed-rock of this amazing overcoming journey. Early in this journey, Mark, his wife (Ginger), and their three children decided to "get BETTER" rather than BITTER and commit every day to build their faith and reach out to others.

Mark Whitacre was released from prison in the Christmas season of December, 2006 after almost nine years of incarceration. Like his model years during incarceration, Mark has set the standard on how one should lead his or her life after prison. His case of redemption has been nothing less than remarkable, and he has certainly made the most of his second chance. Mark has often stated that "You do not wait until you are released to get your life in order. From day one, you take responsibility for your actions and begin to chart the course of your second chance." Mark and Ginger have assisted dozens of couples prepare for prison, and also have assisted dozens of families prepare for the release of their loved one. They continue this service of donating their time to serve others still today.

His awesome story is being noticed nationally and as a result he has been sought out to share his story, testimony, motivate and inspire others to walk the same path and work closely with key members of the various branches of the justice system. Mark is committed to use his platform to encourage others, lead by example, and be an activist for positive change in providing second chances for those whom are committed to charting a new course in life.

Following are a just few examples of such events: -

• Keynote speaker at the May 7, 2009 Durham, NC National Prayers Day, organized by the Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC).
• Keynote Speaker at the March 31,2010 Metro Prayers Breakfast in Oklahoma City, organized by the CBMC.
•  A keynote speaker at the April 8, 2011CBMC Leadership Conference in Chicago, about his inspirational testimony.
• A keynote speaker about “Business Ethics and Overcoming Adversity” at the Pensacola Leadership Conference (LEAP) on April 14, 2011.
• Assisted training with several FBI training seminars about the use of informants including speaking on January 25, 2011 at the FBI Quantico Academy.
• Assisted training with the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the military in how best to use informants in white collar procurement fraud cases.
• Numerous speeches at various departments of justice, federal probation training seminars, conferences for corporations and top executives, universities, high schools, churches, and communities on Ethics, "doing the right thing", and putting your faith to work in overcoming life's challenges and adversities.
• Was keynote speaker at the Pensacola  “Pathways for Change” REENTRY graduation on April 23, 2011.
• Some speeches at various prisons (both federal and state).
• Dozens of TV, radio and newspaper interviews including a Discovery Channel documentary and Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) TV interview, which many of these interviews can be found on the home page of www.markwhitacre.com.