Board Members

Paul Cowell - Founder

Pastor-turned-entrepreneur Paul Cowell has a gift for building businesses as well as relationships, and a passion for serving those who serve the Kingdom of God. In 1977, he opened Whitestone Country Inn, a luxury bed & breakfast built on a 360-acre estate on the shores of Watts Bar Lake in Kingston, Tennessee. It quickly developed a reputation for excellence, receiving the coveted Four-Diamond Award from AAA every year since opening. Whitestone was also voted one of the 10 Most Romantic Inns in America within the first three years of operation. In 2002 he expanded his vision for hospitality by founding the Christian Hospitality Network (CHN).

Dedicated to serving “God’s frontline workers, CHN is an association of Christian-owned inns that give rooms, rest and relaxation to pastor and foreign missionaries at little to no cost. Now after just three years the network, has over 850 inns representing all 50 states, Canada and six other foreign countries had signed up to participate.

While Whitestone and CHN are long-term dreams realized, they are far from initial successes for Cowell. In twenty years he has bought and sold 14 businesses, including a national chain of 100 bookstores, and one of the earliest cable shopping networks.

He comes by his industrious nature rightly. Paul grew up on a farm in West Tennessee, the oldest of 3 children. His father, determined to provide well for his family, worked simultaneously as a machinist, homebuilder and farmer. Paul followed in his footsteps, farming, teaching music, and working as a retail clerk and mechanic.

Following college, Paul founded an interdenominational church in Knoxville, Tennessee, which he pastored for 20 years. With no initial support, he turned his hand to making a living elsewhere. He has been a school bus driver, printer, caterer, as well as CEO of a public company. At the same time, Paul has always been active in mission work, serving as director for Youth With a Mission, and taking students on short term mission trips to build housing in Mexico. He is a popular speaker both nationally and internationally.

Paul has been married since 1961 to Jean. Their son Kevin, daughter-in-law Vicki, and two grandchildren live on the property at Whitestone, sharing Paul’s work and vision for the Christian virtue of hospitality. Paul serves on the Board for the Tennessee Bed & Breakfast Association, The select Registry and Distinguished Inns of North America.

Steve Tackett - Co-Founder

An ordained minister, active community leader and former federal law enforcement official, Steve Tackett has spent fourteen years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) before co-founding the Christian Hospitality Network (CHN) with long time associate and friend, Paul Cowell.

Steve has also served as Director of Youth With a Mission – Nashville, where he supervised more than 70 missionaries who led 1,500 – 2,000 people on mission trips annually to nearly 20 nations. He also trained an additional 250 people for long-term missions work. His own mission work has taken him to 37 different countries throughout his career.

Steve served on the international Urban Missions Leadership Council with YWAM and is a member of the North American YWAM Leadership Team. He was on the Executive Council of Mission Adventures, an outreach program that specializes in annually sending thousands of teens on short-term mission trips. He also served on the Southeast YWAM Leadership Team.

Active in missions to Mexico, Steve is President of Juventud Con Una Mision Zona Maya, a non-profit organization there dedicated to serving the destitute and infirm of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula where he also pioneered Homes of Hope, a program for building houses for the extreme poor.

Closer to home, while living in Nashville Steve chaired the local Executive Committee planning the 2001 Promise Keepers Conference in Nashville. He also served as the Tennessee State Coordinator for March for Jesus from 1993 – 99. He was a founding member of Nashville to the Nations, a local group that encourages and equips churches in working with world missions. He served of the Board of Directors of Tennessee Right To Life, and was on the Racial Reconciliation Committee for Nashville. He was a charter member of On Your Knees for Nashville, a local prayer effort.

Bringing together his evangelical and law enforcement careers, Steve worked in Nashville to pioneer a program that helps churches and individuals find ways to help and serve families touched by the Juvenile Justice System. He was also one of the founding organizers of the Leaders of Faith Day at the state Capitol, an annual effort to get church leaders from across the State of Tennessee to visit the state capitol while the State Legislature is in session.

John Ashmen - Executive Director

For nearly 15 years, John Ashmen served in a COO role at Christian Camp and Conference Association, overseeing publications, educational events, technical resources, and marketing for the Colorado-based national association. He was formerly the administrator of camping and retreats for the Rocky Mountain Baptist Conference, working with Baptist General Conference churches in Colorado, Wyoming, and western Nebraska. Prior to that, John was the executive director for many years at Haluwasa Christian Camp and Outdoor Center in New Jersey, a ministry that annually served 15,000 people. He is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University, and has a master's degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. His wife, Judi, is a billing agent, nurse, and lab technician for a skin cancer surgery center in Colorado Springs. John and Judi have three grown children living in New Jersey, Oregon, and Tennessee.

John Nordstrom, Jr.

John was raised in a pastor's home. Because of this, and through his experience in counseling, he has developed a passion to offer his counseling gifts especially to pastors, missionaries, and their families. While some of them may travel to see him, he most enjoys offering his services to those in the field. John has especially enjoyed this kind of work under the auspices of CHN.
John was educated at Wheaton College and the University of Illinois. He is a licensed counselor. Besides pastoring a non-denominational church in the heart of Ottawa, Illinois, he continues to operate a private counseling practice.
John lives in Ottawa with his wife of 26 years and their two youngest children, Gentry (16) and Kristen (12). His daughter Melissa (22), is a recent graduate of Wheaton College. His daughter Andrea (19), is a student at Wheaton.