Richard S. De Witt has woven together successful careers in business, the military and ministry. For more than 30 years, he was a business executive; during two of those decades, he was a United States Air Force Reserve senior line officer.  After graduating from Bloomfield College with a Bachelor of Science degree in business, he entered Officer Training School to earn his commission. As an Air Force Officer, he completed his service in 1992 as the Deputy Base Commander at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station with 1,100 personnel. In 1995 and 2005 he was selected to be the keynote presenter before the Federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission [BRAC] of Washington, D.C.

As President of his institutional food brokerage company in Buffalo, New York, he directed the company from New York to Florida. In 2002, after selling the company to his partner, De Witt felt let by God to full-time ministry and was licensed and ordained as a Minister of the Gospel.

In 2003, he joined the marketing staff of Marketplace Ministries, Inc. as the National Client Expansion Director. In 2006, he became the Executive President and Chief Operating Officer leading senior staff and 2,800 chaplains across 47 states and 3 other countries. He completed his Marketplace Ministries leadership call January 1, 2015.  His philosophy is to “give back” and has practiced this caring approach as an Air Force Officer and a Rotarian, having served as their President, Chairman of their Rotary Foundation and a Paul Harris Fellow.

De Witt has achieved his greatest significance through his faith and in his family. For the past 50 years, he and his “soul mate,” Marvel, have been married serving God together.  They had two children; son Kurt Addison and daughter Amy Elizabeth. In their life they have known much joy and great sorrow. Tragedy struck their family on August 14, 1997, when a drunk driver took the life of their 26 year old son. Amy and her husband, J.P. Mahaffey, live in Charlotte, NC and have given them three grandchildren, William Addison age 14, Grace Elizabeth age 12 and Andrew Stewart age 10.

Dick and Marvel have been members of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano since 2006 where he has just completed his two year Deacon Chair assignment and also serves as the Covenant Bible Fellowship Class Director.

At age 73, De Witt has a larger vision and stronger desire to live life well beyond playing golf and sailing, two of his favorite pastimes. As husband, father, and “Poppy” to his grandchildren, as well as a dedicated Christian leader, he has committed his life to favorably impacting the lives of people for Eternity