Meet the Center for Calling & Career Staff

John Plating
Director of the Center for Calling & Career

Ph.D., History, The Ohio State University
B.S., History, United States Air Force Academy

706.419.1663
john.plating@covenant.edu

John Plating leads the college’s Center for Calling & Career by serving as the office’s director and external interface, working with corporations, agencies, & organizations both locally and nationally to establish internships and vocational opportunities for Covenant students. He has a profound esteem for the value and strength of a Christian liberal arts education as being foundational in shaping the lives of Covenant students, students who will go forward and shape the world of the next generation.

Prior to coming to Covenant, John worked as the chief operating officer and chief financial officer for the academic component at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He also served as an associate professor of history, with specialties in military history and the history of technology, with his main published work covering the history of “the Hump,” the largest airlift operation of World War II.  John was a senior pilot in the US Air Force, where he flew as an instructor and C-130 transport pilot, logging combat flying time during US military operations in the Balkans in the late 1990s. While stationed in Germany, he directed the airlift of nuclear weapons throughout the European theater.

Leda Goodman
Assistant Director of the Center for Calling & Career

Certified Professional Resume Writer
Certified Career Transitions Coach
Entrepreneurship Certificate - Academic Program Coordinator
B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies: Math, Education & Psychology, Covenant College, ‘90

706.419.1156
leda.goodman@covenant.edu

Leda Goodman offers guidance to students and alumni as they identify avenues for using their skills, gifts, and desires to meet needs in the world around them. As a professional resume writer and career transitions coach, she shares insight on how to explore career options, ask questions relevant to unique student interests and goals, and communicate clearly and professionally.

Leda enjoys helping people effectively communicate their stories with targeted audiences, including, but not limited to potential employers, graduate schools, and business professionals. Prior to returning to Covenant in this capacity, she traveled the country as a recruiter and managed systems in various types of business, a non-profit, a christian school, and a wholesale and retail company. When she isn’t teaching students, she can be found in the entrepreneurial world, collaborating with others, contributing to the family coffee business, and cheering global coffee growers on in their craft. She is married to Ian Goodman ’96, and they have two children, Cosi, ‘18, and Xaverie. They all enjoy being part of a family business that seeks to make every day better for people in Chattanooga and around the world.

Kate Raiford
ScotsWork Communications Coordinator

BA Communications, Anderson University
Opera Performance, Indiana University

706.419.1120
kate.raiford@covenant.edu

Kate Raiford administrates the ScotsWork program, focused on campus-wide and community service student employment opportunities for current students. Seeing the workplace as a place of spiritual formation, enables her to communicate an understanding that student employment goes beyond wages earned. She oversees all of the federal regulations associated with student employment and works to make sure students are paid for their work.

Given that the majority of our lives are spent at work, it is a primary place to develop our minds, renew our thoughts, and exercise our abilities to glorify God more fully. Her goal is to assist students, while also supporting supervisors, as they mentor students in daily work practices. She endeavors to embrace the Hebrew word Avodah, which means “work, worship, service,” by modeling work that is honest, timely, and valuable to the college. 

Prior to coming to Covenant, Kate worked in the arts as an actress, opera singer, and international tour manager. She has served as an events manager and development officer, writing grants and securing funding for a non-profit in Denver, CO. She was also employed by the Southeast Development District to administer and audit federal funding for non-profits in the state of Tennessee. Kate has three children and is a founding and active member of North Shore Fellowship in Chattanooga.