Meet the Center for Calling & Career Staff

John Plating
Director of the Center for Calling & Career (2015)

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 Covenant’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, and sees it as his chief mandate to convince possible hiring authorities of the same.

Prior to coming to Covenant he 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 there as an associate professor of history, with specialties in military history and the history of technology. John was a senior pilot in the US Air Force, where he flew as an instructor as well as a 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. He and his wife, Paula, have five children. John is an inactive ruling elder in the PCA, and he and his family are members of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church.

Leda Goodman
Assistant Director of the Center for Calling & Career

Certified Professional Resume Writer
B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies including Math, Education, and Psychology, Covenant College

706.419.1156
leda.goodman@covenant.edu

Leda Goodman works to equip Covenant College students and alumni as they identify where their skills, gifts, and desires meet needs in the working world. She enjoys listening and helping others boldly pursue meaningful work. Prior to returning to Covenant, she worked as a database manager, recruiter, and an entrepreneur. Now as a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Leda enjoys teaching others how to communicate effectively with potential employers and graduate schools. She is married to Ian Goodman ’96, and they have two children. The Goodmans are active members of Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church.