The Raising Great Fathers Foundation

Developing The Great Fathers And Leaders Our Future Depends On - Starting Now

"Boys must understand their most important title will not be CEO, Doctor, or Captain. It will be Father." - Captain Jeremy Stoker, Founder

The Raising Great Fathers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
All donations are tax deductible.

The Real Problem

You’ve worked hard to build a strong foundation for your son. But as he grows, new challenges emerge that structure alone can’t solve. Even intentional parents can struggle to provide the right environment, peer group, and guidance. That’s where The Raising Great Fathers Foundation comes alongside you—as a Wingman in the journey.

There Are Three Challenges Boys Face Today…

  1. Protecting the Environment As His World Expands
    As his world expands you can’t be everywhere he is—and media influences are counting on that.  He is their target
  2. Finding Meaningful Peer Connection
    Every boy needs a tribe.  Boys can struggle to find a consistent group of like-minded peers—and without that connection isolation can quietly replace community.
  3. Preparing Him Beyond Parental Influence
    As boys grow older, they search for voices beyond Mom and Dad—someone will fill that role.  The Question is who?

    The Good News?
    With the right structure and support, these challenges become turning points—not setbacks.

Why Raising Great Fathers Exists

You’re already doing the work to raise your son the right way.  But as he grows, it gets harder to control the influences around him.  We exist to help boys become strong men and future fathers—equipped with discipline, character, and leadership.

But we don’t replace what you’re teaching at home… we reinforce it.  As your son gets older, the voices around him multiply. Friends. Media. Culture. Expectations.  We come alongside you to make sure the right voices are still the loudest.

Through mentorship, strong peer relationships, and proven principles drawn from aviation, we help your son stay on a clear path—not drifting, not guessing, not reacting… but leading.

You’re already doing the work as a parent.  We make sure it doesn’t get undone.

The 3 Pillars We Teach Are...

If these three areas are strong, everything else in a young man’s life gets stronger.

Be a Man of Your Word

Our foundation trains young men to live with integrity by keeping their word to others and to themselves. Your son will learn to tell the truth, follow through on commitments, and build the discipline needed to stay true to his values. These habits lay the foundation for lasting confidence, trust, and future leadership.

Build Strong Relationships

Our programs equip young men to build and maintain strong, meaningful relationships with family, friends, and future spouses. Through communication skills, a high-standard peer community, and character development, your son will learn how to connect deeply and choose wisely. These relationships will shape the course of his life—and his future family.

Develop Mental and Physical Durability

Our mentors and coaches help young men develop the mental and physical durability needed to face life head-on. By learning to embrace challenges, manage setbacks, and build strong support networks, your son will gain the resilience required to lead with strength and confidence. This durability becomes the backbone of his future as a man, a leader, and a father.

How We Do It…

CYL Program Logo

The Command Your Life Program is how we bring this mission to life—giving boys a clear path, strong mentorship, and a community that pushes them to grow.

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Built on Proven Principles

With over 99.99999% safety, aviation is built on discipline, structure, and proven systems.

That same approach is what we bring to developing young men—clear expectations, consistent habits, and the ability to make strong decisions under pressure.

Led by experienced mentors—including professionals from aviation, engineering, and leadership roles—this program is grounded in real-world discipline, not theory.

This isn’t guesswork.  It’s a system.

You’re Not Doing This Alone

Raising a strong young man isn’t something you should have to figure out on your own.

Inside our community, parents and sons connect with positive, like-minded families who are on the same path.

Your son is surrounded by peers who challenge him to grow—
and you’re supported by parents who share your values.

Because the right environment changes everything.

Testimonials

"[Jeremy] provided a positive mentor role for Alistair when he was really struggling, and we are so grateful that Alistair could have this relationship that was just right at a time when he just didn't know where to go. And now he's returning to the college where he struggled. He has a positive outlook on where he's going, and I don't think that this would have been possible in any other way."
- Sarah
“With the help of the Command Your Life Program and Coach Jeremy, I have found more improvement in the past six months than in the past six years of my life.”
- D'Mitri
“Before I was in Jeremy's program, I knew one thing. I wanted to be a pilot. And throughout [the Command Your Life Program], I've learned more things. And I've also learned that I can't become a pilot. Now, this was devastating. But with Jeremy's program, I took the fall gracefully. And now I'm moving on without destroying my life. Learning that I can't be something I want to be.”
- Josh

Our Board of Directors

(Click on a photo for more info)
Jeremy Head Shot

Jeremy Stoker

Founder, President and CEO

Jon Kirby

Co-Founder, Vice-President, Treasurer and Director of Operations

Brayden Lemmon

Co-Founder, Secretary and Director of Marketing

Carol Barkes

Member of Board of Directors

Sterling White

Member of Board of Directors

Our Sponsors

These organizations have pledged their support to help us  in our mission to raise great fathers

Sterling White

Member of Board of Directors

Sterling Headshot - Website

Sterling White brings nearly two decades of experience in financial planning, leadership, and community engagement to the Raising Great Fathers Foundation. A graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Finance, Sterling began his career at Northwestern Mutual in 2006 and has remained with the company ever since.

Today, he serves as a partner at 22 One Advisors, a boutique financial planning firm based in Dallas.

As a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP), Sterling specializes in working with corporate executives and owners of privately held companies. His passion lies in helping successful families align their financial resources with their deepest values—bringing clarity and simplicity to an often-complex world.

Sterling’s commitment to building strong families and communities extends far beyond the office. He actively coaches local youth sports teams, seeing each practice and game as an opportunity to shape future leaders. His volunteer work includes board positions with local sports organizations, homeowners’ associations, nonprofits, and philanthropic committees—all driven by a desire to give back and invest in the next generation.

Sterling and his wife KC are the proud parents of four energetic children. When he’s not coaching or working with clients, you’ll likely find him at church, on a hiking trail, snowboarding in the mountains, camping with family, or relaxing by the beach.

Carol Barkes

Member of Board of Directors

Carol Office

Carol is the nation’s leading authority on neuroscience-informed conflict management and negotiation. As a best-selling author and sought-after keynote speaker, she transforms how Fortune 500 organizations approach conflict resolution through cutting-edge brain science.

Armed with a BA in Global Leadership and Influence, an MBA in Conflict Management and Negotiation, and an advanced certificate from MIT Sloan in Neuroscience of Leadership, Carol brings unparalleled expertise to every engagement. Having directed Idaho’s largest Fourth District Court mediation program and currently serving as an ADR Advisor to FEMA, she teaches at Boise State University and the College of Southern Idaho while consulting for industry giants including Amazon, U.S. Air Force, HP, Micron, and the American Bar Association.

Recognized by national media as “the TOP Neuroscience and Conflict Resolution expert in the United States,” Carol’s insights reach millions through major networks including NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, Wall Street Journal, and PBS. Her groundbreaking TEDx talk, Conflict and Negotiation: From Flames to Solutions, has garnered over 2 million views and was named one of the 30 most influential TEDx talks of this century by LA Magazine—impact so profound it earned her a second TEDx invitation in Swansea, UK.

Carol’s revolutionary approach is forged by her extraordinary background as a professional firefighter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she discovered that the most dangerous fires require both courage and science to extinguish—a philosophy that now transforms organizational conflicts worldwide.

Brayden Lemmon

Co-Founder, Secretary and Director of Marketing

Brayden Profile Picture

Brayden has always been drawn to leadership, connection, and personal growth. After several years in sales leadership and client relationship management, Brayden discovered a deeper calling: to help young men develop the confidence, direction, and life skills needed to thrive. This opportunity presented itself through the Command Your Life program, where he not only completed the curriculum but fully embraced its core principles.

Soon after graduating from CYL, Brayden transitioned into a role as a Youth Mentor and Coach. Working closely with young men and their families, he found his purpose in guiding others through the same transformative process that shaped his own journey. He brings empathy, structure, and real-world insight to his mentoring, forming strong relationships and creating lasting impact.

In addition to his mentoring work, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management Information Systems to strengthen his expertise in leadership and organizational strategy. His commitment to personal growth and mission-driven work fuels his dedication to the Raising Great Fathers Foundation, where he strives to empower the next generation and help build stronger families.

Jon Kirby

Co-Founder, Vice-President/Treasurer and Director of Operations

Jon Pro Shot - Website

Jon was born in Tucson, Arizona and raised in California’s Monterey Bay Area. With 35+ years of experience in technology, operations, and project management, Jon now directs the day-to-day operations of The Raising Great Fathers Foundation—where structure meets purpose.

As a Certified Professional Life Coach, Jon also helps to equip young men with the tools to lead through discipline, grit, and resilience. His background in systems thinking and execution helps translate life’s challenges into teachable skills—building future fathers who lead with strength and integrity.

But Jon’s greatest motivation is personal. Having grown up without a healthy example of fatherhood, Jon is determined to break the cycle. His mission is clear: to help boys become great fathers—so no boy has to grow up the way he did.

Jon holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Management concentrated in Information Technology and Project Management. He’s been married to his wife Sarah for more than 24 years, and together they’re raising five incredible kids—Rose, Jacob, Grace, Sam, and Zach—along with three cats and a Basset Hound.

Jeremy Stoker

Founder, President and CEO

Jeremy Head Shot

Born and raised outside of Seattle Washington, a city known for aviation, Jeremy has had an intense interest in aviation for as long as he can remember.

At the age of 18 he earned his pilot license and later graduated Magna Cum Laude from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in December 2001. With the aviation industry in turmoil after 9/11 Jeremy had to face giving up on his dream of becoming an Airline Captain for the largest airline in the world. From this 18 year struggle, the Command Your Life program was born. Now with 30+ years and over 10,000 hours of aviation experience in dozens of planes, he is an expert aviator and Captain on the Airbus A320.

He has brought that expertise down to the ground in The Raising Great Fathers Foundation to help young men design and live the lives they want using aviation-based principles.

Jeremy has spent the last 5 years becoming an expert on today’s young men. He is certified by leadership guru John Maxwell, trained by UK based coach Christian Simpson and is a certified Bo Eason Personal Story Power Coach.

Jeremy currently lives outside of Dallas Texas. He’s been married to his beautiful wife Adrienne for 25 years. He’s a proud father of two daughters, Brooklyn and Michelle and his son Kyle. He also loves dogs and has a Border Collie named Cash.