Joe Ladner is a member of the Board of Cutting Edge Foundation.  He graduated from Lumberton High School, Lumberton, Mississippi and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1955.  He also attended Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas earning a number of hours toward a Masters in Forestry.  He has society memberships in the following: Association of Consulting Foresters of America, Society of American Foresters, Consulting Foresters of Texas, Texas Forestry Association and Louisiana Forestry Association.

Mr. Ladner is a Consulting Forester, President and part owner with his wife of Ladner Forestry Consulting, Inc.  Additionally he has been District Manager/Procurement Manager for Champion International, Inc., District Manager for Temple-Inland, Manager of Mill Operations for Republic Creosoting Company, District Forester for Southwestern Timber Company and  Manager of Procurement for Newton Naval Stores.

He is a member of First United Methodist Church where he has been an Administrative Board Member, Chairman of Evangelism Commission, Finance Committee Member, Missions Commission member, Sunday School teacher, short term Discipleship course teacher and follow-up trainer for a community wide “Jesus Film” project.  He is also a member of the Grace Evangelical Society.

His Christian Mission experience has been as follows: Served on “Faith Promise” supported Missions Commission, short-term mission in Mexico, Member of Gideons International through which he has placed Bibles in Mexico and Texas and spoken in many areas of Texas.  He and his wife, Carolyn, have been involved with many missionaries that attend the First United Methodist Church annual Missions Conference, learned about the work they perform, and have become financially supportive of many of these missionaries. 

Mr. Ladner served in the US Army, is a Veteran of the Korean War, has served as a Zone Leader in Texas for Gideons International and is a Certified Forester through the Society of American Foresters program.