The values that drive us
Truth is our highest value. The power of our message is propelled by the integrity of our organization. Honesty and attention to detail are the foundations for building our credibility.
Our Mission
Our mission is to build trust through the truth about the positive evolution of human behavior.
Our Vision
Our vision is to build collaborations with other organizations, with thousands of members empowering millions of people globally, communicating that the human race is becoming more resilient, trustworthy, responsible, empathetic, peace-seeking, and kind.
Joe Phelps
Aug 18, 1949 – Sep 15, 2026
A Life Dedicated to Love, Service and Building Trust
Joe Phelps with his wife Jeannie.
Joe Dolen Phelps, leader, lover, humanist, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at his home in Paradise Valley, Montana on September 15, 2026. He was 77 years old.
A Life Built on Love, Purpose, and Big Ideas
Joe was born on August 18, 1949 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma to two hard-working dust bowl survivors, Hazel and Q.D. Phelps. Joe took his first job in the summer after 4th grade, washing dishes at the farm cafe of his bonus parents, Daddy Red and Mama May. Joe’s love of music led him to become a drummer and musical entrepreneur in the South, which eventually led to a 40-year career in marketing. In 1981, he founded The Phelps Group with his late wife Sylvia, with the mission of promoting companies that make the world a better place. He later became the longest-running CEO on the west coast of any significant-sized ad agency. At The Phelps Group, Joe abolished the traditional top-down hierarchy in favor of a flat, team-based organization centered around the clients. In 2005, he authored a book on the subject, “Pyramids are Tombs,” which was used in marketing curriculum at USC and Pepperdine. Joe’s employees weren’t called employees, they were associates. And they loved him.
Few have loved as freely and abundantly as Joe Phelps. He was the life of the party. His father worked as a driller in the oil fields all over the American Southwest and Great Plains. After each oil well was drilled, the Phelps family would pack up, hitch up the mobile home, and move to the next drill site. So by the time he left home for college, Joe had lived in 16 different towns. His kindly nature stemmed from the need to make new friends often throughout his childhood.
A Heart That Always Made Room for Others
As a young adult, his friends called him Hippy Joe. Those were the days of peace, love, and BIG IDEAS. Joe listened to the Beatles and absorbed their positive messages. He lifted himself up and loved to bring others with him – giving generously to his friends, family, and community. Joe loved being a father to his 2 children, Doug and Emilie, and grandson, Leo.
Joe was awarded the Debbie Erdman-Lee Freeman Leadership in Philanthropy Award for his work with and donations to the Livingston Healthcare Foundation. Joe’s hobby was planting trees, and he worked with the Western Sustainability Exchange to promote environmental stewardship and rural economic prosperity. In a parting gift, he left his remains to the WWAMI program, which helps in the education of future physicians. Joe believed that the best way to be happy in life is to be of service to others.
An Unwavering Belief in Humanity – and a Mission to Build Trust
Joe’s trust and belief in mankind is exceedingly rare. Anyone who has spent much time with Joe has likely heard him preach about crime levels in the US today being the lowest they’ve been in 100 years. His observations over his years in the marketing industry led him to see how the public can be easily swayed by the media. This led Joe to the 2015 formation of the Getting Better Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization with the objective of “building trust through the truth about the positive evolution of human behavior.”
He produced a documentary called Trust Me that won several awards, including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism and the UNESCO Award for Media Literacy in North America. One of his last acts was to remain focused on fulfilling his mission to help people by working on the next Getting Better Foundation billboard campaign, with the theme of “Reminding our community about why we can trust each other.”
Joe was deeply loved by many. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten.
To offer condolences, please reach out at info@gettingbetterfoundation.
Our Team
Rosemary Smith
Managing Director
Passion for making things better for people she meets and the environment she loves makes Rosemary the perfect fit as Managing Director of the Getting Better Foundation. Her background in media, marketing, and communications is well suited to further GBF’s mission of building trust through education about positive human progress and behavior. Rosemary is a media literacy expert – demonstrating quickly and efficiently the damages as a resulting from online manipulation. Her selfless networking skills enable her to share her expertise with global experts, fellow educators, students, parents, and governments.
Along with Getting Better’s Founder & CEO, Joe Phelps, Rosemary believes it’s a great time to be alive, although not everyone believes that to be the case. Could media “ill-literacy” be part of the dilemma affecting mental well-being, polarization of communities, racism, anxiety, depression, and suicidology?
GBF’s non-partisan mission of “building trust through the truth about the positive evolution of human progress” supports media & information literacy (MIL) education and has produced the award-winning documentary “Trust Me” to bring awareness of what may be the most important topic of our time.
Rosemary was Vice President & National Sales Manager for Eagle Radio Group, headquartered in Northern Michigan. She did everything from copywriting to advertising sales & community involvement, while managing sales and creative staff. Rosemary and her husband, Kent built their media group from the ground up, including towers and transmitters, buildings, and talent. In one of the worst economic downturns the state of Michigan ever faced, Eagle Radio became the “go-to” for listeners and media clients in dozens of markets. They were named “The Voice” of Northern Michigan for their award-winning morning shows in each of the markets they served. Their motto of “take care of our communities and they’ll take care of us” set the bar for service above self.
In 2018, the Smiths sold their group of radio stations, relocating to Montana to be closer to their 4 adult children. That’s where Rosemary met Joe Phelps, founder, and CEO of the Getting Better Foundation. Realizing their missions were closely aligned, Rosemary came on board as Managing Director for the foundation. As Impact Producer of the film, Rosemary helped cement the foundation’s diverse, world-class advisory board of scientists, psychologists, neuro-economists, journalists, and media literacy specialists. She and Joe recruited Hollywood talent to direct and produce the multi award winning feature documentary, “Trust Me”. Rosemary spearheads its global distribution including festival, conference & embassy screenings, school and university licensing, and educator and librarian workshops. Rosemary is the Montana chapter-leader for Media Literacy Now – working with legislators to help bring media literacy support to schools nationwide.
