As a Fellow of the CEO Forum, these individuals have been honored by our organization as a highly accomplished and influential Christian leader in the marketplace. They are known to be an individual of distinction and honor among their peers in terms of accomplishment, character, and godly leadership over a lifetime – one considered to be a leader of leaders. Or, as the apostle Paul would say, “a leader above reproach.”
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Dr. Richard S. Lytle currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of CEO Forum, Inc. Additionally, he serves on the business faculty at Abilene Christian University as Director of the Lytle Center for Leadership and Faith Development in the College of Business Administration after having served as dean of the College from 1999-2016. He served as one of only 7 deans in the school’s 75-year history and has been a member of the Abilene Christian University faculty since 1991.
Education and Teaching
Lytle holds a B.B.A. from Harding University, an M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Arizona State University. He has been a participant in Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education, the Babson College Fellows Program for Entrepreneurship Educators and the University of Michigan’s Cycle of Leadership Executive Education Institute. For more than a decade, Lytle has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing, strategy and leadership. Additionally, he has studied abroad numerous times in Asia, Europe and Central America.
Recognition
Lytle has received the College of Business Administration Outstanding Teacher of the Year award multiple times and has been the recipient of the ACU Board of Trustees Outstanding University Professor award. He has developed and/or led innovative and intensive faith-based programs including Senior Blessing, Leadership Summit, the Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series, the Emerging Leaders Conference series and ENTRUST. Lytle received a national Templeton Foundation award for his work in these programs.
Research
Lytle has authored a number of articles and book chapters in his field, including works published in the Journal of Retailing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of HealthCare Marketing, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of European Marketing and the Eastern European Management Journal. His dissertation research is among the most cited in its field. Additionally, his work is published and served as the basis for service training and development in the Audi of America Academy. His book entitled, “Abandon the Ordinary: Building a Distinctive Leadership Brand in Business, Family, and Church” was released by ACU/Leafwood Press October 2010 and is in its second printing. Currently, he is working on research related to next generation leadership issues. He also continues to conduct research on service quality and leadership in retail organizations.
Professional Consulting Pursuits & Board Service
Before joining ACU, Rick worked professionally for Volkswagen of America, Inc., in Troy, Michigan and Tenneco and Amoco Oil Production Companies in Denver, Colorado. Additionally, he served as Finance Supervisor, Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac, EDS in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He has consulted widely, conducting research around his work in organizational strategy, service culture and customer satisfaction. Major clients include Audi of America, Bank of America, Caterpillar, Encompass Home Health, First Financial Bancshares, H.E.B., Lauren Engineers & Constructors, St. Vincent’s Hospital System (Indiana), Sparrow Hospital (Michigan), Unity Health Center (Oklahoma) and Volkswagen. Rick serves on the board of Focus on the Family and is Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. He also serves on the boards of CEO Forum, Inc. and Hallal Ministries.
Personal
Of most importance in Lytle’s life are faith and family. He and his wife, Jeanne, are active members of the Southern Hills Church of Christ and often teach together. They have three beautiful daughters, Kelly, Hannah, and Michelle. Together, they enjoy teaching about family matters and leadership. They enjoy a variety of activities including Great Lakes boating, water/snow skiing, hiking, running and global travel.
Dr. Richard S. Lytle currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of CEO Forum, Inc. Additionally, he serves on the business faculty at Abilene Christian University as Director of the Lytle Center for Leadership and Faith Development in the College of Business Administration after having served as dean of the College from 1999-2016. He served as one of only 7 deans in the school’s 75-year history and has been a member of the Abilene Christian University faculty since 1991.
Lytle holds a B.B.A. from Harding University, an M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Arizona State University. He has been a participant in Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education, the Babson College Fellows Program for Entrepreneurship Educators and the University of Michigan’s Cycle of Leadership Executive Education Institute. For more than a decade, Lytle has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing, strategy and leadership. Additionally, he has studied abroad numerous times in Asia, Europe and Central America.
Dr. Richard S. Lytle currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of CEO Forum, Inc. Additionally, he serves on the business faculty at Abilene Christian University as Director of the Lytle Center for Leadership and Faith Development in the College of Business Administration after having served as dean of the College from 1999-2016. He served as one of only 7 deans in the school’s 75-year history and has been a member of the Abilene Christian University faculty since 1991.
Education and Teaching
Lytle holds a B.B.A. from Harding University, an M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Arizona State University. He has been a participant in Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education, the Babson College Fellows Program for Entrepreneurship Educators and the University of Michigan’s Cycle of Leadership Executive Education Institute. For more than a decade, Lytle has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing, strategy and leadership. Additionally, he has studied abroad numerous times in Asia, Europe and Central America.
Professional Consulting Pursuits & Board Service
Before joining ACU, Rick worked professionally for Volkswagen of America, Inc., in Troy, Michigan and Tenneco and Amoco Oil Production Companies in Denver, Colorado. Additionally, he served as Finance Supervisor, Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac, EDS in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He has consulted widely, conducting research around his work in organizational strategy, service culture and customer satisfaction. Major clients include Audi of America, Bank of America, Caterpillar, Encompass Home Health, First Financial Bancshares, H.E.B., Lauren Engineers & Constructors, St. Vincent’s Hospital System (Indiana), Sparrow Hospital (Michigan), Unity Health Center (Oklahoma) and Volkswagen. Rick serves on the board of Focus on the Family and is Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. He also serves on the boards of CEO Forum, Inc. and Hallal Ministries.
Kayla McKelvey joined CEO Forum in August of 2024 and serves as an Executive Coordinator of Member Engagement & Discipleship. She graduated from Texas Tech University in 2015 with a BA in Advertising and Mass Communication.
Before coming to CEO Forum, Kayla built a diverse professional background spanning corporate, startup, and ministry sectors. She resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her husband and two young children.
Rachel Dahlstrom joined the CEO Forum in July 2024 as the Marketing & Communications Manager, bringing with her over six years of invaluable experience in non-profit marketing, with a strong emphasis on Digital Marketing. Holding a degree in Marketing from Oklahoma State University, Rachel is committed to leveraging business for social good. In her role at CEO Forum, Rachel assumes responsibility for leading all aspects of marketing and communications.
Originally from Westlake, TX, Rachel lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, with her husband and two young children. In her spare time, she enjoys playing soccer with her kids, following Oklahoma State Football, and indulging in tennis and golf.
Dr. Jo Vitale is a Christian speaker and an evangelist whose primarily focus is in helping seekers and Christians alike come to know and love God with both their hearts and minds. For the last decade, she has ministered to skeptics and those wrestling with doubt by engaging with their intellectual objections and emotional barriers to the Christian faith.
From 2016 to 2021, Jo worked in the role of the Dean of Studies at the Zacharias Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, and as an itinerant evangelist for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Jo has spoken internationally in a variety of contexts, including at churches and Christian conferences (e.g. Passion City Church, Atlanta; Redeemer Church, NYC; Calvary Chapel, Las Vegas; Progressive Baptist Church, Chicago; The Story Church, Houston; Hillsong, Sydney; St. Aldates, Oxford), businesses, schools, radio shows, and on the campuses of multiple universities including UC Berkeley, West Point, Princeton, Yale (for the annual National Collegiate Day of Prayer), ASU, Georgia Tech, Oxford, LSE, and Aberdeen.
Jo has three degrees from the University of Oxford: a bachelor’s degree in theology, a master’s degree in biblical interpretation, and a DPhil (PhD) in Old Testament studies. For her doctoral dissertation she centered her research on issues pertaining to the Old Testament’s depiction of women (specifically, female beauty and blame culture), and she speaks often on cultural misconceptions such as that the Bible is sexist, racist, or genocidal.
Alongside her graduate studies, Jo trained for ordination in the Anglican church at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, before joining the Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics full-time in capacity of an academic tutor, pastoral mentor, and public speaker. During her years in Oxford, Jo was on the pastoral team for the undergraduate student ministry at St. Aldates Church, and also served as both a member of the church’s PPC (Parochial Church Council) and the Standing Committee.
Jo is married to Dr. Vince Vitale (who serves as a faculty scholar at CEO Forum). Vince and Jo enjoy teaming up for their Ask Away podcast, giving talks together, and trying (largely unsuccessfully) to keep up with their young children, Raphael and Jonathan.
Sarah joined the team as the Executive Coordinator of National Events and Member/Spouse Engagement in October of 2023. Prior to this role, Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree of biblical and theological studies.
She has worked in event planning for 15 years as she grew up in an event centered home. She has operated in event specific roles ranging from wedding planner, gala planner, ministry event coordinator, and more. Sarah lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her two cats and spends her free time drinking coffee, writing, and/or organizing.
Rod comes to the CEO Forum with more than 35 years of experience in executive leadership, pastoral ministry, and Christ-centered education. He has also served as an executive coach and consultant for business and non-profit organizations in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. He loves helping leaders pursue personal health, organizational effectiveness, and missional faithfulness.
From 1985-1997, Rod served as a pastor in churches in the upper Midwest before being called to university leadership roles in California and Arkansas. In 2019, Rod was called to serve as Chancellor (CEO) of a residential Christian university in Indiana, where he returned the university to profitability and refocused its people and programs on building a pervasive discipleship culture.
Rod earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration before heading to seminary for a Master of Divinity degree. He went back to school mid-career to complete a PhD in Theology, focusing on the spiritual impact of organizations on individuals.
Rod and his wife, Michelle, have been married since 1991 and have four adult children – Connor, Zack, Kaden, and Zoe; two daughters-in-law – Clare and Danica; and one granddaughter due this spring! They are moving to Northwest Arkansas to be able to serve the Southeast region and to be near family. Rod enjoys playing pickleball and racquetball, reading, watching movies with the family, and is a long-suffering Dallas Cowboys fan.
Jackie Peak joined CEO Forum as the Executive Assistant to Rick Lytle, President/Chief Executive Officer in January, 2021. She was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but Texas is now home. She has been here since 1984.
Before joining the CEO Forum, Jackie worked at American Airlines for 22 years in a variety of roles, including supporting the President of AA for a short time when he was between admins.
Jackie and her husband live in the north Dallas area. They have 3 grown boys and 8 grandchildren. Jackie is a member of Gateway Church. She enjoys spending time with family & friends, cooking, gardening, and playing games.
David is a proven C-Suite executive leader drawing from extensive experience in organizational leadership, personnel development, strategic partnerships, innovation capability and US-Global business development. He is a member of the Honor & Remember Board of Directors, previous His Touch International Board Chair, Board Chair of the American Logistics Association and is a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.
David was an executive at Procter & Gamble (P&G) where he held numerous positions in the marketplace and within their Worldwide Headquarters. He was a founding member of the P&G corporate Shopper Based Design innovation capability platform and was a founder of the P&G North America USO Strategic Alliance. While at P&G, David was recognized with numerous awards including the Chairman’s Club, President’s Club and for the organizations he led, including North America Top Team and First Moment of Truth Top Team.
After P&G, David assumed the role of President and COO for the Military Retail Channel Broker Overseas Service Corporation (OSC) and led the merger of OSC and Webco Corporation from inception to execution to form OSC-WEBco. Under his leadership the company grew from #3 to #1 in the global Military Retail Government Channel for the first time in its 70-year history as company sales revenue tripled to $2.1B.
In 2020, he joined SpartanNash’s executive leadership team as President of Military Distributors of Virginia, their industry leading global (US + 32 countries) Military Channel retail distributor with annual sales revenue of $2.2B. He led the organization through the global pandemic and a company restructure while executing a strategic turnaround plan that transitioned the business from red performance to record profitability in 2 years. In 2022, David was named Chief Customer Officer and continued to lead the Military Division in addition to all corporate partnerships for the Wholesale Food Division with annual sales revenue of $7B.
David strived to reflect his faith, beliefs, and values throughout his executive career. He was born into a Pastor’s home in Madisonville, KY, and currently resides in Jupiter, FL. He is married to Darlaine (former P&G executive, interim Jupiter Christian School President) and has three children: daughters Kelsey (Tod), Victoria, and a son Jordan (Jessie) along with twin granddaughters Remi and Blake.
Brian’s career spans brand management, network television, writing, and church leadership.
After graduating with a degree in advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Brian worked for a decade in marketing at Procter & Gamble.
In 1996, Brian left P&G to co-found one of the largest churches in the United States, Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, where he served as teaching pastor for 12 years. While there, he created their justice ministry, resulting in over $5 million investment in rescue and rehabilitation of child trafficking victims in South Asia.
In 2008, Brian left Crossroads staff to oversee creative development of network television entertainment for families. His work includes movies, specials and series for NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and Hallmark Channel. As Executive Producer, Brian has developed properties for sponsors including Walmart, Procter & Gamble, ConAgra, Pepsi, Microsoft, FedEx, and Smucker’s. In 2014, Advertising Age recognized his work as one of the top 10 branded entertainment initiatives of the past ten years.
In 2016, Brian authored his first book in the critically acclaimed, League and the Lantern adventure book series for middle school readers, receiving a rare perfect 10 from the Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize in Fiction.
Brian is also the founder of Leadership Scholars, a spiritual and business skills development initiative on the campuses of the University of Cincinnati, Miami University, and University of Kentucky.
Brian and his wife, Nancy, live in Cincinnati, have been married for 30 years, and have two grown children.
Hannah Ford joined the CEO Forum as the Executive Coordinator, Member Engagement and Discipleship in May 2021. She was born and raised in Rapid City, SD and graduated from South Dakota School of Mines in 2001 with a BS in Interdisciplinary Science.
Prior to joining the CEO Forum, Hannah worked in both the residential and commercial real estate market. She then transitioned into working as the Volunteer/Bereavement Coordinator at Mercy Hospice. Hannah, along with her husband and son, live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She has a wide variety of hobbies including, but not limited to, cooking, sewing, reading, and golf.
Casey serves as the Manager of Next Generation & Global Impact Initiatives. He works primarily with CEOs and Senior Executives in the ENTRUST Initiative, as well as key leaders involved in our global opportunities.
Professional
Before joining the CEO Forum in 2021, Casey worked at the United Nations (UN) during graduate school where he focused on domestic and international private sector development strategies. His global experiences include studying business law and entrepreneurship in Shanghai, China, as well as establishing micro-finance programs across Africa. His efforts with the UN not only led to a university partnership on sustainability, but he also gave the commencement speech for his graduating class. Prior to graduate school, he spent several years as an investment consultant on equity and mutual fund management at Team Financial Strategies.
Education
M.S. in International Management from The University of Texas at Dallas
B.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Abilene Christian University.
Exec. Ed. in Investment Management Theory and Practice from Yale School of Management
Personal
Casey and his wife, Katie, live in Flower Mound, Texas, where they currently attend The Village Church. They enjoy the outdoors, traveling, being with family, and volunteering in their community.
Philippians 4:12-13
Kyndal Singleton serves as the Senior Director of Operations in Highland Village, TX. She has been with the CEO Forum since February 2019.
Kyndal graduated in 2015 from Abilene Christian University with a Masters in Accounting. She served as a senior auditor at Ernst & Young before joining the CEO Forum team. She lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.
Will has a unique background in business, marketplace ministry, theological education, and spiritual leadership development. He is a gifted business person, theologian and spiritual companion.
Will holds an earned Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and an earned Master of Divinity degree from Abilene Christian University. He also holds a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Selah Center for Spiritual Formation.
Since 2005, Will served in important positions at the intersection of faith and business. Most recently, Will served as Pastor in a large church with a 36,000 person average weekly attendance. There he was responsible for developing personal relationships with business leaders to mentor, disciple and pastor them in areas of business, personal/family life and their walk with God. He also served as Director of Client Expansion for Marketplace Chaplains, Dallas, Texas where he led strategic marketing efforts, prospecting and sales initiatives.
For over a decade Will has facilitated retreats for business owners and C-Level executives on the topic of Spiritual Leadership. The retreat offers a road map and practical guidance on ways to seek God and to lead from a transformed and emotionally healthy soul. In addition to these positions of influence, Will served as a Single Adult Minister for the Prestoncrest Church, Dallas, Texas where he launched and grew an expanding and vibrant singles ministry.
Will and his wife, Jennifer, have been married since 1996 and have 2 children – Kaden and Landry. They reside in Aledo, Texas (just outside Ft. Worth).
Will enjoys bass fishing, college football, BBQ, reading and spending quality time with family.
Jim currently serves as Executive Vice President of Innovation & Impact of the CEO Forum. In this role, he will be responsible for leading strategic initiatives through concept, qualification, and execution. These initiatives will drive member discipleship, growth, satisfaction, as well as funding and resource breakthroughs.
Jim just finished his role as co-Leader of the ANA’s #SeeHer movement (https://www SeeHer.com). He led strategy for the movement and was the co-designer of the Gender Equality Measure (GEM™) tools developed to improve advertising and media ROI via the elimination of gender bias against women and girls. GEM received the research industry’s highest global recognition in ‘17 (ESOMAR Gold Medal). #SeeHer was launched at the White House in ’16 and membership includes the world’s top marketing companies (70+). The U.N. is a strong supporter and partner of #SeeHer.
Jim has been a leader in the family entertainment industry for 10+ years. He co-founded Flashlight Entertainment to support Walmart and P&G’s family programming initiatives (which was initiated by the CEO Forum). He co-produced many top movies including: The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Return to Nims Island, and Dear Dumb Diary. Jim was co-leader on multiple new ventures focusing on internet/OTT entertainment, TV series and music concert(s).
Jim held executive positions at P&G (employee for 20+ years) where he was VP/GM of multiple organizations (responsible for North America Marketing, Strategy, and Planning –including Media and Research responsibilities) and P&L business units (Baby, Family and Senior Care in Asia). P&G sponsored Jim’s PhD in Organizational Leadership (which also contained an in-depth focus on women and minorities).
Jim is co-Founder of Crossroads Church (Cincinnati, Ohio; https://www.crossroads.net), one of the fastest growing and largest churches in the world (weekly attendance exceeding 35,000+). He was co-Leader of the nationally acclaimed STRIVE K-12 Educational Reform initiative (via the Knowledgeworks Foundation). These initiatives have raised over $500 million dollars.
Jim’s PhD is supported by degrees in Business and Decision Science. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife (Vivienne Bechtold – an internationally recognized P&G marketer; Co-founder of Crossroads) and three adult children (all in college).
Jim’s life Bible verse is: I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me – Phil 4:13
Tammy Lewis joined CEO Forum as the Executive Coordinator – Member Engagement & Discipleship in April of 2024. She was born and raised in Nocona, TX and graduated from the University of North Texas with a BA in Business Administration.
Prior to joining CEO Forum, Tammy worked as the Executive Assistant at Empower One. She lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family. Tammy enjoys traveling, college football, and volunteering with the High School Youth Ministry at Irving Bible Church, where she has been a member for 15 years.
Geneviève is a proven leader with over three decades of invaluable experience in the corporate sphere and faith-based contexts. Her calling and expertise are evident through the diverse roles she has successfully held such as Managing Partner, Board Member, Executive Coach, Spiritual Advisor, Bible Teacher, Mentor, and Retreat Leader.
Most recently, she served as the Managing Partner of Go-on Group Houston, a subsidiary of Go-on Group GmbH in Dusseldorf, Germany. From launching the Houston office to navigating international business challenges, she demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, emphasizing integrity and trust. Her ability to motivate teams, identify strategic objectives, and develop meaningful relationships has been a hallmark throughout her career. As a respected executive coach, she continues to offer a unique blend of spiritual insight and business acumen.
Geneviève’s business experience is combined with her extensive experience and advanced training in pastoral ministry. Notably, she founded, directed, and taught the only discussion format Bible study class at a large congregation in Kingwood, TX, from 2009 to 2022. She initiated and developed various ministry programs and continues to serve as a spiritual advisor and director. She holds a Bachelors in Biblical Studies and is pursuing a Masters in Spiritual Formation. She also has advanced training in Spiritual Direction.
Geneviève, a French-Canadian native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, turned Texan, relocated to north Houston in the early 2000s with her family. She is married and has three adult children as well as a daughter and son-in-law. Geneviève loves reading, cooking, and any outdoor activity such as hiking, skiing, and mountain biking, and enjoys these even more when shared with family and friends.
Lindsey serves as the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Forum. She manages the marketing and communications initiatives within our National Support Center in Flower Mound, TX.
Lindsey graduated in 2015 from Texas A&M University with a business management degree and certification in non-profit management from Mays Business School. Before joining the CEO Forum, Lindsey served as both a Development Officer and Communications Manager for Make-A-Wish North Texas for 4 years. Before joining Make-A-Wish, Lindsey worked in the Texas State Senate in Austin for a DFW Senator during the 85th Legislative Session.
Lindsey lives in the Fort Worth area with her family.
Christian Oliver joined the CEO Forum as the Executive Coordinator, Member Engagement and Discipleship in September 2022. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s in architecture, and prior to joining the CEO Forum, she worked as an Architectural Associate. Christian and her family live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
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Debra Steigerwaldt Waller was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jockey International, Inc., in January 2001, following in the steps of her mother, Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt, who had previously held this post in the family-owned business.
Debra joined the company as an Administrative Assistant in 1982 and quickly ascended into the role of Merchandise Manager of Jockey for Her in 1983. Debra’s growth within Jockey continued when, in 1991, she was named Director of Women’s Merchandising. She became Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Jockey for Her, and in 1994, was named Senior Vice President of Special Markets. In 1995, she became Executive Vice President and Assistant to the President until 2000, when she was named Vice Chairman of the Board and Assistant to the President.
She received a Bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In 2005, Debra founded Jockey Being Family, a corporate citizenship initiative committed to strengthening adoptive families for successful futures. In the past, Debra has served on the Board of Directors of The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Board of Directors of Church Mutual Life Insurance Company, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank and Board of Trustees of Carthage College. Debra was a founding member and served on the Board of Directors of MargaretAnn’s Place, a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to providing peer support groups and services for grieving children, teens, families and communities who are coping with death and dying. Debra currently serves on the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Lutheran College and United in Purpose.
Mark is a Christ-centered, relationally driven professional with over 30 years of experience in helping organizations grow numerically and financially. He has a proven track record of establishing credibility and rapport with high level professionals and business leaders by engaging, building, and fostering relationships. Mark is able to embrace, understand, and align with the passions and heart of the organizations he partners with through his ability to collaborate with strategic partners and build consensus across multiple organizational levels.
Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Abilene Christian University. For over 20 years, Mark has served in several roles within Christian higher education. As Alumni Director at two universities, he oversaw and managed long-range goals, operational plans, and budgets for all aspects of the alumni and parent relations programs. He has spent the majority of his career in senior level fundraising roles where he has managed large portfolios of prospects and was responsible for securing gifts for capital, endowment, and planned giving support. Most recently, Mark served as the Executive National Advancement Officer for Abilene Christian University.
Mark and his wife, Shelli, were high-school sweethearts and have been married for 34 years. They have four grown children and live in Nashville. Mark and Shelli are active stakeholders at Church of the City. Mark enjoys cooking (especially BBQ), golf, college and pro football, reading, and spending quality time with family.
Todd Bright is the Founding Partner of Bright & Associates, a boutique accounting firm specializing in church and ministry outsourced bookkeeping and CFO services. Todd has over 30 years of extensive business leadership and management experience, including working in public accounting with KPMG, serving as Vice President – Planning & Analysis at Eckerd Corporation, and then leading as CFO, and eventually President/CEO, of Lifestyle Family Fitness. Todd started Bright & Associates in 2014 after coming to ministry in 2008, and today, Bright & Associates is responsible for various levels of financial operations at 23 ministries across the United States. Todd is married to Heather, and they have six children, Daniel, Lauren, Noah, Seth, Hannah, and Samuel. Todd and his family reside in Parker, Colorado.
Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries, which is transforming 6.8 million lives through meaningful digital content.
Dallas-based Denison Ministries includes DenisonForum.org, First15.org, ChristianParenting.org, and FoundationsWithJanet.org. Dr. Denison speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at DenisonForum.org and DrJimDenison.com, as well as on radio, TV, podcasts, and social media. Dr. Denison speaks approximately 25 times per year at events, seminars, and churches and is a frequent guest on radio and television programs.
He is the author of over 30 books, including:
He has taught the philosophy of religion and apologetics at several seminaries.
Dr. Denison serves as Resident Scholar for Ethics with Baylor Scott & White Health, where he addresses issues such as genetic medicine and reproductive science.
He is a Senior Fellow with:
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Dallas Baptist University. Dr. Denison is the Theologian in Residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Prior to launching Denison Forum in 2009, he pastored churches in Texas and Georgia.
Jim and his wife, Janet, live in Dallas, Texas. They have two married sons and four grandchildren.
Dr. Vince Vitale was educated at Princeton University and the University of Oxford, and he taught philosophy and theology as a faculty member briefly at Princeton and then for several years at Oxford. It was during his undergraduate studies at Princeton that Vince was challenged to read the Bible by two soccer teammates and took an unexpected journey from skeptic to evangelist. He then completed master’s and PhD studies at Oxford, receiving a Daniel M. Sachs Graduating Scholarship (at the time awarded annually to one graduating Princetonian) and a Clarendon Scholarship (supported by Oxford University Press).
Vince most recently served as RZIM’s Regional Director for the Americas and Director of the Zacharias Institute. He co-authored two books—Why Suffering?: Finding Meaning and Comfort When Life Doesn’t Make Sense (2014) and Jesus Among Secular Gods: The Countercultural Claims of Christ (2017)—as well as corresponding Bible studies with YouVersion and Lifeway Christian Resources.
While researching at Oxford, Vince developed a new response to the problem of evil. This response is discussed in Vince’s Philosophia Christi article, “Non-Identity Theodicy,” and in book form with Oxford University Press as Non-Identity Theodicy: A Grace-Based Response to the Problem of Evil (2020). For his work on Søren Kierkegaard, InterVarsity Press and Tyndale House selected Vince as IVP Young Philosopher of Religion of the Year 2013.
Vince has commended the Christian faith in numerous countries and on the campuses of many universities including Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, UC Berkeley, MIT, Johns Hopkins, West Point, and Oxford. He also has had the privilege of speaking at Google; Amazon; Facebook; Autodesk; The Brooklyn Tabernacle; and Passion City Church; and he was the keynote speaker at the 54th National Prayer Breakfast of Canada.
In addition to his focus on biblical and cultural questions, Vince has strong interests in the topics of interpersonal conflict resolution, reconciliation, leadership, and theology of work, as well as in the intersection of faith and sport. He played varsity soccer at Princeton, was a “double Blue” at Oxford (competing for the university in soccer and boxing), and has traveled with Athletes in Action mission teams to four continents. While teaching at Princeton, Vince served as Faculty Director of the Athletes in Action ministry on campus.
Vince is married to Dr. Jo Vitale, who most recently served as a speaker and Dean of Studies at RZIM. Vince and Jo have enjoyed teaming up for the Ask Away podcast, giving talks together, and trying (unsuccessfully) to keep up with their young children, Raphael and Jonathan.
Steve Menefee currently serves as the SLI Class facilitator. Prior to joining the CEO Forum, Steve worked in corporate America for a combined 30 years; 10 years as President of North America and Asia Pacific for Arrow Electronics and the previous 20 years as Executive VP of Sales and Marketing of North America for Avnet Electronics (both global electronic distributors). Today Steve’s current focus and passion is to help other Christian business executives experience a spiritually transformed life while integrating their faith into every area of their lives…including their businesses.
For more than 25 years, John Aden has been a senior executive with a record of delivering growth, leveraging scale, driving innovation and building high-performance teams at some of the world’s top companies, including Walmart Inc., Mac Tools and Frito-Lay. Now, he is at the helm of one of the largest Christian ministries—David C Cook, serving as their CEO since the Fall of 2021.
John joined Walmart in 2007 as senior vice president of international operations. In 2011, John moved into U.S. Merchandising as senior vice president of Hardlines. Later that year, John was promoted to executive vice president of General Merchandising, with sales exceeding $50 billion. John leveraged consumer insights, supplier collaboration and innovation to drive growth, especially in the entertainment categories. Following this, John became executive vice president of Merchandise Services, leading the support functions for all of Walmart U.S. merchandising. In 2014, John transitioned into the role of executive vice president of Merchandise Innovations. Prior to joining Walmart, John served as president of Mac Tools from 2000 to 2007. Before joining Mac Tools, John worked in a variety of positions in operations, marketing, sales and brand management for Frito-Lay from 1990 to 2000. He started his career with Frito-Lay on a route truck in Seattle after graduating from the University of Washington in 1990.
Since leaving Walmart in 2015, John has continued to engage in personal and professional projects that align with his interests in consumer insights, innovation, leadership development and faith in the workplace. Formerly chairman of the CEO Forum, John continues to invest time in the organization as a mentor of leadership development with current CEOs. He also recently built a successful cattle operation from scratch, leveraging industry innovation to build a high-quality herd of more than 1,000 cattle. John and his wife, Kristal, have been married for 25 years and have two children, Julia and Joey.
Nino joins as a Vice President Member Engagement & Discipleship for the Forum. He will serve members in the Central Region of the U.S., including Texas. Nino has spent 25 years in full-time ministry at churches in San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth. Most recently he has served as an Advancement Officer for Abilene Christian University (ACU).
Nino was born in Verona, Italy, where his parents were serving as missionaries. He grew up in Temple, Texas and later graduated from ACU. His roles while working in full-time ministry ranged from youth pastor, to young adult pastor, to worship pastor, and to senior campus pastor. He continues to serve in his local church as a volunteer and leads worship at various churches throughout Texas.
Nino holds a Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling and a BS in Bible, both from Abilene Christian University. He is outstanding in relationship building as well as a resourceful leader and communicator. Nino and his wife, Alison, live in Fort Worth and have three grown children. He enjoys the opportunity to lead worship and is always singing and playing his guitar.
Stephen is an active board member of TruGreen, The CEO Forum, the Board of Trustees of The Compassionate Friends and The National Advisory Board of the Salvation Army. He was Chair of the ANA’s Alliance For Family Entertainment (AFE) and its #SeeHer initiative for three years ending in December 2018. He was EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Walmart for the ten years ending January 2016. Prior to that he was CMO of Frito-Lay and in 13 years with PepsiCo, he held several roles including innovation, brand management, advertising, market research and customer marketing. Quinn held marketing, sales and finance positions at Quaker Oats, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble. He is in The Marketing Hall Of Fame, and is former Chairman of Association of National Advertisers.
He received an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario and a BA in Economics from Queens University in Canada.
Stephen and his wife Linda live in Dallas, have been married for 38 years and have three children and four grandchildren.
In his 32 years in Christian higher education, Dr. Garrison served as Vice President of External Studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, was appointed as president of ACCESS (Association of Christian Continuing Education Schools and Seminaries), and served 10 years as Dean of Students at LeTourneau University and Moody Bible Institute. During his involvement in this field he worked on the executive committee of ACSD (Association of Christians in Student Development) as editor of their professional publications and also served as the president of Arizona Christian University.
Dr. Garrison has a doctorate in educational administration, masters in educational administration, undergraduate degree in history, and extensive study in Bible/Theology. Garrison has had vast teaching experiences including teaching high school sciences, LeTourneau University (Teacher-of-the-year Award), Moody Bible Institute’s External Studies Division and Briercrest University. Also, he taught overseas as a visiting scholar at Siping Normal University in China, an English Language Institute of China and lectured at Asian Theological Seminary in Manila, Philippines.
He co-authored a book on spiritual disciplines with Dr. Don Whitney, contributor to The Inspired Leader: 101 Biblical Reflections for Becoming a Person of Influence, as well as numerous articles on faith and worldview. Family Life Radio aired a daily radio program by Dr. Garrison on Church History, On This Day. He recently authored a book about biblical leadership, Leadership by the Book: Lessons from every Book of the Bible (February 2016), Elevate Publishers.
Dr. Garrison has been married to Margaret for 42 years and together they have four grown children and five grand kids. Margaret serves as the director of the Missions Program and Women’s Ministries at their church and has a graduate degree in library science. They enjoy travel–especially visiting missionaries in the field (having visited 40 countries). Brent is a voracious reader, enjoys motorcycle trips (and anything with wheels), golfing and drinking strong coffee.
Jeanne B. Lytle currently serves as the Director of Women’s Ministry at CEO Forum. She grew up in Redford Township, Michigan, and attended Michigan State University earning a degree in English and Journalism. Her desire to be a college professor and her love of learning resulted in lifelong educational pursuits. She and Rick married after graduation and moved to Oklahoma State University to attend graduate school. They then moved to Colorado where Jeanne wrote for various companies: she wrote business curriculum at The College for Financial Planning and Air Force Training Materials for Martin Marietta, now known as Lockheed Martin. Rick and Jeanne moved to Arizona State University where Rick completed a Ph.D. in Business and Jeanne completed a master’s degree in Education. During this time, she also wrote various communication materials for TRW, Inc.
Jeanne went on to complete a second master’s degree in Gifted and Talented Education from Hardin Simmons University while raising her three girls. She served as adjunct instructor in English at Abilene Christian University. She co-authored a book with Dr. William Dukes and has assisted in various memoirs.
She enjoys teaching young married couples at Southern Hills Church of Christ and college students at Leadership Summit in Colorado. Most of her past 25 years have been spent as a mom, loving and nurturing her children: Kelly, Hannah and Michelle.
Kristin Brewer joined CEO Forum as the Executive Coordinator, Spiritual Leadership Institute in November 2019. She was born and raised in Arlington, TX and graduated from Abilene Christian University in 2004 with a BBA in Management and HR.
Before joining the CEO Forum Team, she has worked in various roles of Sales, Operations, Account Management (Accenture & Vizient, Inc.) as well as her most recent positions serving as a Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant (MapR Technologies & Cintra Software and Services).
Kristin and her husband live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with their two boys and are incredibly blessed by their strong church and school community where they have been for over fifteen years. Her favorite sporting event is playoff hockey, but she’s not one to turn down an opportunity to attend any regular season game.
Josh serves as the Manager of Curriculum and Programs within the Spiritual Life Institute and began working with CEO Forum in November of 2020. He works alongside the Spiritual Leadership Institute team to provide effective resources and experiences through curriculum, classes, and other events.
Josh graduated from Texas A&M University in 2018 with a Bachelors in Leadership and a communication minor. In 2021 Josh will graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters of Christian Leadership. Prior to joining the CEO Forum team, Josh has served on staff at Compass Christian Church and TURN Ministries.
Currently, Josh lives in the Dallas / Fort Worth area with his family. Outside of the office, Josh enjoys all kinds of sports, especially basketball, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and playing with his two dogs; Dirk and Landry.
Melissa serves as the Vice President Member Engagement & Discipleship for the Forum. She serves female executives nationwide and members in the Northeast Region. Melissa is a bilingual broadcast journalist with more than 20 years of experience in television and radio news. She has worked as a news anchor and reporter in six markets – including at WNBC-TV in New York and WFAA-TV in Dallas/Ft. Worth. She also worked as a morning news anchor for CBS Radio.
In 2008, Melissa founded the PURE Women’s Ministry in New York City, a non-profit that served executive women leaders in the Northeast region and hosted conferences and retreats nationwide. She speaks and writes extensively about her own personal journey through grief and traumatic loss and is completing her first book on the topic. She also mentors aspiring journalists by speaking and teaching at various seminars and conferences.
Melissa holds a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University and a BA in Spanish and Communications from Baylor University. She also studied with Syracuse University at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, Spain. Melissa and her husband live in Dallas and have three young children.
Stephen is an active board member of TruGreen, The CEO Forum, the Board of Trustees of The Compassionate Friends and The National Advisory Board of the Salvation Army. He was Chair of the ANA’s Alliance For Family Entertainment (AFE) and its #SeeHer initiative for three years ending in December 2018. He was EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Walmart for the ten years ending January 2016. Prior to that he was CMO of Frito-Lay and in 13 years with PepsiCo, he held several roles including innovation, brand management, advertising, market research and customer marketing. Quinn held marketing, sales and finance positions at Quaker Oats, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble. He is in The Marketing Hall Of Fame, and is former Chairman of Association of National Advertisers.
He received an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario and a BA in Economics from Queens University in Canada.
Stephen and his wife Linda live in Dallas, have been married for 38 years and have three children and four grandchildren.
Mac McQuiston’s distinguished career spans more than 45 years at some of the most influential and recognizable ministries in America.
After graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University with a BA in religion, Mac spent two years with World Wide Pictures in association with the Billy Graham Organization. He then served as Senior Vice President at Chuck Swindoll’s Insight for Living.
In 1977, he joined Focus on the Family where he was one of the original board members and a signatory of Focus’ incorporation. During his 21-year tenure with the ministry, he held prominent leadership positions, including Vice President of Administration and Development.
While at Focus, Mac launched CEO Forum in 1995. In June 2005, he became the Forum’s President/CEO when it separated from Focus and transitioned to the Founder role in 2016. Today, the Forum serves almost 200 CEOs of major companies through mentoring and discipleship.
In 2011, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from his alma mater. Mac and his wife, Karen, have two daughters and five grandchildren and reside in La Quinta, California.
In his 32 years in Christian higher education, Dr. Garrison served as Vice President of External Studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, was appointed as president of ACCESS (Association of Christian Continuing Education Schools and Seminaries), and served 10 years as Dean of Students at LeTourneau University and Moody Bible Institute. During his involvement in this field he worked on the executive committee of ACSD (Association of Christians in Student Development) as editor of their professional publications and also served as the president of Arizona Christian University.
Dr. Garrison has a doctorate in educational administration, masters in educational administration, undergraduate degree in history, and extensive study in Bible/Theology. Garrison has had vast teaching experiences including teaching high school sciences, LeTourneau University (Teacher-of-the-year Award), Moody Bible Institute’s External Studies Division and Briercrest University. Also, he taught overseas as a visiting scholar at Siping Normal University in China, an English Language Institute of China and lectured at Asian Theological Seminary in Manila, Philippines.
He co-authored a book on spiritual disciplines with Dr. Don Whitney, contributor to The Inspired Leader: 101 Biblical Reflections for Becoming a Person of Influence, as well as numerous articles on faith and worldview. Family Life Radio aired a daily radio program by Dr. Garrison on Church History, On This Day. He recently authored a book about biblical leadership, Leadership by the Book: Lessons from every Book of the Bible (February 2016), Elevate Publishers.
Dr. Garrison has been married to Margaret for 42 years and together they have four grown children and five grand kids. Margaret serves as the director of the Missions Program and Women’s Ministries at their church and has a graduate degree in library science. They enjoy travel–especially visiting missionaries in the field (having visited 40 countries). Brent is a voracious reader, enjoys motorcycle trips (and anything with wheels), golfing and drinking strong coffee.
Doug Fagerstrom, D.Min., is the retired (2021) CEO and President of Marketplace Chaplains (MCHAP). Doug’s doctorate was earned from Northern Theological Seminary (Chicago) with his dissertation on, Mentoring Leadership within a Cultural Context. Dr. Fagerstrom served as President of Grand Rapids Theological Seminary after 31 years of pastoral ministry in Colorado, Minnesota and Michigan. Doug has written 15 books, many on leadership development, the most recent (2020) with Peter Greer, “Succession, Successful Succession for Leaders.” During Doug’s ministry years, he has coached, mentored, shephered, and trained (equipped) leaders in a variety of venues from corporate executives to ministry leaders in churches and parachurch organizations. During Doug’s leadership at MCHAP, he focused the majority of his time on shepherding the leadership teams and provided spiritual leadership to many company executives through personal relationships and written communiques. He will be involved in spiritual formation, discipleship, pastoral care, and leadership development. He has been a member of CEO Forum for three years. Doug is married to Donna with daughter Darci, son-in-law Jay and two grands.
Jeff is the Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Dental Partners (GLDP). He brings a wealth of experience in building and scaling successful, high-growth multi-site service organizations. He has expertise in building service-oriented support capabilities to empower high performing practice-level activities and associates while delivering an excellent patient experience.
Prior to his role at GLDP, Jeff honed his service-oriented skills as the Head of Revenue and Growth at one of the nation’s largest outdoor home service providers with revenue of $1.5 billion, 13,000 employees, and 250 locations across 40 states. While there, Jeff was a member of the executive management committee and managed all sales, pricing, product management functions supporting revenue growth, and customer retention delivery for the organization. Prior to that, Jeff was the Vice President, Global Sales and Reservations Division of Hilton Worldwide. While at Hilton, Jeff was responsible for developing and executing the growth strategy for the 3,000 person Sales and Reservation division during Hilton’s growth phase and IPO.
Jeff grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University, where he was the quarterback and team captain of Columbia’s varsity football team. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys watching college football, working out on his Peloton, playing sports with his kids, and having date nights with his wife.
Kim A. Robinson is a Senior Discipleship Fellow for the CEO Forum. He is the Vice President of Development at Send Relief. Kim is a 28-year veteran of Procter & Gamble (P&G), retiring as Vice President of Customer Business Development in February, 2010. Following his P&G career, Kim served as Chief Development Officer and President and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio from April, 2010 to July, 2013. Determined to fulfill a long time career goal of working full time in Christian ministry, Kim pursued and was eventually hired at NAMB in May, 2014. Kim is a former trustee at Southern Seminary. He also served for nine years as a Focus on the Family Board Member. Kim holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, where he met Tammy, his college sweetheart and wife of 38 years. Kim and Tammy reside in Johns Creek, Georgia and attend Cross Pointe Church where Kim serves on the First Impressions team.
Strategic and results-oriented leader with experience in leading teams in both start-ups and in large, global corporations. Over the past two decades, has helped launch several consumer-facing businesses as well as worked as a senior executive at PricewaterhouseCoopers and JPMorgan, and with over a dozen client corporations, including Delta Air Lines, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Philips, Lucent, Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, and Occidental Petroleum. Johanna’s career has led her to work in Canada, China, Indonesia, France, The Netherlands, Mexico and across the USA. She continues to coach senior executives and their top teams and has a passion for supporting personal change in making large business changes stick. Most recently, she launched Gender Fair, a public benefit corporation, which independently certifies companies with a real and substantial commitment to women’s equality. Gender Fair informs consumers which companies demonstrate a real and substantial commitment to women as employees, consumers, and citizens.
Prior to Gender Fair, Johanna co-founded GiveBack, an innovative platform that makes it easy for companies to build authentic and impactful cause marketing, workplace giving and other social responsibility initiatives. GiveBack was launched on the Oprah Winfrey Show in April, 2011.
Johanna is originally from the Netherlands, was educated in Canada where she earned an undergraduate degree in Sociology and a Masters degree in Business Administration.
Lisa Nichols is the CEO and co-founder of Technology Partners, a Women-Business Enterprise and provider of premier IT staffing, solutions and software.
Lisa and her husband Greg founded Technology Partners in 1994 driven by their passion to revolutionize the staffing industry with their transparent business model. They co-lead the business today. Greg and Lisa have made it their priority from day one, to create mutual wins for their employees, clients and the communities in which Technology Partners operates. This has, in large part, led to Technology Partners winning the Top Workplaces 2018 for Work/Life Flexibility.
Lisa devotes her time to many professional and philanthropic organizations such as CEO Forum, YPO Christian Fellowship network, the St. Louis Independence Center, YWCA and United Way. Lisa is also the host of the “Something Extra” podcast produced by Technology Partners.
Born in the Bronx, NY, Tom Manenti grew up in Hazlet, New Jersey. He received his college education and undergraduate degree in accounting and business administration from Rutgers University and Nova Southeastern University with post-graduate work in strategic management at The Wharton School of Business. Tom served in the New Jersey Army National Guard, was employed by The Guinness-Harp Corporation in NYC and the U.S. Postal Service in Hazlet, NJ before joining MiTek legacy company, Gang-Nail Systems, Inc. in 1977. Tom started as a sales rep and held various sales management positions before being promoted to President of Gang-Nail in 1989. Gang-Nail was merged into MiTek in 1991 and Tom was promoted to President of MiTek’s U.S. business in 2004. He “retired” in January 2008 to pursue several personal interests, primarily serving on the board of directors of The Greater St. Louis Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). In November 2009, Tom was asked to return to MiTek as President & COO and became Chief Executive Officer January 1, 2011 and Chairman a year later. In January 2017, Tom assumed the role of Executive Chairman after installing Mark Thom as the new CEO of MiTek.
Tom and his wife Kathy reside in Wildwood, Missouri and have been married since 1979. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
John D. Beckett was born and grew up in Elyria, Ohio. He graduated from M.I.T. in 1960, after which he worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry.
In 1963 he joined his father’s small manufacturing business, and became president in 1965 upon the death of his father. The company has grown to become a worldwide leader in producing engineered components for residential and commercial heating. With its affiliates, the company employs some 1,000 people.
Mr. Beckett has long been active in both church and community-related activities. He helped found Intercessors For America, a national prayer organization, in 1973 and continues to serve on its board. He is a founding board member of The King’s College in New York City and serves on the board of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ International).
His first book, Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul, was published in 1998, and is now available in twenty languages. A second book, Mastering Monday: A Practical Guide to Integrating Faith and Work, was released in July 2006.
Mr. Beckett received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Spring Arbor University in 2002 and The King’s College in 2008. He has also been named “Christian Businessman of the Year” by the Christian Broadcasting network (1999) and manufacturing “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young (2003.)
He resides in Elyria, Ohio with his wife, Wendy, to whom he has been married since 1961. They have six children and eighteen grandchildren.
Victor Warren is the founder and served as CEO (1981-2018) of Fairrington Transportation, the largest, full-service, printer-independent mailing logistics provider in the U.S. The business was sold in July of 2017 to LSC Communications, Inc. He served as a Trustee of Christ Church of Oak Brook for fifteen years including ten years as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees. During his tenure, assumed numerous other roles, most notably as chair of the Media Ministry facilitating the church’s presence on Chicago-area television, WGN radio, and the launch of the weekly livestream worldwide. Victor served on the board of Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (2009-2011). He enjoyed participating in the underwriting of “Seven Days in Utopia” with Robert Duvall and used the curriculum from “Golf’s Sacred Journey” (on which the movie was based) in various small groups. Victor has found significant life-change in the ministry of small group participation and leadership.
Victor lives in Oak Brook, Illinois, with his wife, Mary. They have five married children and eleven grand-children. Victor enjoys golf and spending time with his family.
Dan Dye is the CEO of Ardent Mills, the independent joint venture of owners Cargill, Conagra Brands and CHS. As CEO, Dan leads an extensive network of 35 community flour mills, grain mix plant, bakery, specialty grain facility and 4 offices across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada – to create a values-based culture focused on “Nourishing what’s next.”
Prior to the formation of Ardent Mills, Dan held various merchandising and managerial positions during his 30+ year career at Cargill. In 2009, Dan was name president of Horizon Milling, a Cargill joint venture with CHS. Dan led the flour milling, mix and bakery operations of Horizon Milling in the U.S. and Canada, offering flour products and solutions for a wide range of applications.
Prior to that, Dan served for 10 years as president of Cargill AgHorizons, U.S., and was responsible for the overall management of Cargill’s grain handling and retail drop input business in the U.S. He was appointed an assistant vice president of Cargill, Ltd. in Canada in 1990 and of Cargill’s grain division in 1992. In 1995, he was named vice president of its North American grain business.
Dan currently serves on the Executive Committee of the North American Millers’ Association, the Board of Trustees of the Grain Foods Foundation, and is on the Board of Directors for Partners in Food Solutions. Dan also serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of Colorado-Denver Business School, is on the Board of Trustees of Bethel University, St. Paul, MN., and is a board member at the Craig Hospital Foundation, Denver, CO.
Dan graduated from Bethel University, St. Paul, MN, in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics.
Ardent Mills is North America’s leading flour supplier and grain innovator — offering the broadest range of premium multi-use flours, whole grans, mixes and custom multi-grain blends. Ardent Mills brings superior quality, deep knowledge, excellent service and creative approaches to the food of today and the innovations of tomorrow.
Tracy Schmidt has over 40 years’ experience in investment management, logistics, finance, operations and administration, including 24 years with Federal Express, headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., and 14 years at CNL Financial Group in Orlando, Fla.
Currently, Mr. Schmidt is the founder of Morning Star Advisory, LLC where he provides advisory and consulting services to multi-generational families and companies primarily in the logistics and supply chain space.
Mr. Schmidt is also co-founder and Managing Partner of Steward CW Holdings, LLC which was formed in 2019 to develop and operate a network of express car washes.
From 2004-2018, Mr. Schmidt served as CNL Financial Group’s Enterprise Chief Financial Officer, Group President of Alternative Investments and Chief Operating Officer, where he oversaw and provided strategic leadership for the organization’s financial affairs and the alternative investments platform, including overseeing product and partner development and fund management for the firm’s alternative investment strategies. Mr. Schmidt served as member of various investment committees at CNL and as a director and/or officer of CNL and its affiliates, including CEO of CNL Strategic Capital, Inc.
Before joining CNL Financial Group in 2004, Mr. Schmidt was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FedEx Express, where he was responsible for worldwide strategic and financial planning, capital allocations, treasury, accounting, financial reporting, tax, audit, strategic sourcing, IT business systems and revenue operations. Prior to that, Mr. Schmidt was Senior Vice President, General Manager, Air Grounds Terminals and Transportation. Before joining FedEx, Mr. Schmidt served as a staff auditor for one year at Ernst and Whinney.
Mr. Schmidt is a director and chair of the audit committee and member of the risk and executive committees of Gordon Food Service Holdings, Inc., and is a director of Pinnacle Realty Services, Inc., and the United States Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Schmidt also is a trustee and chair of the audit committee and member of the governance and independent trustees committees of Conversus StepStone Private Markets, a registered investment fund. He also serves as a Sr. Advisor to The Over-Haul Group, Inc.
Mr. Schmidt is Chair Emeritus and founding chair of the Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness, and has also served on various other non-profit boards including The First Academy in Orlando, FL., and Briarcrest Christian School, Love Worth Finding Ministries and Stephen Olford Ministries in Memphis, TN.
Dennis Muilenburg is Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of New Vista Acquisition Corporation, launched in 2021; and Owner, President and CEO of DAM CyFly Consulting, LLC, launched in 2020.
Previously, Dennis Muilenburg joined Boeing in 1985, starting at the company as an engineering intern. He served as president from December 2013 to December 2019, as chief executive officer (CEO) from July 2015 to December 2019, and as chairman of the board from March 2016 to October 2019. Until July 2015, Muilenburg served as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of Boeing, where he supported the company’s aerospace business operations and focused on specific growth enablers, including important global relationships, leadership initiatives and development program performance.
Before that, Muilenburg served as president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), serving United States and global defense, government, and commercial customers.
Earlier, Muilenburg was president of BDS’s Global Services & Support business, vice president and general manager of the Boeing Combat Systems division, and program manager for Future Combat Systems. Prior to that, he served as vice president of Programs & Engineering for Boeing Air Traffic Management and director of Weapon Systems for the proposed Boeing Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. He also held program management and engineering positions on F-22, Airborne Laser, High Speed Civil Transport and the Condor reconnaissance aircraft, among others.
Muilenburg spent the first 15 years of his Boeing career in the Puget Sound region of Washington, where he held a number of program management and engineering positions in support of both the commercial airplanes and defense and space businesses.
A native of Iowa, Muilenburg earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and an honorary doctor of science degree from Iowa State University, as well as a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the inaugural Innovator in Residence at Iowa State University, and a distinguished fellow for aerospace, mobility, and manufacturing at the Saint Louis University Research Institute.
Previously, Muilenburg served as a member of the Caterpillar board of directors (2011-2020), chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association board of governors, an executive committee member of the Business Roundtable, a member of the National Space Council’s User Advisory Group, a member of the U.S.-China Business Council, and a member of the Washington University board of trustees. Currently, he is a member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation board of directors, the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology) board of directors, the National World War II Museum board of trustees, and the Northwestern University board of trustees. He also serves as chairman of the board for Biblical Business Training, chairman of the board for the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center – St Louis, a member of The CEO Forum board of directors, and a member of the African Vision of Hope board of directors.
Brandon has served in his current capacity as the President & CEO of KeHE Distributors since March of 2007. Under Brandon’s leadership, the company has grown from a Midwest specialty food distributor to one of the leading Natural & Organic, Specialty, and Fresh Food distributors in North America. KeHE distributes nearly 75,000 items and serves over 30,000 stores across almost every channel of retail from seventeen distribution centers in the U.S. and Canada.
Brandon is on the Board of Directors of World Finer Foods (an importer and marketer of international foods), and two professional organizations – Food Marketing Institute (FMI), and The CEO Forum. In addition, Brandon serves as an advisor or board member to many start-ups or early stage companies, and has been deeply committed to the Chicago area Young Life Organization for more than a decade.
Brandon and his wife are originally from Denver and both received their college degrees in Colorado. Today, Brandon and Donna live in Chicago and have three children, two of whom are married, and six grandchildren. Brandon’s two sons are in the food business and his daughter and son-in-law are in the Ministry.
Cheryl Bachelder is a passionate, purpose-led business leader — the former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. From 2007 to 2017, she led the transformation of a tired brand and discouraged organization into a top-performing quick service restaurant chain. The story of the Popeyes success is chronicled in her book Dare to Serve: How to drive superior results by serving others. Today Cheryl’s aim is to help senior leaders understand and implement Dare to Serve leadership in for-profit and non-profit workplaces.
Cheryl’s earlier career included brand leadership roles at Yum Brands, Domino’s Pizza, RJR Nabisco, The Gillette Company and Procter & Gamble.
Today Cheryl serves as a director on the boards of US Foods Holding Corp (USFD), and Chick-Fil-A, Inc. She is an advisor to Procter & Gamble’s franchising venture, Tide Dry Cleaners. She is a board member of CEO Forum, an organization that encourages and disciples Christian CEOs and senior leaders. She is a mentor and investor to ministries that develop future leaders: Spring Hill Camps, Crossroad Farms, Work Matters, No Longer Bound and CRU. She mentors several leaders of Christian ministries and non-profit arts organizations
Cheryl holds a Bachelor’s and Masters of Business Administration degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She is married 39 years to Chris Bachelder and they have three grown daughters, two terrific son-in-laws, and four handsome grandsons. Cheryl and Chris reside in Atlanta, Georgia and attend Buckhead Church. They are avid learners, fans of the classical education movement, and can always be found reading a good book!
Patrick P. Caruana served 36 years as a member of the U.S. Air Force, serving two years enlisted and 34 years as an officer retiring in the grade of Lieutenant General. During that time, he served in the full range of leadership and staff positions in both operation and acquisition. As an air campaign planner and commander during the first Gulf War, he directed the combat operations of 12 aircraft wings in six nations and the Indian Ocean.
He had oversight of several large development and procurement programs while supporting the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition at the Pentagon He completed his military service at Air Force Space Command, Colorado Springs, Colo. where he was responsible for all the Air Force space and missile operations. Gen. Caruana is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering. In 1972, he received a Master of Science degree in mathematics from Texas A&M University. He has also completed numerous professional military and management training courses offered within the Department of Defense.
General Caruana was honored in 1997 with the award of the Thomas D. White U.S. Air Force Space Trophy for his contributions to civil and military space progress. In addition, he was selected by UNICO, a national Italian-American society as the Outstanding Man of the Year for 1994.
He is a Command Pilot with more than 5500 flight hours in the following aircraft: T-37, T-38, KC-10, KC-135A, KC-135R, EC-135, RC-135, B-52, B-1, T-29, C-123K and C-21
After completing his military career, he joined TRW an aerospace company with a rich space and missile development heritage. When TRW was acquired by Northrup Grumman, he continued as a company officer until he retired on 1 February 05 as vice president for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. In this capacity Mr. Caruana was the single business development focal point for all of Northrop Grumman Space Technology Missile & Space Defense and was responsible for coordinating and ensuring synergy across a broad array of business initiatives. Responsibilities included extensive interaction with senior Department of Defense civilian and military leaders, Congressional members and senior leaders from other major aerospace companies. Representative efforts in Mr. Caruana’s portfolio included the Airborne Laser (ABL), Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), Space Tracking Surveillance System (STSS), several directed energy developmental programs, and a series of restricted Space Superiority development programs. These responsibilities also included management of multimillion dollar operating budgets
He served on the Focus on the Family Board for 18 years being the Chairman for the last 6 of those years. Upon completing his time with Focus he was honored as the Chairman Emeritus of Focus. He has served as a member of the President’s Cabinet for California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Calif. He is also a member of the CEO Forum Team dedicated to fostering the creation of Christian Senior Leaders within Corporate America. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Family Policy Alliance (FPA) formerly known as CitizenLink. FPA is a public policy partner of Focus on the Family and functions as a Christ-centered organization, whose vision is a nation where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive and life is cherished.
Pat and his wife Lauraine have been married for 53 years. They have two adult children and seven grandchildren. They have been followers of Jesus Christ for 49 years.
Rich McClure and his wife Sharon are a team. They have been married for 43 years, and are truly life partners and a team in very significant ways. They entered what they call “Life 3” in 2014, after 20 years in corporate life and immediately were called into the work of the Ferguson Commission, where Rich was appointed by the Governor of Missouri to serve as a cochair of a year-long effort to truly understand the causes of racial injustice and inequity represented by the Ferguson uprising . Sharon was his partner, helping with working groups and advising him on strategy and relationships.
Rich is a recovering CEO, having served the customers, agent- owners, and team members of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit for 12 years in that role. He had a early career in public service, as Sharon did. They both served in Missouri and Illinois state government, Sharon in supporting the legislative process, primarily in education policy in Illinois and mental health in Missouri. Rich worked in Governor’s offices in both states. Sharon recently chaired the St. Louis County, Missouri Board of Elections during the tumultuous 2020 election.
For his years in corporate life, Sharon was Rich’s counselor, his advisor on key leadership decisions, and a driver of the energy of the networking at company meetings. A picture of their corporate partnership was on their episode as the first husband and wife team on the hit CBS show Undercover Boss featuring United Van Lines.
Rich and Sharon are committed to living out their faith. Sharon is an ordained deacon and cochairs work at their church on Biblical Justice and Mercy. Rich works on racial equity issues through the lens of his faith though his roles as chair of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Board and by working on projects like the Community Foundation Covid Response Fund. Rich has served as Chairman of the Greater St. Louis United Way and together Rich and Sharon chaired the large donor campaign.
They have two children and four grandchildren that live within 3 blocks of each other- and have lots of quality time during ‘camp’ weeks for each grandchild and family outings to ‘create memories worth repeating’.
Former Chairman of Fiskeby Holdings US LLC, which operates a paper mill in Norrköping, Sweden. He retired as Executive Vice Chairman of Graphic Packaging Corporation (NYSE: GPK) at the end of 2007 after serving as Executive Chairman from August 2003 until July 2006. Jeff was Chairman, President and CEO of Graphic Packaging International from 1997 to 2003. He was also CEO of its predecessor company, ACX Technologies, from its inception in 1992.
Prior to ACX, Jeff enjoyed a 25 year career with Adolph Coors Company which encompassed a broad range of management responsibilities, including board member (1975-1992), President (1983-1988) and Chairman and CEO of Coors Technology Companies (1986-1992).
Throughout his career, Jeff Coors has taken an active role in civic, educational and business organizations and serves on the boards of Free Congress Foundation, Mercy Ships, John Hopkins Medicine Board of Advisors, Hillsdale College, Independence Institute, Intercessors for America and the Adolph Coors and Castle Rock Foundations. He is past chairman of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry.
Jeff and his wife, Lis, have six children and 9 grandchildren and live in Golden, Colorado.
Dr. Mark L. Bailey came to Dallas Theological Seminary in 1985 as a professor in the Bible Exposition department. In 1997 he was appointed as vice president for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean. In 1999, he was appointed to the role role of Provost. In March 2001, Dr. Bailey was named as the Seminary’s fifth president in its 96-year history. After nineteen years as president, he transitioned to the role of chancellor.
Dr. Bailey received his Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern College (now Arizona Christian University) in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1972; his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon, in 1975 and 1977, respectively; and his Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition from Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, in 1997. In December 2006 he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Dallas Baptist University.
For 40 years, his career passions have been theological education and pastoral ministry. In addition to his time at Dallas Theological Seminary, he has served in various pastoral and preaching roles at Palmcroft Baptist Church (Arizona), Community Bible Church (Texas), Faith Bible Church (Texas), and Christ Chapel Bible Church (Texas). He has also led numerous tours to Israel and the Middle East, and has authored such texts as To Follow Him: The Seven Marks of a Disciple and Nelson’s New Testament Survey. His board service includes Bible Study Fellowship, International Alliance for Christian Education, Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, and Word of Life.
Dr. Bailey and his wife, Barby, have been married over 45 years. They have two sons and six grandchildren. Through all, his vision for family and faith is clear: “to lead people to a love for God through the study of His Word. This guides my life, family, involvement at church, and ministry to DTS.”.
John Stonestreet serves as president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He’s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetics. John is the daily voice of BreakPoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on the culture founded by the late Chuck Colson. He is also the voice of the Point, a daily one-minute feature on worldview, apologetics and cultural issues. Before coming to the Colson Center in 2010, John served in various leadership capacities with Summit Ministries and was on the biblical studies faculty at Bryan College (TN).
John has co-authored four books: A Practical Guide to Culture, Restoring All Things, Same-Sex Marriage, and Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN).
He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO. Connect with John at BreakPoint.org, or follow him on Twitter (@jbstonestreet).
Rick Atchley has been the Senior Teaching Minister at The Hills Church of Christ since 1989. He leads a congregation that has expanded to three campuses in the Greater Fort Worth Texas area, and ministers to 5,000 people each weekend. Rick was not always a believer. Growing up he was taught to fear God, but not to love Him. Even worse, he was not sure God really loved him either. While attending Abilene Christian University, he began to believe in God through hearing the gospel of God’s grace preached. Rick is the author of several books, including Together Again, with coauthor Bob Russell. Rick is married to his wife, Jamie and has three grown children – Michael, Morgan and Matthew.
Sheri Schulze currently practices at Grow Counseling in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a therapist who specializes in the integration of established psychological practices and Christian faith. A graduate of Richmont Graduate University, Sheri earned a Masters Degree in Counseling and specialty certification in Counseling and Spirituality. Her professional and educational background have created a space for her clients to explore their relationship with themselves, others, and intimacy with the Lord. Sheri serves as both a counselor and a spiritual director for those who want to grow in these relationship patterns.
Sheri’s strengths include her personal and professional relationship skills. She is an intent, empathetic listener seeking to “hear” the deeper messages and patterns beyond the words. She is also an encourager. Her heart is to establish authentic connections with people to help them to grow personally and interpersonally.
Her work extends beyond the therapy room. From the platform of Plan A Foundation, Sheri mentors ten women to grow in service, relationships, and Christian discipleship. Sheri established Plan A Foundation to address individuals or groups in crisis.
Sheri is married to CEO Forum member Horst Schulze. Together they have four daughters and live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cheryl Bachelder is a passionate, purpose-led business leader — the former CEO of Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. From 2007 to 2017, she led the transformation of a tired brand and discouraged organization into a top-performing quick service restaurant chain. The story of the Popeyes success is chronicled in her book Dare to Serve: How to drive superior results by serving others. Today Cheryl’s aim is to help senior leaders understand and implement Dare to Serve leadership in for-profit and non-profit workplaces.
Cheryl’s earlier career included brand leadership roles at Yum Brands, Domino’s Pizza, RJR Nabisco, The Gillette Company and Procter & Gamble.
Today Cheryl serves as a director on the boards of US Foods Holding Corp (USFD), and Chick-Fil-A, Inc. She is an advisor to Procter & Gamble’s franchising venture, Tide Dry Cleaners. She is a board member of CEO Forum, an organization that encourages and disciples Christian CEOs and senior leaders. She is a mentor and investor to ministries that develop future leaders: Spring Hill Camps, Crossroad Farms, Work Matters, No Longer Bound and CRU. She mentors several leaders of Christian ministries and non-profit arts organizations
Cheryl holds a Bachelor’s and Masters of Business Administration degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She is married 39 years to Chris Bachelder and they have three grown daughters, two terrific son-in-laws, and four handsome grandsons. Cheryl and Chris reside in Atlanta, Georgia and attend Buckhead Church. They are avid learners, fans of the classical education movement, and can always be found reading a good book!
Richard is the president of Blackaby Ministries International and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Richard travels internationally speaking on spiritual leadership in the home, church, and marketplace as well as on spiritual awakening, experiencing God, and the Christian life. Richard regularly ministers to Christian CEOs, church, and family leaders.
Richard grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He has been married to Lisa for 35 years and has three kids: Mike married to Sarah. He has a Ph.D. in apologetics, has written two books, and is planting a church in Victoria, Canada; Daniel is married to Sarah. He has written seven books and has a Ph.D. in Christianity and Culture; and Carrie who works at BMI, has written a book, published many articles, and writes a travel blog (Maple and Maps). Richard also has four amazing grandsons, Emerson, Logan, Everett & Luca!
Richard earned a B.A. in history from the University of Saskatchewan. He has an M.Div and Ph.D. in church history from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University.
Richard served as a senior pastor at Friendship Baptist Church in Winnipeg, and then as the president of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta Canada for 13 years. He continues to serve as the seminary’s Chancellor.
Jana’s practice focuses on assisting clients in various aspects of commercial real estate development, including purchases, sales, retail and ground leases, brokerage agreements, and transactional financing. Jana also has experience in corporate law, including debt restructuring and refinancing, equity reorganization and division, private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions.
Jana graduated from the University of Texas School of Law, where she served as the Board of Advocates Moot Court Director and won the Dean’s Award in Mediation. Prior to law school, she received a BBA in Accounting and Marketing from Abilene Christian University, graduating summa cum laude. In her spare time, Jana serves as a member of the Southlake Young Life Committee and is an active member of Gateway Church.
Jackie L. Halstead, Ph.D., LMFT, is the Founder and CEO of Selah Center for Spiritual Formation. Her doctorate is in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has been a therapist for thirty years, specializing in clergy and their families. Dr. Halstead has two certificates from Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats and in Spiritual Guidance. She has been speaking, teaching, and leading retreats on spiritual formation, contemplative prayer, relational and mental health issues for the past twenty years at the national and international levels. Dr. Halstead will be involved in the areas of spiritual formation, discipleship, relationship enhancement, and emotional/psychological education.
