2009 Biographies

Richard & Elizabeth Albertson

Richard Albertson is the Founding President of Live the Life in Tallahassee, Florida.
The mission of Live the Life is to strengthen marriages and families. Richard is the
author of the Start Smart comprehensive premarital program, the author of the Champions
curriculum for High School Boys, and the co-author of the Adventures in Marriage curriculum.
He served as Chairman of the Florida Commission on Marriage and Family Support, and
Chairman of the Florida Commission on Responsible Fatherhood. Richard organized 70 pastors
to come together to adopt a Tallahassee Community Marriage Policy in 1999. Since the
implementation of the policy, the divorce rate in Leon County has dropped 29.6%. Live the Life's
WAIT project, which teaches positive youth development, abstinence, and healthy marriage to
teenagers, is currently offered to more than 2,500 teenagers each year in 9 public schools.

Ted & Lili Baehr

Ted Baehr is the Chairman of Christian Film & Television Commission® and publisher
of Movieguide®, as well as a noted critic, educator, and lecturer. His life’s purpose is
to educate audiences on how to use discernment in selecting their entertainment.
Ted has written numerous books. He was president of the organization that produced the CBS
television version of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, boasting 37
million viewers and winning an Emmy Award. Ted produces at least 430 radio and television
programs every year. He produced hundreds of programs for PBS television. He presents the
Report to the Entertainment Industry every year at the Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values
Awards Gala. He is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Christian Institute for the Study of
Media, at the Center for the Arts, Religion and Education, at the Graduate Theological Union at
the University of California at Berkeley. He has received many awards. He graduated with high
distinction as a Rufus Choate Scholar from Dartmouth College, received his Juris Doctor from
New York University School of Law, completed his seminary at the Institute of Theology at the
Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and received his Doctor of Humanities (HHD) from Belhaven
College.

James & Marilyn Barnett

James Barnett leads DaySpring Cards, the largest producer of Christian greeting
cards and specialty products. He led the company as Division Director from 1994 to
1999 when he was named President after DaySpring became a wholly owned
subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. He has held many other key positions since joining
DaySpring in 1981.
A native of Northwest Arkansas, Barnett has been very engaged in his community over
the past 30 years. His passion for athletics has led him to be involved with several youth-
oriented organizations. For 16 years, he has been on the advisory board of Arkansas Athletes
Outreach (AAO), serving two years as chairman. He has also been very involved with Fellowship
of Christian Athletes and Campus Life-Youth for Christ.
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Born in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, Barnett and his wife Marilyn still reside in the
community and have three grown children. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business
from John Brown University, Siloam Springs, and an MBA from the University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville.

Julie Baumgardner

Julie Baumgardner, MS, CFLE, is the Executive Director of First Things First,
a one of a kind, grassroots organization dedicated to strengthening families in
Chattanooga, Tennessee. The success of the FTF initiative has sparked interest in
duplicating the FTF model in cities across the country. Julie has worked in the fields
of marketing and counseling for more than 20 years. Prior to joining First Things First, she was
the marketing director at East Ridge Hospital and Valley Hospital where she was also a social
worker and program director for the child & adolescent program.
Julie frequently speaks on family, parenting and marriage issues. Her weekly column on
family issues in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press reaches thousands. Julie serves on the boards
of a number of community and national organizations. She and her husband Jay have been
married for 19years and they have a fifteen year old daughter, Ashley.

Steve & Molly Bittner

Molly Dean Bittner is the Chairman of the Board of First Things First of Greater
Richmond. Steve Bittner served on the Board, and was trained as Richmond's first
instructor/facilitator for Boot Camp for New Dads and has continued his involvement there.
Molly has a 22 year career in development/fundraising and currently works as the Campaign
Director for the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Steve has been in the mortgage industry for 7 years
and is a principal at Liberty Mortgage. They are having the time of their lives with their two
young boys, who are 5 and 2.

David Blankenhorn

David Blankenhorn is founder and president of the Institute for American Values, a
nonpartisan organization devoted to strengthening families and civil society in the
U.S. and the world. Blankenhorn is the author of Fatherless America (Basic Book,
1995), The Future of Marriage (Encounter Books, 2007), Thrift: A Cyclopedia (Templeton
Foundation Press, 2008), and the co-editor of nine. A frequent lecturer, Blankenhorn’s articles
have appeared in scores of publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post,
the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Public Interest, First Things, and Christianity Today. He
has been profiled by the New York Times, USA Today, CBS Evening News and other news
organizations, and has been featured on numerous national television programs, including
Oprah, 20/20, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, Charlie Rose, ABC Evening News, and C-
SPAN’s Washington Perspectives. In 1977, he graduated magna cum laude in social studies from
Harvard, where he was president of Phillips Brooks House, the campus community service
2009 Biographies

center, and the recipient of a John Knox Fellowship. In 1978, he was awarded an M.A. with
distinction in comparative social history from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England.

Michael & Natalie Boerner

Michael Boerner is the founder and CEO of Unity Media Group - an organization
established to provide safe and trusted video answers to life’s questions through
multiple distribution methods. His vision to creatively utilize the power of the
media to connect with people is culminated in Unity’s brand-new Internet site,
www.iQuestions.com. In addition, Michael is a national award-winning film and video producer
who regularly speaks and trains at conferences in the arena of public relations and media
communications. He has created media for a number of organizations, including Campus
Crusade For Christ, Promise Keepers and best-selling author, Dr. Gary Smalley. Michael was
appointed by the governor of Idaho to the Governor’s Coordinating Council for Families and
Children and has appeared nationally on CNN, Fox News, ABC Radio Network News, “Family
News in Focus” and CBN in connection with innovative media outreaches.
Michael and his wife, Natalie, have been married for 18 years and live in Boise, Idaho. They have
four daughters.

Bill & Leslie Boomer

I am the director of the Dept for Marriage & Family Ministry for the Diocese of
Cleveland and a certified pastoral minister for the diocese. I train our clergy in the
Prepare-Enrich inventory. My wife, Leslie, and I are trained couple ministers who
assist clergy in preparing couples for marriage and we are trained in PREP and facilitate sessions
for engaged and married couples.

Ron Braund

Dr. Ron Braund is a family business consultant, life coach, and author. He is
president of Family Business Transitions, facilitating families in succession planning
and generational transfer to achieve personal & philanthropic goals. His clients
include the owners of Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby, family foundations, corporate executives and
professional athletes. In 2008, he assisted the U.S. Ryder Cup Captain & golf professional, Paul
Azinger, to implement a team-building strategy in America's victory over the European Ryder
Cup team at Valhalla. He is the author of, Understanding How Others Misunderstand You, and
The Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer?. Ron & wife, Ginger, reside in Marietta, Georgia near their
family Rich, Adam & his wife Anna.

Bubba & Cindy Cathy

Don “Bubba” Cathy is senior vice president of Chick-fil-A, Inc., one of the largest
privately-held restaurant chains in the country with more than 1,300
2009 Biographies
restaurants. He is also the president of the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House® concept and Chick-fil-A’s
WinShape Foundation®. Bubba joined the company in January 1976 as a construction
apprentice, operated a Chick-fil-A mall restaurant for four years, and has worked in several
corporate positions before being named a corporate senior vice president and president of
Dwarf Houses in 1995.
Bubba graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, AL, with a Bachelor of Science
degree in marketing. Cindy graduated from Georgia State College & University with a bachelor’s
degree in education and a master’s degree in Christian counseling from Georgia State College &
University in conjunction with the Psychological Studies Institute. Cindy served a four-year term
on Clayton County, GA’s school board and serves on the board of trustees for Psychological
Studies Institute. The Cathys are members of the First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA where
they teach a newly-wed Bible study class. They have six children and one grandchild.

Stephen Clouse

Stephen Clouse is the Founder and President of Stephen Clouse & Associates,
Inc., a strategic communications and major gifts fundraising firm established in
1991. Stephen pioneered a highly personalized, multiple media video fundraising system and
method that has raised tens of millions of dollars for dozens of non-profit organizations through
capital campaigns, annual fund appeals and special projects. These campaigns are designed both
to boost immediate net fundraising revenue and accelerate the rate at which major donors are
identified and cultivated.
Stephen Clouse & Associates has been recognized professionally for outstanding video
production and has been a recipient of the prestigious Telly, Addy and Campbell Awards.
Stephen personally produced/and or coached video tapings with President George H. Bush, Vice
President Dan Quayle, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Honorable Jack
Kemp, Congressman J.C. Watts, Jr., Honorable Bill Bennett, Honorable Ed Meese, Honorable
Jeanne Kirkpatrick, Senator Bob Dole, Senator Fred Thompson, Senator George Allen, Senator
Rick Santorum, Senator Tom Coburn, Rush Limbaugh, Cal Thomas, Charleton Hesston, Michael
Reagan, Steve Allen, Dean Jones, Pat Boone, Ben Stein, Steve Forbes, CEO Forbes Magazine, Jim
Kilts, CEO Gillette, Larry Kudlow, Charles Koch, CEO Koch Industries, Herman Cain, Walter
Williams, David McCullough, Milton Friedman, and many other national figures.
Stephen and his wife, Ellen, have five children and reside in Ashburn, Virginia.

Christine Codden

Christine is the President of the National Association of Catholic Family Life

Ministers (NACFLM) as well as the Director of Office of Marriage & Family, Diocese
of Saint Cloud.

Bill Coffin

Bill Coffin, the Special Assistant for Marriage Education, joined the Administration
for Children and Families in Jan 2002. Working with the Assistant Secretary he is
2009 Biographies

helping to orchestrate an important culture change, where those who marry will have better
access to knowledge and skills to form and sustain a healthy marriage. In recognition of his work
he was awarded the 2006 Smart Marriages Impact Award. Bill spent most of the previous 3
decades working for the Navy, initially on active duty and then as a civilian in the Navy's Family
Support Program Headquarters in DC.
His passion is marriage education and enrichment. Bill served as the Marriage
Preparation Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Washington and as a consultant to the U.S.
Bishops Committee on Marriage and Family Life. He co-authored a book chapter on Preventive
Interventions for Couples.
Bill is a graduate of Fairfield University in CT and has two master’s degrees, one in
Human Relations, and one in Counseling.
Bill and Pat have been married for 41 years. They have four children and six
grandchildren.

Diann Dawson

Diann Dawson serves as the Director of the Office of Regional Operations within the
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. A senior level director and principal advisor to the Assistant
Secretary regarding field operations, she provides leadership and direction to ACF’s ten regional
offices responsible for federal oversight and implementation of more than 60 human service
programs to promote the well-being of children and families.
As part of her present role, Dawson effectively guides regional support for family
strengthening goals across ACF programs. Dawson provided the leadership to create the African
American Healthy Marriage Initiative (AAHMI) along with her executive staff in 2003, which
continues to evolve in laying the foundation of a national family strengthening movement for
African Americans through evidence-based practices.

Howard & Bev Dayton

Howard Dayton graduated from the Hotel School at Cornell University in 1967 and
served 2 1/2 years as a naval officer. After a career in real estate development, in
1985 he founded Crown Ministries which merged with Christian Financial
Concepts, founded by Larry Burkett in 2000 to form Crown Financial Ministries.
Howard has authored several books, and the most recent is Money and Marriage God's
Way. He is developing a seminar, DVD series and small group study dealing with Money and
Marriage. Howard married Bev 38 years ago, and they have two children and one new
grandchild.

Jackson Dunn

Jackson Dunn serves as the Premarital Program Coordinator for NWA Healthy
Marriages. This includes the implementation of the Premarital Enrichment Program
(PEP) on college campuses. PEP reaches out to college students to provide them
2009 Biographies

with lessons and skill-sets to help them form strong relationships while they are still dating and
making life decisions. He also oversees the services provided for engaged and seriously dating
couples as they seek to assist them in building a solid foundation for a healthy and lifelong
marriage. The key aspects of these programs are dating workshops, premarital seminars, as well
as personalized feedback sessions.
He is also the University Relationships Coordinator with The Center for Relationship
Enrichment at John Brown University. He works closely with various departments at the
university as well as undergraduate students to design and deliver programs to help students
cultivate emotional and relational maturity during their undergraduate experience. He has most
recently worked as a Resident Director at John Brown University, which has given him a unique
educational and experiential background in the area of spiritual formation with undergraduate
students. He earned his M.S. in Leadership and Ethics and his B.A. in Biblical Studies from John
Brown University.
He and his wife, Krista, and their boys Jack and Sam, live in Siloam Springs, AR.

Kay Edwards

Kay Edwards, Legacy Group Senior Advisor, provides research, planning, and
project management services to not-for-profit and service organizations. Kay brings
over 20 years of consulting experience leading research and planning projects in
the fields of financial services, grant making, higher education, health care, human services,
religious, and membership organizations. She is a national leader in research among faith-based
and denominational institutions, and has developed research models which enable
organizations to learn and plan while respecting their unique culture and relationships with their
constituents.
She founded and was managing partner of Criterion Consulting, where she built and
managed a network of more than 4500 consultants nationwide, bringing together service teams
and ensuring high quality service delivery. This innovative model of consulting practice helped
clients access new thinking resources, simplify consulting engagements, and manage costs.
Under her leadership, Criterion created four spin-off companies in partnership with its clients;
led the design and launch of an innovative knowledge sharing and management information
portal for the world’s largest association of women’s and girls’ funds, funded by the WK Kellogg
Foundation; and provided marketing research, planning, and organizational development
counsel to senior leadership of some of the largest not-for-profit organizations in the country.

Bill & Tracey Eyster

Bill Eyster joined the FamilyLife team in April 2006 following a 22-year career with
Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corporation. While at Pratt &
Whitney, he held many business and operational leadership positions, rising to the
role of general manager of Pratt & Whitney Engine Services, Inc.
In his free time, Bill has put his faith-based principles to practical use as a Sunday school
teacher and Bible study leader for married couples. In his role as mentor, he has led men's
accountability groups and worked with youth in new believers' classes and Disciple Now events.
Currently, Bill is a board member for Pine Cove Ministry camps. He has previously
2009 Biographies

served on the United Way board in Wichita Falls, Texas and was president and board member of
the United Hospital Foundation, also in Wichita Falls.
Bill received both a bachelor's of science degree and a master's degree in business
administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Bill and his wife, Tracey, have been married for 23 years. They have two children.

Jared Faellaci

With fifteen years in business development serving the Fortune 500, Jared Faellaci
currently works at Deloitte Consulting as Business Development Manager
supporting Deloitte’s national Merger & Acquisition practice and their Oracle practice. Jared has
a Bachelors and Masters from Bob Jones University in Pastoral Studies and Theology. He is
actively involved in various Marketplace Ministries with the goal of being God’s tool serving the
marketplace to help encourage, build, and equip men to be stronger husbands and fathers. One
of his greatest desires is to give himself away to others as God’s passionate servant-leader. He
enjoys using his marketplace experience and gifts to help serve the ministries who desire
prayerfully to build bridges to Corporate America in promoting the values of Relational
Wellness. Psalm 42:17 (The Message) is one of his favorites, “And me, I’m a mess. I’m nothing
and have nothing. Therefore (God), make something of me.”

David & Jean Fell

David & Jean Fell have been helping to lead Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekends since their
life-transforming M.E. Weekend 29 years ago. Having served in a variety of leadership positions
in LME, they now serve as the Facilitators of the Interfaith Board (where the national leaders of
all 12 faith expressions of Worldwide Marriage Encounter gather). They love adventures and
traveling and the ministry God called them to uplift and strengthen marriages.

David & Teresa Ferguson

Dr. David and Teresa Ferguson have shared a Biblical message of health and
relevance for more than twenty-five years. Their passion for seeing the Great
Commandment of loving God and loving others lived out among God’s people has led them to
impact thousands of ministers and their laity. As co-directors of Great Commandment
Network/Intimate Life Ministries, they direct a multi-disciplinary team who serves more than
35,000 churches in the United States and abroad with training and resources through the
strategic partners involved in the Great Commandment Network of denominations, movements
and ministries. David serves as co-director of the Center for Relational Leadership who provides
training and resources in church, business and community settings. Teresa serves Intimate Life
Ministries and the Center for Relational Leadership as a conference speaker, small group
facilitator and mentor for church and business leaders.
David has a M.Ed. from Texas State University and two doctoral degrees from Oxford
Graduate School. He is a member of the Oxford Society of Scholars.
2009 Biographies

David and Teresa have been married for more than forty years and have co-authored
several books and numerous articles. They reside in Austin, Texas and have three adult children
and six grandchildren.

Esther Fleece

Fleece is well-known as a master relationship builder, relationship broker and

key influencer among the millennial generation and beyond. She is a successful
international speaker, having been the only female speaker at the National
Conference on Christian Apologetics, the youngest invited speaker at the National Day of Prayer
Summit, as well as the keynote speaker for the national purity conference in New Zealand. She
recently shared the stage with Focus on the Family President and CEO Jim Daly at the 2009
Values Voters Summit, discussing the passions and needs of her fellow millennials. Fleece
graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Oakland
University. She is active in her church as a teacher and mission trip leader. She enjoys fashion,
studying worldviews and attending professional sporting events.

Bud & Jane Fray

After studying at Southwest Theological Seminary and pasturing churches for six
years, Bud and Jane Fray were called to mission work. They served 17 years in
Zimbabwe in making disciples and planting churches. The International Mission Board then
asked them to serve in South Africa, which they did for 11 years. In 1984, they were called to
Ouachita Baptist University where Bud served as Chairman of the Religion Department. The 28
years they served as IMB missionaries provided their foundation for being “world Christians”
with a heart for the glory of the Lord and spiritual discovery. Bud went on to serve as Missions
Professor and Professor of Spiritual Formation at Southwestern Theological Seminary for 5 years
where he and Jane were part of a nucleus of young ministry servants of Jesus who went on to
minister to many unreached people groups. Bud and Jane have four children, two of which were
born in the USA, and two which were born in Zimbabwe.

Jeff & Gail Fray

Jeff Fray, Ph.D. is a psychologist and is Chairman of the National Steering

Committee of the Marriage CoMission. He received his Masters in Christian
Counseling from the Psychological Studies Institute and his Doctorate in Counseling
Psychology from the University of Tennessee. As the lead consultant to the WinShape
Foundation of Chick-fil-A, Inc on marriage and family. Dr. Fray has assisted in developing the
foundation’s strategy to positively influence the marriage movement in America. He has had
extensive clinical experience with couples and individuals, and serves on the Board of Empire
Construction and is the co-author of We’re All in the Family Business. Jeff and his wife, Gail, and
their three sons live in Knoxville, Tennessee.
2009 Biographies

Bob & Susan Freund

Susan holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Middlebury College in Vermont.

She spent eight years with Intel Corporation as a long-range planner and program
manager. In 1996, she founded Dutton Consulting, a nationwide firm providing
strategic planning consultation for businesses, non-profits and churches. Since May of 2005,
Susan has started up and directed thinkmarriage.org, a non-profit with a mission to uphold the
value of marriage and promote skills that build healthy relationships. On a volunteer basis, she
served as Chaplain for Women at the Brown County Jail for seven years, and is an Associate
Pastor in The Vineyard USA. Susan is on the Board of Directors of Laugh Your Way America, a
for-profit marriage ministry. She is a certified Emotional Intelligence coach and a licensed
Relationship Coach. She and her husband, Bob, have two sons and a daughter, and live near
Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Luis Galdamez

Luis Galdamez left a position as the Director of the Fourth largest conference center
in Orange County, CA to dedicate his life to helping young people succeed in life.
Born in El Salvador, Luis came to the United States at age 14. Fluent in both English
and Spanish, Luis’s “BOOOM!!! HOW YOU DOIN?? WASSSUUUPPP??” energetic style connects
with youth regardless of their ethnic background. Galdamez uses his dramatic and exciting life
story to dynamically illustrate the benefits of a lifestyle of Abstinence 'Till Marriage. Luis'
communication skills have been utilized throughout the country. He has spoken to thousands of
teenagers and parents through motivational school assemblies, rallies, community &
government workshops and churches across the U.S., Mexico, Central & South America, the
Caribbean and Kenya (Africa). He has appeared on several TV networks as well as featured in
many nation wide newspapers . Luis is the Executive Director of La Familia Hispana and his main
passion is to reach the Hispanic youth & parents. Luis’s life story/testimony is feature in Lakita
Garth-Wright's book The Naked Truth of Sex, Love & Relationships and Scott Phelps (Abstinence
& Marriage Education Resources): Quest.

Maggie Gallagher

Maggie Gallagher is president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
(www.iMAPP.org), whose motto is "strengthening marriage for a new generation"
and whose unique mission is research and public education on ways that law and
public policy can strengthen marriage as a social institution.
Maggie is a nationally syndicated columnist, the author of three books on marriage
(including most recently with University of Chicago Prof Linda Waite "The Case for Marriage:
Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better-Off Financially"), and a leading voice of
the new marriage movement. National Journal named her to the 2004 list of the most influential
people in the same-sex marriage debate.
She appears frequently on major TV and radio and is frequently asked to lecture at
colleges, universities and law schools. She has testified as an expert witness on marriage before
2009 Biographies

the U.S. Senate and in various state legislatures. Her writings on marriage have appeared in The
New York Times, The Weekly Standard and the Wall Street Journal, as well as scholarly journals.
Maggie is a graduate of Yale. She lives with her husband and two children in Westchester, New
York.

Eric & Jennifer Garcia

Eric and Jennifer are the co-founders of the Association of Marriage and Family
Ministries (AMFM). AMFM exists to lead a marriage and family ministry
movement in the local church by convening all those called to this vital area of ministry.
Eric and Jennifer served for seven years as lay leaders on the marriage ministry team at
Scottsdale Bible Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. During this time, they launched and led the
Couple-to-Couple Marriage Mentoring Ministry, and are the co-authors of Couple2Couple
Marriage Mentoring™.
Most recently, Eric and Jennifer have accepted the challenge to start the marriage
ministry at North Bible Church, a church plant of Scottsdale Bible Church.
As the co-founders of AMFM, Eric and Jennifer have hosted an annual conference since
2004 where over 1,200 churches and 2,200 leaders from around the world have been trained in
marriage and family ministry. In 2008, AMFM was selected as a national facilitating partner for
the blockbuster movie, Fireproof.
The Garcias reside in Phoenix, Arizona. They have been married for eighteen years and
have four children: Hudson, Erika and twin boys, Elliot and Wesley.

Don & Lorrie Gramer

We have been the Directors of the Family Life Office, Catholic Diocese of
Rockford, IL for over 27 years. Prepare approximately 750 engaged couples each
year for Marriage. Beginning an Initiative to make the 107 parishes in our Diocese "Marriage-
Building" Parishes.
Lorrie is currently the President-elect of the National Association of Catholic Family Life
Ministers (NACFLM) and Don is on the Board as Region VII Representative. Lorrie is Co-chair of
the NACFLM National Conference to be held June 23-26, 2010, Cincinnati, Ohio. Lorrie has
graduate credits in both Pastoral Theology and Family Ministry. Don holds Masters in Family
Ministry.

T.Ray & Stacey Grandstaff

T.Ray Grandstaff is the CEO of the National Network of Youth Ministries. The
Network links youth workers for encouragement and spiritual growth, and shares
resources for more effective ministry. The Network is affiliated with See You at the
Pole™. SYATP is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event.
T.Ray was Vice President of Corporate Relations for Every Tribe Entertainment and
Senior Vice President of EthnoGraphic Media (EGM). He was an Executive Producer on the
award winning documentary “Miss HIV.”
2009 Biographies

T.Ray was formerly Senior Vice President for Bearing Fruit Communications. Their
marketing team conducted over 100 grassroots screenings of Every Tribe Entertainments’
feature film, “End of the Spear”. Preceding T.Ray’s tenure at Bearing Fruit, he was the Senior
Vice President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) where he led the 661 field staff, 1.2
million coaches, athletes and volunteers. While at FCA, he originated and developed the sports
pilot “Behind the Bench” and was the co-creator of the “SuperPowered Skins” golf competition
and TV show.

Stew Grant

Stew Grant is the Marriage Champion Coordinator for the NWA Healthy Marriages
program and joined the staff at the CRE January 2009.
Stew earned his Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in Pastoral Care and
Counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is a doctoral candidate
in the Marriage and Family Counseling program at Denver Seminary. He has served in pastoral
ministries for 10 years in both large and small churches.
Stew and Shelli have been married 18 years and have four children. Together, they have
led many marriage programs, seminars and couples retreats. Their passion is to continue
educating and enriching couples in areas that lead to successful and satisfying marriages.
Stew, Shelli and kids live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

Brenda Green

Brenda Green is a member of the Corporate Public Relations team at Chick-fil-A,

Inc., the nation’s second largest chicken chain and one of the largest family-owned
businesses.
As Public Relations Consultant, Brenda works closely with the executive team and
manages publicity initiatives that involve S. Truett Cathy and family. In this role, she provides
strategic counsel on best media practices that represent the family and the brand. Brenda also
has direct responsibility for brand awareness and publicity of new store construction along with
other key responsibility for other areas of the business.
Brenda is a graduate of Brenau University (Gainesville, Ga.) with a Bachelor of Arts in
Marketing Communications. Upon graduation, Brenda received the “Business Student of the
Year” award.
Brenda currently resides in McDonough, Ga., and is an active board member for Bridge
Builders Inc., and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes-Inner City/Historically Black Colleges &
Universities. She has one daughter, Krishaunda Reneé and is the fiancée of Vincent Morrow.
They plan to wed early 2010.

Gary & Terry Haecker

For 25 years, Terry Haecker has served in the Austin, Texas market as an Advertising &
Marketing Consultant for KXAN - NBC Affiliate, KLBJ590AM News Talk - ABC Affiliate and as Sales
2009 Biographies

Manager for KIXL 970AM - Christian News Talk where she constructed strategic marketing and
promotional opportunities for local businesses.
During the last 12 years, Terry has worked on many projects to serve marriage and
family in the Central Texas area by informing local businesses of the need to sponsor and
support marketing efforts to inform the general public about area churches who were providing
marriage and family support and classes.
Most recently, she has made the leap with Committed Communications to serve the
Church Sector in a Central Texas Marriage Initiative by again utilizing community businesses to
sponsor COMMITTED.net and all its promotional properties.
Terry has been married to Gary for 24 years. They have three grown children and three
grandchildren. Gary and Terry are active in their church assisting in relational care and coaching
for marriages.

Paul & Danyelle Harris

Paul and Danyelle are worship leaders and have been leading worship for over 13
years in ministry. They attended their first Galatians 6:6 Retreat in March of 2007.
They were deeply impacted by that weekend. They were mentored by Drs. Roger
and Julie Barrier and began leading worship for Galatians 6:6 Retreats Fall 2007.

Rob Harrison

Rob Harrison currently serves as Executive Director of Stenton Family Manor (the
largest family shelter in the city of Philadelphia).
In 2002 he founded Philadelphia African American Healthy Marriage Coalition and
in 2005 he co-founded 4EverMarriages & Families which is an organization dedicated to
strengthening families within the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding east coast cities
through education, collaboration, and mobilization.
He and his wife Liz are making a great impact in the States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Delaware, New York and throughout the Northeast corridor as vibrant, innovative Family &
Marriage Relationship Wellness trainers/educators. Their unselfish effort in mobilizing large
urban communities in the building strong family movement has demonstrated overwhelming
success for families, and cities involved.
Rob holds a Masters of Arts degree in Theology. He shares his life with his wife Elizabeth
and their twin daughters Devonna and Dominique.

Tony & Terry Hawk

Tony is currently the Vice President of Human Resources at SecureWorks in Atlanta,

Georgia (Information Security). He was previously the Director of Business
Development at the Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics at John Brown
University in Northwest Arkansas; Organizational, Leadership, Team Development and Strategic
Planning; Vice President of Corporate Relaltions at Resources for Living. Employee Assistance for
2009 Biographies

Wal-Mart; and Church Planter in Vancouver, B.C. Tony is a licensed Marriage and Family
Therapist.

Randy Hicks

Randy Hicks is the president of Georgia Family Council (GFC), a non-profit research
and education organization committed to strengthening families and promoting civil
society by shaping laws, influencing public opinion, and equipping marriage and
family advocates. GFC is working to reverse the trends of family fragmentation in Georgia by
establishing community-based marriage and family initiatives across the state. His organization
creates awareness of the profoundly harmful consequences of family breakdown and promotes
policies and strategies for reversing family and community decline.
As a longtime student of the social effects of family breakdown, Randy works with local
and national policy leaders to elevate marriage, family and community-based collaboration in
our cultural and public policy discourse. He currently serves on the Georgia Supreme Court’s
Commission on Children, Marriage and Family Law.
He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and a
Master’s Degree from the Biola University in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Marilyn, reside in
Suwanee, Georgia with their five children.

Lisa Hill

Dr. Lisa K. Hill joined the Department of Psychology at Hampton University in 2007.
She has conducted research on African American child development, including
language development, social and emotional development, motivation and
achievement, and parent-child interaction. Her current research interests include spiritual
development in African American youth, motivation and achievement in minority students, and
drug abuse prevention.
Dr. Hill has worked with youth of various ages and in various capacities for more than 15
years. She co-authored a book chapter “Adoption, Foster Care, and Guardianship in Minority
Families” in Adoptive Families in a Diverse Society. Immediately prior to joining the faculty at
Hampton, Dr. Hill was assistant director and administrator of the Center for Drug Abuse
Research at Howard University. She obtained the B.S. degree n psychology from Tennessee
State University, the M. S. degree in clinical psychology from Fisk University, and the Ph.D. in
developmental psychology from Howard University.

Lee & Martica Jenkins

Lee Jenkins is a 23-year veteran of the financial services industry and is regarded
by many as one of the country’s leading financial advisers, educators, and
strategist. On Wall Street Magazine has referred to him as “one of the top
financial advisers” in the industry. He is President and CEO of The Lee Jenkins Financial Group, a
ministry outreach, financial education, and consulting firm. In addition, he is Managing Partner
of the investment firm; Atlanta Capital Group, which manages almost a half -billion dollars in
2009 Biographies

client assets. Lee Jenkins’ financial advice has been featured numerous times on local television
stations and newspapers, as well as in Money Magazine, Gospel Today Magazine and on CNN.
Through his sermons and seminars at churches, conferences, and on college campuses, Lee has
reached over a half- million people with his message of financial responsibility. He is also the
author of three highly successful books, Taking Care of Business, What to do when your Money
is Funny, and Lee Jenkins On Money. Lee and his wife Martica have been married for 22 years
and live outside Atlanta, Georgia with their three children, Kristin, Martin, and Ryan.

Jeff Kemp

Jeff is dedicated to strengthening families and is passionate about casting a vision

for a regional and national marriage movement. He has led Stronger Families since
1993, where he and his team network with leaders from all segments of society -
business, community, church, government, and media. He received a Bachelor’s in economics
from Dartmouth College and an MBA with honors from Pepperdine University.
Jeff and his father, Jack, are one of only four sets of father/son NFL quarterbacks. As he
speaks throughout the United States, Jeff passes on dynamic lessons learned during eleven
years in the world of professional athletics. Persevering through the highs and lows of pro
football gave him a valuable perspective on life. He is committed to honor God with his best and
use his leadership and speaking opportunities to strengthen men and women in the crucial area
of family life.
Jeff and his wife, Stacy, make their home in Redmond, Washington with their sons Kyle,
Kory, Kolby and Keegan.

Debbie Kling

As Vice President of Author Relations for Unity Media Group, Debbie engages
authors and leading experts to share their experience through video, for
distribution on the web via the Unity portfolio of web-based platforms.
Prior to Unity, Debbie’s career was in venue management, serving as General Manager
of Boise’s Qwest Arena. Debbie also served on numerous community and industry boards, and
contributed extensively to the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM); serving
on the Board of Regents and as instructor for the Public Assembly Facility Management School,
instructor at the Academy of Venue Safety and Security, Chair of the University Committee and
Professional Development Committee.
Debbie also served as Executive Director of Team Idaho, for the National Governor’s
Association 2002 Annual Meeting and the 2001 Western Governors Association Annual Meeting,
on behalf of Idaho’s Governor, Dirk Kempthorne,
Debbie, and her husband Jim, reside in Nampa, Idaho; have three grown children and six
grandchildren.
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Tim & Marie Kuck

Tim serves as COO and Executive Vice President of Regal Boats, a privately-held
family business which manufactures a line of pleasure boats ranging from 19-52
feet. Tim and Marie are Co-Founders of Nathaniel’s Hope, a nationally growing
ministry dedicated to sharing hope with kids with special needs (VIP kids) and their families as
well as educating and equipping the community to "be a buddy" and assist in practical ways to
help strengthen families. Tim also serves as a Trustee for the Marriage and Family Foundation.

Chris & Sonia Lindner

Even before Sonia and I were married 23 years ago, we talked and prayed about
allowing God to use us to help other couples. We were naive, perhaps, but we had
great role models and enthusiasm. Since then, we’ve been able to work as youth
leaders, and have taught the young married Sunday school class for the past 10 yrs.
I graduated from Oklahoma State University, and have a background in 2D/3D CAD,
information technologies, and marketing. I am currently working for 64 Metals, a post-frame
building company. I enjoy computer technology & gadgets (usually!), drawing, music, and
photography, Sonia has enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, and now works part time as a
secretary at a preschool, and volunteers at the high school. She enjoys good coffee, cooking,
gardening, (re)decorating, and entertaining. Together, we enjoy hiking, camping and traveling.
We live in Newark, Ohio with our two children, Travis (21) and Jessica (18).

Joe MacInnis

Joe MacInnis is a leader in re-engineering business processes with experience in

crisis management and problem resolution. Recognizing and accelerating
strengths of personnel, proactively team building and critically analyzing human
and financial resources are demonstrations of Joe’s leadership. His past work
includes asset management with Paragon Group, Starwood Hotels management, and Young Life
property and field staff positions. With an extensive and diverse background in business and
ministry, Joe brings experience, skills and passion to the High Plains marriage and family
movement.
As a Senior Advisor of The Legacy Group and the Director and Co-founder of The High
Plains Coalition, he casts vision and develops cooperative efforts with leaders across the Texas
Panhandle representing county clerks, Head Start, regional school systems, PTA, licensed
therapists, churches, businesses, and various state and not-for-profit agencies and
organizations.
Joe and his wife Jody live in Amarillo, TX. They have two children, Kaile 15 and Josiah 11.

Bob & Vicki Maday

Bob is a co-founder of WinShape Marriage Retreat. As a special project director at

Chick-fil-A, Bob's leadership is ground breaking. He assists Bubba Cathy in directing
2009 Biographies

some of the philanthropic efforts of the WinShape Foundation. Additionally, Bob leads a
company division including the Truett's Grill and Dwarf House restaurants. During his 30-plus
year career in the restaurant business, Bob has seen how healthy employee marriage and family
relationships go hand-in-hand with productivity and business success.
Bob was a leader in the founding of the Marriage CoMission, was an early pioneer in
organizing community marriage initiatives, and now provides direction for the advisors and
board development for the Foundation.
In 2007, after 34 years of marriage, Bob lost his wife to a seven year battle with cancer. Bob
met and married Vicki Wheeler in 2008 and they have five married children and eight
grandchildren. Bob and Vicki reside in Jonesboro, Georgia.

Mark & Fran Magoni

Fran M. Magoni is the director of Right from the Start, a community-based marriage
and family initiative in Columbus, GA. Prior to accepting her current role with Right
from the Start, Fran was the Director of the Center for Servant Leadership at the
Pastoral Institute and worked with businesses, universities, churches, organizations, and schools
to educate and train others about servant leadership. She coordinated mentoring, training and
community service for the students in the Servant Leadership Program at Columbus State
University.
Fran is a graduate of Mississippi State University and has her M.A. in Christian Education
from Asbury Theological Seminary. Fran and her husband Mark have three daughters and live in
Columbus, Georgia, where Mark is the Pastor for Midland United Methodist Church.

David Mahan

David Mahan is the CEO of Frontline Youth Communications, and Founder of

Frontline Youth Development Corps, is a man on a mission, equipped with the tools
and resources necessary to impact today's youth culture. His passion for reaching
youth and families has led him into the very front-lines of the war over the hearts and minds of
today's youth- schools, detention facilities and city streets. In addition to his keen insights on
topics such as sexual health, manhood, leadership, love and relationships and media influence,
David benefits from the practical wisdom of over a decade of effectively communicating them to
some of society’s most disadvantaged communities, both in the United States and abroad. For
years, David has been a popular assembly and workshop speaker for organizations such as the
Administration for Children and Families, Maryland Dept. of Health, Monoach Missions
(Nigeria), The Salvation Army, Ohio Department of Youth Services, and the State of Georgia.

Linda Malone-Colón

Dr. Linda Malone-Colón is a clinical and personality psychologist, researcher,

consultant, and administrator at Hampton University where she is chair of the
Department of Psychology. She is also the former Executive Director of the National
Healthy Marriage Resource Center.
2009 Biographies

In her capacity as founder and director of National Center on African American

Marriages and Parenting at Hampton University, Dr. Malone-Colon brings together Black
Churches and Black Institutions of Higher Education to help strengthen marriage, parenting, and
families in African American communities. She has authored several publications on African
American marriage and families.
Additionally, Dr. Malone-Colon is currently engaged in research and scholarship aimed
at identifying protective and risk factors for African Americans in developing satisfying and
stable marital relationships. Dr. Malone-Colon has also been a professor at Foothill Community
College in California and Dillard University in New Orleans and has taught in Medford and
Boston, Massachusetts public schools.

Elizabeth Marquardt

Elizabeth Marquardt is vice president for family studies and director of the Center
for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values. She has discussed
her research on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, PBS, NPR, and elsewhere. Her writings
have appeared in publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los
Angeles Times, and Reader’s Digest. She is author of Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of
Children of Divorce (Crown, 2005) which reports the first nationally-representative study of the
moral and spiritual lives of grown children of divorce. Her next book, My Daddy’s Name is
Donor, will be published by Harcourt in 2010.

Joe Bob & Debra McCartt

Joe Bob McCartt is an Amarillo native who attended both Amarillo College and
West Texas State University before graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor’s in
Business Administration from the University of Mississippi. After returning to
Amarillo, McCartt began developing commercial real estate in the local market.
Notable development projects include the renovation of the Paramount Building;
renovation of the Atrium Plaza; the development leasing and sale of Mornings Park Row Center,
a 150,000 square foot retail complex in Arlington, Texas; the construction, management and
syndication of the 240-unit Timbercreek Apartment Complex in Lewisville, Texas and the
additional development of 100 acres of multifamily land; development of the Ridgeview Medical
Center; and the development, management and leasing of Lakeview Office Park,.
McCartt is a past Member of Vestry of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Board
Member of Saint Andrew’s Day School, president for two (2) years. He is past President of
Amarillo Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, President Elect of Center City and serves on the
Salvation Army Board.
McCartt was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Real Estate Research Advisory
Committee in November 2001.
Debra McCartt is an Amarillo native. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree, from the
University of Texas at Arlington in 1972. She is the Senior Director of Community Relations for
Texas Tech School of Medicine.
Mrs. McCartt was elected Mayor of Amarillo in 2005 after elected City Commissioner in
2001. She was recently elected as President of the Texas Municipal League. She was appointed
by the Governor to serve on the Texas Department of Information Resources Board. Mrs.
2009 Biographies

McCartt currently serves on the Laura W. Bush Women’s Advisory Board, Amarillo Chamber of
Commerce Board, Panhandle Regional Planning Commission Board, Center City of Amarillo
Board, Amarillo College Community Links Board and the Eveline Rivers Board.
Mrs. McCartt has received numerous awards for her invaluable service to our
community. Some of those include, Beta Sigma Phi Woman of the Year, Women’s Network
Career Achievement Award, Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction, Distinguished Service Award –
Amarillo Women’s Forum, Texas Women to Watch – Center City Business and Professional
Women.

Althea McMillan

Prolific and world renowned speaker, Althea McMillan has set the pace and paved
the way. She has become the face of the "Abstinence" message. Mrs. McMillan has
set the precedence for planning and implementing Abstinence programs
nationwide. Evidence lies in the massive amount of lives she has touched. Over the course of
seventeen years, she has taught the abstinence until marriage message to over 200,000 young
people. Nationally recognized for organizing programs that challenge young people, Mrs.
McMillan has incited cities and states to convey that abstinence is not obsolete but still a viable
message. Most recently because of her excellence in leadership, she has been awarded funding
to expand her offices throughout six states. Mrs. McMillan's innovation has afforded her the
opportunity to voice her message through many mediums. These include television, radio,
symposiums, workshops, conferences, seminars, and other youth programs.

Mark & Susan Merrill

Mark Merrill is the founder and president of Family First, a national non-profit
organization dedicated to strengthening the family through three successful
programs: All Pro Dad, iMOM, and the Family Minute with Mark Merrill.
Mark has appeared on numerous ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC network affiliates, and
network radio programs including NPR, CBS Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting
Network. His comments and writings have appeared in many publications including USA Today,
the Washington Times and Sports Illustrated.
As a dedicated advocate for the family, Mark speaks at conferences and events for
companies including Chick-fil-A, JPMorganChase, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and the NFL.
Before founding Family First in 1991, Mark practiced law. He and
his wife Susan live in Tampa, Florida and have five children – Megan, Emily, Hannah Grace,
Mark, Jr. and Grant.

Jennifer Morse
Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D. is the founder and President of the Ruth Institute. Dr.
Morse brings a unique voice to discussions of love, marriage, sexuality and the
family. A committed career woman before having children, she earned a doctorate
in economics, and spent fifteen years teaching at Yale University and George Mason
University. In 1991, she and her husband adopted a two year old Romanian boy, and gave birth
to a baby girl. She left her full-time university teaching post in 1996 to move with her family to
2009 Biographies

California. She was a Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and at the
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. Until August 2006, Dr. Morse and her
husband were foster parents for San Diego County. In the summer of 2008, Dr. Morse founded
the Ruth Institute, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing hope and
encouragement for life-long married love.

Jack & Linda Myrick

As a project manager for the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative (OMI) Service Delivery
System (SDS) Jack Myrick’s graciousness and warmth have become contagious
throughout Public Strategies, Inc. (PSI). Always on hand with new ideas, Jack is
committed to developing innovative strategies for serving Oklahoma’s couples. His ventures
include adapting the OMI marriage and relationship education curricula for use in both the
business and faith sectors.
Prior to joining PSI, Jack was a supervising partner with Sonic restaurants in Florida and
Mississippi. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Over 20 years of business experience allow Jack to address the unique needs of the business
community, making him an invaluable resource for OMI and PSI.

Warren & Debra O’Bryant

Reverend Debra Haggins O'Bryant, a licensed and ordained minister of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, has served as the Interim Pastor of the historic Queen Street
Baptist Church in the City of Norfolk, Virginia. She was appointed by Dr. William R.
Harvey, University President, to the position of University Chaplain where she
serves as pastor of the Memorial Church. O'Bryant becomes the first woman to hold that
position in the 140 year history of the University. She is also the Executive Secretary for the
10,000 member Hampton University Ministers' Conference. She is the first woman to hold that
position in the 96 year history of the conference; the largest interdenominational gathering of
African American clergy in the world of it its kind.
She has earned these academic letters: a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Early
Childhood Education from Paine College, Augusta, Georgia and the Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University,
Richmond, Virginia. She has earned advanced degrees from Old Dominion University: a Master
of Science in Education (M. S. Ed.) in Secondary School Administration and a Certificate of
Advanced Studies (C.A.S.) in Higher Education Administration.
Debra Haggins O’Bryant is a mother and grandmother, joyously married to Warren
O’Bryant.

Gary Oliver

Gary J. Oliver is a professor, psychologist, author, Executive Director of the Center

for Relationship Enrichment & Professor of Psychology and Practical Theology at
John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. He is a licensed clinical psychologist
2009 Biographies

& Clinical Member & Approved Supervisor of the American Association for Marriage & Family
Therapy (AAMFT).
Dr. Oliver has over 30 years experience in counseling and for the past 20 years he has
had an extensive teaching ministry with groups like Promise Keepers & The American
Association of Christian Counselors. In addition, Dr. Oliver has served on church staffs in several
states. He is a professor in the D. Min. in Marriage & Family Counseling Program at Denver
Seminary.
Dr. Oliver has authored/co-authored over 20 books including two with his late wife,
Carrie – Mad About Us: Moving from Anger to Intimacy With Your Spouse and Raising Sons…and
Loving It!. He is author of over 150 magazine & journal articles and a regular columnist for
HomeLife magazine.
Dr. Oliver travels nationally and internationally providing seminars on topics including
marriage enrichment, parenting, brief therapy, and emotional intelligence. He resides in Siloam
Springs, AR.

David Olson
David H. Olson, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Life Innovations, is Professor Emeritus,
Family Social Science, University of Minnesota where he taught for over 25 years.
His goal has been to develop high quality products that integrate current research
and theory about couples and families.
David is past president of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). He is a
Fellow in the American Association of Marital and Family Therapy (AAMFT), American
Psychological Association (APA) and NCFR. Dr. Olson has received numerous awards from
national professional organizations (AAMFT, APA, AFTA, ACA, ACME) for his high quality
research and creative products. In 2004, he received the Smart Marriage Impact Award. He has
written over 20 books and over 100 professional articles on marriage and the family.
David is currently developing a new assessment called Life Balance as well as a book
with Gary Oliver based on the theoretical ERQ model.

Todd & Cheryl Olthoff

Todd Olthoff is the Pastor to Couples and Small Groups at Saddleback Church in
Lake Forest, California. He developed and runs a marriage process at Saddleback
that equips couples to understand and implement steps to growing a healthy
marriage. He runs point on the couples team which oversees the health of married couples and
the care of 1,900 couples small groups. He married his high school sweetheart who started
dating him by picking his name out of a hat (long story you’ll have to ask him) and has been
married for 17 years. He has three boys, the twins, Jacob and Tyler and Dylan his youngest.

Patrick Patterson

Patrick Patterson, MSW, MPH is the Manager for the National Healthy Marriage
Resource Center (NHMRC), a national clearinghouse and resource center that
focuses on healthy marriage and relationships in the U.S. As manager, Patrick
2009 Biographies

directs a team that provides marriage and relationship education resource information and
support to federally funded and community based healthy marriage programs, practitioners,
states, policy makers, and individuals and couples.
Prior to joining the NHMRC, Patrick served as the Healthy Marriage Specialist for the
Administration for Children & Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) Region III office in Philadelphia, where he was responsible for oversight and providing
training and technical assistance to healthy marriage, fatherhood, and faith-based grantees and
programs in the six state region.
Patrick earned his Bachelor of Social Work degree from Benedict College and Masters
Degrees in Social Work and Public Health from the University of South Carolina.

Robert & Jenni Paul

Bob and Jenni Paul have been married for 29 years; have four children, and two
grandchildren. Bob is Co-President of the National Institute of Marriage which
provides intensive marriage counseling for couples in crisis, and conducts
numerous enrichment conferences and workshops. He has co-authored The DNA of
Relationships, The DNA of Relationships for Couples, with Gary and Greg Smalley, and also wrote
Finding Ever After. Bob is a frequent speaker at professional conferences nationwide. Jenni has
been a successful business woman and an active volunteer in multiple ministries over the last 25
years. They make their home in Springfield, Missouri.

Wintley & Linda Phipps

Wintley Augustus Phipps was born in Trinidad, West Indies and raised in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada. He attended Kingsway College, a Christian Academy; Oakwood
College in Huntsville, Alabama where he received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in
Theology; and earned a Masters of Divinity Degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs,
Michigan. Mr. Phipps holds an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Waynesburg
College and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oakwood University.
Wintley is a world-renowned vocal artist, pastor, motivational speaker, and education
activist. He is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Dream Academy,
Inc., a non-profit, national after-school program that provides mentoring and tutoring around
the country to children of incarcerated parents and children falling behind in school.
Mr. Phipps is married to the lovely Linda Diane Galloway Phipps (an RN) and they have
been blessed with three fine sons: Wintley Augustus, II, Winston Adriel, and Wade Alexander.

Tim & Beth Popadic

Tim and Beth have served in full time ministry over the last 19 years. Tim is the
Pastor of Marriage and Family at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens,
FL. They launched the first ever Community Marriage Policy for the state of CT back in 1999 and
recently launched the Palm Beach County Healthy Marriage Initiative in 2008. Working alongside
Strong Marriages Florida, Tim has been creating a Statewide Marriage Initiative focused on
2009 Biographies

raising over 10,000 marriage mentors over the next 5 years. They have been married for over 16
years and have 4 sons. Their life mission and passion is to impact every church and every
marriage.

Tommy & Desiree Powell

Tommy and Desiree have been married for 17 years. We have 3 children Takiyah, Terrence and
Michael. Tommy has attended New Birth Missionary Baptist Church for 20 years. I have been on
staff at New Birth for 10 years. I am currently the Chief Leadership Officer and the director of
the New Birth Family Life Network.

Andy & Dale Powers

Dale is a native of Knoxville, TN and a member of the Board of Directors for the National
Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers. Andy Powers is also a Knoxville native and a
Registered Architect. They have been married for 25 years and are the parents of two children, a
15-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. They have been involved in marriage preparation
for 17 years, both through Catholic Engaged Encounter and a diocesan mentoring program. Dale
and Andy enjoy water skiing, snow skiing, playing with their menagerie of animals and “hanging
out” with family and friends at Watts Bar Lake. Dale reads theology and philosophy to relax and
admits to being a Pope John Paul II groupie. Andy likes to look at buildings and admits that being
a husband and father is the best part of life.

Melvin Preston

Melvin is the Director of Family / Singles Ministries of South Atlantic Conference. He

is a certified Family life Educator as well as a trainer for prepare/enrich and has been
a minister for 35 year. Melvin has been married for 35 years, has 3 children and 4
grandchildren.

Ashley & Laine Randall

Ashley Grew up in the Columbus/Phenix City area. He graduated from Glenwood

School in 1973, then Huntingdon College, B.A., 1977, then continued at University of
North Carolina at Greensboro, M.S., Child Development & Family Relations, 1983
and finished off at Duke University, The Divinity School, M.Div. 1984. Ashley served churches in
the Western North Carolina Annual Conference in 1984-1989. He transferred to South Georgia
Annual Conference to serve at St. Luke in 1989, Served as Director of Program at Open Door
while appointed to St. Luke, 1992-1995 and has been working with a diverse group of
community leaders to help launch the Columbus-area marriage imitative, Right from the Start.
Ashley is currently serving as Senior Pastor of St. Mark. He and his wife, Laine, have been
married for 29 years and have two daughters.
2009 Biographies

George Rassas

Bishop George J. Rassas was ordained a priest on 5/2/68 and ordained the Auxiliary
Bishop/Episcopal Vicar for Vicariate I of the Archdiocese of Chicago on 2/2/06.
Bishop Rassas earned a BA degree in Philosophy from the University of St. Mary of
the Lake Seminary and participated in the Doctor of Ministry Program, and a MA degree in
Counseling Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago.
Bishop Rassas’ appointments at the Archdiocese of Chicago include: Board of
Consulters; Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee; Board of Advisors at St. Mary of the
Lake Seminary; Chairman, Presbyteral Council (1999-2002); Associate Director, Office of Family
Ministries (1984-90); Assistant Director, Catholic Family Consultation Service (1975-84);
Associate Moderator, Council of Catholic Women (1976-84); and Vicar General (2004-06).
He was a founding board member and chairman of the Board of Trustees for St. Martin
de Porres High School.
Bishop Rassas has also served on the subcommittee for the National Pastoral Initiative
on Strengthening Marriage and the committee on Laity, Marriage, Family & Youth for the United
States Catholic Council of Bishops.

Mary Reinders

Mary Reinders, Principal of Reinders Research Co., is a Senior Research Consultant

serving mission-driven organizations in the fields of healthcare, higher education,
arts/culture, religion, and human services. In her work, Mary has conducted a wide
variety of studies to advance the missions of organizations through resource development,
strategic planning, collaboration, enterprise development, and program expansion.
Project examples include client education and training, market research, organizational
assessment, program assessment, fundraising performance studies, community asset research,
compensation studies, enrollment projections, and environmental scans.
For several years, Mary has provided senior research consultation to the Association of
Healthcare Philanthropy, on its annual benchmarking study. Recent work also includes a
comprehensive marketplace studies for U.W. Superior, Search Institute, and CentraCare Health
Foundation located in St. Cloud, Minnesota; program evaluations for the Milwaukee Art
Museum, First Stage Children’s Theater, and Boys and Girls Clubs.
Mary holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Sociology from the University of
Wisconsin.

Buddy & Donita Ritchie

Since 1979, Donita has been the Administrative Associate to Frank Broyles, Athletic
Director at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and 2006-present Founder of
Barbara Broyles Legacy, a non-profit whose mission is to educate and counsel
caregivers for victims of Alzheimer’s Disease (from which Broyles’ wife died in 2004). Since his
retirement, the main focus has been the printing, distribution, and promotion of the Coach
Broyles’ Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers, first published in spring, 2006. Donita was heavily
involved in the writing and publication of this guidebook for caregivers. To date, 1.2 million
2009 Biographies

copies have been printed, of which 600,000 have been distributed free to caregivers throughout
the United States.
Donita is a board member for the Ozark Literacy Council. She and her husband Buddy
have twin sons, Willson and Winston Hubbard. The Ritchies enjoy relaxing and hosting family
and friends at their cottage on Beaver Lake.

John & Susan Robinson

John Robinson is a partner at Equity Concepts, LLC, a financial planning firm in

Richmond, Virginia. He is the former Chairman of the Board of First Things First of
Greater Richmond. He is also a member of the board of Northstar Academy, a private school for
children with special needs. John and his wife Susan live in Manakin Sabot, Virginia with their
three children.

Gary & Barb Rosberg

Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg are award-winning authors, popular national radio daily
special feature broadcasters, and beloved marriage conference speakers.
Together, Gary and Barb are co-founders of the national ministry America’s Family
Coaches. Through a unique process called The Great Marriage Experience, the Rosbergs equip
couples, churches, and military marriages with the resources, events, and tools they need to
keep their marriages growing stronger for a lifetime. Gary and Barb directly address the needs
and current issues of marriages today and deliver remarkable insight packed with honest
answers and Biblical truth.
The Rosbergs live outside Des Moines, Iowa. Married since 1975,
Gary & Barb have two married daughters and are expecting their sixth and seventh
grandchildren next year.

Jim & Nancy Russell

Nancy Russell and her husband, Jim, represent ACME - Association for Couples in
Marriage Enrichment. Part of ACME's mission is to develop resources and provide
ongoing opportunities for marriage education and enrichment. Nancy is the Office
Manager and has worked at the national headquarters in Winston-Salem, NC, for more than 20
years. Together, Nancy and Jim are the President Couple for the local ACME Chapter and are
Marriage Enrichment Group leaders. They have been married almost 10 years and have six
grandchildren.

Bob & Diane Ruthazer

Bob Ruthazer, CFLE Is the founding Executive Director of First Things First of
Greater Richmond. Bob and Dianne are married 31 years and parents Joy 27 and
Jonathan 26. Following 21 years as a Naval Officer, Bob & Dianne served as
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missionaries with Youth With a Mission establishing Family Ministries in Richmond, VA and part
time in East and West Africa for eight years. Bob helped found Marriage Builders Alliance of
Richmond, a coalition of Christian Clergy in 1998 They Incorporated and affiliated with First
Things First in 2004. Bob & Dianne are certified instructors in PREP, Christian-PREP, PAIIRS, How
To Avoid Marrying a Jerk, Connections, and Boot Camp for New Dads. Bob is also a trains clergy,
mentors and counselors in PREPARE/ENRICH and FOCCUS. In 2007, Bob launched Boot Camp for
New Dads, now every other week in one of 5 hospital locations. They enjoy an enviable
reputation with many partner agencies and churches. Dianne is on Staff at St Giles Presbyterian
Church serving young adults and young families. Bob also serves St Giles as Marriage and Family
Life Educator. Bob is looking forward to the next BIG steps for First Things First of Greater
Richmond.

Todd & Beverly Sandel

Todd serves as the Executive Director of LifeGate Counseling Center in Atlanta
where he also counsels clients in marriage and family therapy. Todd is also a
certified Family Wellness Instructor, a Certified Gottman Educator and a
PREPARE/ENRICH Seminar Director. Todd leads marriage intensives for Hideaway
Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.
Todd offers private intensives for couples on location and serves as a Family Business
Consultant offering private Family Core Value Retreats.
Todd holds two masters degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary in the areas of
theology and psychology. Before his graduate work, Todd served as a youth and young adult
minister for 13 years.
Todd and his wife Beverly have been married for 9 years and have 4 adorable children
all under the age of 6. Todd and Beverly also currently serve on the adjunct faculty for
WinShape Marriage Retreat in Rome, GA as keynote speakers for marriage conferences.

Greg Smalley
Dr. Greg Smalley is the Director of Marriage Ministries for the Center for
Relationship Enrichment on the campus of John Brown University. He is an
assistant professor of marriage and family studies at John Brown University. He is
also on the teaching team at Fellowship Bible Church.
Dr. Smalley is the author or co-author of 10 books and helps lead marriage
seminars around the world. Together with his wife Erin, do intensive relationship coaching for
both married and engaged couples. He also helps train pastors, professionals and lay leaders
how to effectively work with married and premarital couples.
Greg and Erin, along with their two daughters, Taylor and Maddy, and son, Garrison live
in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

John & Jamee Stanley

After a successful 25-year career in the YMCA, John Stanley founded The Legacy
Group, a consulting and management firm that provides counsel to philanthropists
and helps them navigate charitable giving. As the president of The Legacy Group,
2009 Biographies

John has overseen charitable gifts in excess of $60 million from clients.
John’s counsel to philanthropists and nonprofit leaders is grounded in an ability to
discover an individual’s passion to make a difference, then, more than simply providing
guidance, John and his team help in execution. He is a leading authority on philanthropic
advising, organizational planning and is a recognized leader among his peers.
John is a philanthropist himself, giving through his family’s foundation and serving it as
a trustee. He serves on the Board of Nativity Jesuit Middle School, an inner city school serving
Latino boys. He is a philanthropic advisor for the Family Wealth Alliance; a Philanthropy World
Magazine’s Advisory Board member and serves Camp Manito-wish YMCA as a member of the
Leadership and Financial Development Committees. He and his family live in Milwaukee and
Dallas.

John & Olivia Stemberger

John Stemberger is an AV Rated Orlando attorney who has been an advocate on

marriage and family issues for over 25 years. In 2004, Stemberger became the
President of the Florida Family Policy Council. Since that time he has served as the
State Chairman of the successful campaign to amend Florida’s constitution to
define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In 2009, he launched the Strong
Marriages Florida campaign, a five year statewide effort to reduce the divorce rate and
strengthen marriages in by training 10,000 marriage mentors and creating 12 Community
Marriage Initiatives in Florida.
John Stemberger has been a member of the Council for National Policy and the
Arlington Group in Washington, DC. In a feature article on his work, the Miami Herald called
him, “One of the most interesting and influential people you’ve never heard of.”
He has been married to Olivia for fifteen years and they have four young children.

Jerry Sublett

Our Purpose is to renew lives inside and outside of marriage enabling individuals to
live healthier and happier lives to affect future generations. Our goal is to create a
retreat experience in a loving atmosphere while tending to physical, emotional, and
spiritual needs. We are located near Amarillo, TX overlooking Palo Duro Canyon, America’s
second largest canyon. We offer 2-day and 4-day marriage and family intensive retreats
through our ministry partners in a setting of quiet beauty. Some of our ministry partners are:
The Center for Relational Care, relationalcare.org; Successful Step Families, rondeal.org;
Marriage Today, marriagetoday.org; and Groing Toward Oneness, marriages.net.

Mitch Temple
Mitch Temple currently heads up and serves as Director over the Marriage
Department at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, CO. He is also a speaker,
author and program/event consultant to churches, Para church ministries and
businesses. He and his wife Rhonda conduct 3-day Turnaround workshops
nationwide for couples in crisis. Mitch speaks nationally and internationally including most
2009 Biographies

recently as the key note speaker for a government sponsored Marriage Conference in
Singapore.
Mitch served for over 23 years in full time church work as Pulpit, Involvement, Small
Groups, Counseling Director and Marriage and Family Minister as well as Adjunct Professor at a
Christian University for over 10 years. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and holds
two graduate degrees in Marriage and Family related fields from Amridge University.
Mitch is the author/co-author of several books including his newest one with Moody
Publishing in Chicago: The Marriage Turnaround – How thinking differently about your
relationship can change everything.
Mitch and Rhonda have been married for 27 years. They have 3 adult children and one
beautiful granddaughter.

Bob & Nancy Thompson

Bob Thompson president of Micah Music Ministries, Inc.
(www.micahmusicministries.com), a Williamsburg, Virginia-based business
dedicated to translating the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a language that teens can
hear and understand. Bob also serves as president of the Christian Festival
Association (www.christianfestivals.com), an association of 26 of the nation’s largest Christian
music events, and serves as managing director for Atlanta Fest - the South’s largest Christian
music festival (www.atlantafest.com).
Bob is the former president of Sprint’s national consumer organization, where he was
responsible for the sales, marketing and customer operations for Sprint’s consumer long
distance division. Before joining Sprint, Bob held management positions with AT&T and Verizon
Corporation.
Bob retired from his 24-year career in the telecommunications industry in 2001 with a
stated intention to pursue a career in Christian youth ministry, with particular emphasis on the
influence of popular music on contemporary culture. He speaks regularly to groups on topics of
leadership and business ethics.
Bob and his wife Nancy are graduates of the College of William and Mary in Virginia,
where Nancy recently completed her graduate studies, where she studied the influences of
American popular culture. Nancy serves in the dual role of finance and Christian education
director for Atlanta Fest. They reside in Williamsburg, Virginia and have two grown children.

Matthew & Nicole Turvey

Matthew Turvey, Psy.D., LP, is the Vice President of Outreach for PREPARE-ENRICH,
a world leader in assessing and enriching couple relationships. He is a licensed
psychologist with a specialization in Marriage and Family issues. Dr. Turvey is a
frequent speaker on relational issues and their importance to personal and organizational health
and growth. He is the author of several articles on marriage and family topics for general and
academic publications, including the 2006 CoMission Research Report, "Marriage & Family
Wellness: Corporate America's Business?". He currently lives in Minnesota with his beautiful
wife Nicole and their three children.
2009 Biographies

Leslee Unruh

Leslee J. Unruh is the Founder of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, a resource center

that distributes information on sexual integrity and provides training to educators
and parents.
In 1984, Leslee founded the Alpha Center, a pregnancy support center. Her own
abortion experience inspired her to establish a Memorial Garden for women who have had
abortions. The Alpha Center serves 6,000 clients each year. Leslee inspired the opening of 14
similar centers throughout the United States.
Leslee Unruh led South Dakota to be the first state to ban abortion with the
organization VoteYesForLife.com. Through her vision, Leslee initiated an official task force to
study the effects of abortion and led South Dakota in passing groundbreaking legislation which
brought about the historic informed consent law.
Leslee and her husband Dr. Allen Unruh speak across the country on their book entitled
Romance 101 which highlights the importance of keeping humor within marriage. They have five
grown children and 11 grand treasures, all of whom she considers her greatest
accomplishments.

Leah Vincent

Leah Vincent is the director of Helping People to Help Themselves programs at The
Philanthropy Roundtable. Before joining the Roundtable, Leah spent five years
managing and developing social service programs at the Jewish Community Council
of Greater Coney Island. Among her responsibilities, she was the director of development of the
NonProfit HelpDesk, a technology consultancy program for other nonprofits, and she created
and directed Horizons Academy, an after-school program for at-risk youth in South Brooklyn.
Leah graduated magna cum laude from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, with a
degree in psychology. She received her M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2009,
conducting her summer internship developing performance management tools in the office of
Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

John & Su Vining

John Kie Vining’s ministerial experience includes serving as an evangelist, pastor,

college instructor, and professional pastoral counselor. He graduated from Lee
College earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical-Historical Studies. He received his
Master of Arts degree in Biblical Literature from the Assemblies of God Graduate School. His
Doctor of Ministry degree is from Columbia Theological Seminary. The major area of Dr. Vining’s
graduate training is pastoral care/counseling. He is an Ordained Bishop in the Church of God
(Cleveland). He is a licensed professional counselor in Tennessee. He has served as the Director
of Counseling and Testing, Lee College, and Director of Counseling at the Church of God Center
for Ministerial Care.
Most recently, he served as the Director of Family Ministries for the Church of God.
Presently, he is a Visiting Professor of Counseling and Supervision at the Pentecostal Theological
Seminary in Cleveland, TN. He is the author, editor, or contributor to more than a dozen books
2009 Biographies

including: Spirit-Centered Counseling; When Home Is Where the Hurt Is; Covenant Marriage;
Family Ministry Foundations; Fire, Faith, and Family: A Portrait of Spirit-Filled Families; and
Servant Church. He is married to Dr. Su Ann Vining, and they are the parents of three daughters.

Clarence & Ja’Ola Walker

Drs. Clarence and Ja’Ola teach biblical principles to all families with a special
burden for the black family. Happily married for 33 years their style is down-to–
earth, practical, combining professional training, biblical principles, and
experience. Authors of the 'For Christian Lovers Only' couple enrichment curriculum,
comprehensive, Bible based training targeting black marriages.
Dr. Clarence received a Ph.D. in Biblical Counseling from Trinity, a Graduate Certificate
in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Penn, a professional marriage and family
therapist in private practice for 12 years and pastor of the Fresh Anointing Christian Center. He
is an author of two books published by Zondervan.
Dr. Ja’ is a co-pastor with a D.Min from Jameson College, a M.Ed. in Counselor Ed from
West Chester College, and a BA in Psychology from Eastern College. She is the author of The
Eight Powers of A Woman.

Ronald & Doris Warford

Ronald & Doris are Certified Marriage, Family & Relational Trainers for Intimate
Life Ministries. They provide Marriage, Parenting, Single Adults, Youth and
Leadership training in the Relational Message of “Loving God and One Another”. They have
helped established ongoing marriage and family ministries in churches in several states. They
enjoy conducting marriage and leadership workshops nationally and around the world.
In addition to their staff position with Intimate Life Ministries, for the past eight years
Dr. Ronald Warford, Ph.D., is an ordain Elder at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church where he
and Doris serve as trainers and teachers of the 11 weeks Intimate Partners Marriage Enrichment
Class and Marriage and Relationship Sunday School class. They have trained over thirty-five
couples to assist in small group sessions where over 1,500 have been served. They are
passionately involved with the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative (AAHMI).
Dr. Ronald and Mrs. Doris Warford have been married for forty years. They reside in
Decatur, Georgia with their grandson, Casey. They have three adult children, Stevon, Rolanda,
and Tori, and six other grandchildren.

Sheila Weber

Sheila Weber is working to launch a collaborative campaign to highlight National

Marriage Week USA beginning February 7-14, 2010
(www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org). As a public relations’ executive, Sheila has
been a spokesperson on more than 500 national radio and TV programs and placed hundreds of
major national news stories, including a best-selling TIME magazine cover “Why We Should
2009 Biographies

Teach the Bible in Public Schools.” (April 2, 2006). She attained prestige media for the scholarly
report “The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing.” She lives with her husband B.J.
in midtown Manhattan and has worked as VP Communications for the Bible Literacy Project, a
U.S. Senate press aide, media director for a PBS documentary on William Wilberforce, staff
writer at McCall's magazine, an actress/spokesperson for the JESUS film, and reporter for a
Washington, D.C. newspaper. Sheila has an honors degree in Journalism/Economics from
American University, and was a President's Scholar for a Masters at NYU.

Eric & Donna Welch

Eric serves as Director of Partner Relations for the Global Cities Team of Campus
Crusade for Christ. In addition, he serves as National Facilitator of Ministry
Networks for Mission America Coalition. Eric brings over 12 years of corporate
experience from Fortune 500 companies, where he worked in areas of Research &
Development, Innovation Strategy, and Knowledge Management. In addition, Eric has served in
multiple lay roles of local church ministry over the past 25 years. The Lord has placed a passion
in his heart to apply this blended knowledge and experience to help facilitate collaboration
among Christian ministries and churches toward the spirit of unity encouraged in John 17 and
Philippians 2. With Campus Crusade, Eric helps identify and promote strategies for community
transformation, with emphasis on mobilizing key leaders within their spheres of influence. With
Mission America Coalition, Eric works with national ministry networks to help identify
opportunities for collaboration on evangelism strategies, as well as partnering to develop new
ministry networks. He also works with the Mission America Coalition city ministry facilitators to
connect national initiatives with local city/community ministry networks. Eric’s wife Donna has
been a school teacher for over 10 years, with experience in public school, private Christian
school, and home school. Her favorite subjects are mad science, old math, and challenging
spelling words. Eric and Donna have three children aged 5, 7, & 9, and live in the Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida area.

Carlis Williams

Carlis V. Williams serves as the Southeast (Region IV) Regional Administrator for the
Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and
Families (ACF) in Atlanta, Georgia. ACF provides comprehensive and supportive
programs for vulnerable children and families which include Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families, Child Welfare, Child Care, Child Support Enforcement and Head Start. The region
consists of eight southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. As the Regional Administrator, she also provides
executive leadership for emergency preparedness and response, and serves as the National
Lead Regional Administrator for ACF Healthy Marriage Initiative and Co-lead for the Office of
Family Assistance.
Ms. Williams is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Award for Distinguished Service; and Clark Atlanta University Dean’s Public Sector
Award in recognition of her extraordinary achievements for the well-being of children and
families in the southeast community.
2009 Biographies

George & Jan Williams

Georg and Jan Williams are Certified Marriage Trainers for Intimate Life
Ministries. For over 16 years they have helped establish on-going marriage
ministries in many churches in many denominations. One of their greatest
rewards has been their ministry to the marriages of ministry couples.
George has spent a lifetime in Christian publishing and as a consultant to ministry and
denominational leadership on a national basis. In his retirement, he is helping ministries and
authors reach new levels of communications through innovative publishing, media and digital
production
Jan owns and manages one of the Southeast’s largest privately-owned schools of music
and theatre, located in Brentwood, Tennessee. She has enjoyed a lifetime of successes as a
pianist and organist in churches and through recordings. One of her greatest joys is her ministry
to thousands of families through her music school. She is in marriage and family ministry on a
daily basis!
George and Jan live in Thompsons Station, Tennessee, a rural suburb of Nashville. They
have been married for 41 years and have two married children, and 2 Grandsons (with another
in the hanger!).

Jeff & Lakita Wright

Carl Jeffrey Wright is CEO of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.), the leader in providing
Christian education and positive media content for African Americans.
(www.urbanministries.com )
Jeff spent over 15 years in the Fortune 50 companies Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-
Myers Squibb before joining UMI. He has worked in ministry since 1988 in a variety of positions
including director of Christian education and associate pastor. A lawyer, Jeff is a graduate of
Georgetown University Law Center, has an MBA in finance from Columbia University and a BA
from Fisk University. He is the author of the book and curriculum God’s Vision or Television?
How Television Influences What We Believe.
Jeff serves on the boards of Care Net, The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association,
Fuller Theological Seminary, Urban Outreach Foundation and is board president and CEO of
Circle Y Ranch. Jeff has four children and is married to Lakita Garth Wright.

Lakita is the author of the book and curriculum, The Naked Truth: About Sex, Love and
Relationships. A speaker and commentator on race relations, politics, feminism, and HIV/AIDS,
she is one of America’s leading abstinence advocates.
Lakita testified before the U.S. Senate on teen pregnancy prevention and consulted for
nations in Africa and the Caribbean and over a dozen U. S. federal, state, and county health
departments on teen pregnancy, AIDS/HIV, STDs, and the impact of the media on adolescent
behavior. She hosted UPN's Emmy-nominated show "The Truth About Sex," and appeared on
The View, The Tyra Banks Show, Montel Williams, Inside Edition, Nightline, MTV, BET. She was
featured in Vogue, Seventeen, Vibe, Essence, the Washington Post and other periodicals.
Lakita holds a BS degree from the University of Southern California, an honorary
doctorate from Aspen University and is married to Jeffrey Wright. They have one son.