Key Contributors

Daniel Taylor

Writer, Speaker, and Traveler

Daniel Taylor was born near San Diego in 1948 and was raised initially in various Southern California towns and cities. He spent five formative years as a boy in the Texas Panhandle, then returned to California for the rest of his boyhood through college.

He lived in Atlanta during four years of graduate school and has lived in Minneapolis and St. Paul since 1974. In sum, five years in California, five years in Texas, eleven more years in California (mostly in Santa Barbara), four years in Georgia, and the rest in Minnesota. Taylor went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara and picked up other degrees from Emory University in Atlanta.

He began teaching at Northwestern College (Roseville, MN) in 1974 but soon began a long career at Bethel College (and then University) in Arden Hills, Minnesota that ended in 2010. He also taught briefly at Westmont College, his alma mater.

To relieve the tedium of being too long in one place, Taylor and his wife, Jayne, have led both student and adult tours to places such as England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Australia, Guatemala, Brazil, and Cuba.

He continues to lead such tours. In a similar attempt to keep life interesting, they have produced four children (one born in England) — two daughters and two sons, all now adults. Taylor published his first book in 1986 and his most recent novel will appear in 2020.. He worked as a stylist for the New Living Translation of the Bible from 1992-2002 while also teaching. He currently spends his days deep in thought, sometimes putting same on paper, currently sinking so low as to be producing novels.

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Fred Smith

Founder of The Gathering

Fred is the Founder of The Gathering, which he led for three decades through the end of 2018. Fred was also the Founder of Fourth Partner, a local foundation in Tyler, Texas, that was focused on philanthropy and community development within the East Texas area. He previously joined Bob Buford in founding Leadership Network, where he served as President for 12 years.

Fred spent several years as a teacher and administrator at Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina and The Stony Brook School in New York. He is a Navy veteran and a graduate of Denver University and Harvard Divinity School. With a lifetime of accomplishment, Fred will tell you his true vocation is that of a Sunday School teacher. And it is this role for which he would most like to be remembered. Fred and his wife, Carol, have two grown daughters, a son-in-law, and four grandchildren.

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Greg Bourgond

President and Founder of Heart of a Warrior Ministries

Dr. Greg Bourgond earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Chapman University (1979), a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) from Bethel Seminary in San Diego (1983), a Doctor of Ministry
degree (D.Min.) in Church Leadership from Bethel in St. Paul (1997), and an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education (2001) from Nova Southeastern University. He completed postgraduate studies in the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard Graduate School of Education (2003). He is the author of award-winning books such as “A Rattling of Sabers: Preparing Your Heart for Life’s Battles” published in 2010 and 2012, “Papa’s Blessings: The Gift That Keeps Giving” published in 2011, “Setting Your Course: How to Navigate Life’s Journey” published in 2014, and “Leadership Beef Jerky: Principles and Practices You Can Chew On” published in 2018.

His previous experience includes ten years in the defense industry and commercial business and over eighteen years in various ministry positions. He has held positions as a Principal Analyst and Project
Manager for Analysis & Technology, Inc., Senior Project Engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company, Unit Training Manager for General Electric, and General Manager in Burdick Companies. In ministry he has been a Deacon, Elder, Ministry Director, Associate Pastor, and Executive Pastor in San Diego and Rochester. He completed 29 years of active and reserve duty in enlisted and officer ranks in the U.S. Navy.

He is the President and Founder of Heart of Warrior Ministries. He serves in several consulting roles with other ministry organizations. He served as Assistant to the Provost of Bethel University and Director of Strategy for Online Education providing direction for advancement of online education across Bethel University four academic units. He provided operational support to Bethel Seminary in the areas of distributed learning, budget development, and future strategic operations. In that capacity he served as Vice President for Operations and Strategic Initiatives, Dean for the Center of Transformational Leadership, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Instructional Technology at Bethel Seminary.

Greg serves as a consultant and teacher in the areas of leadership formation and development, spiritual and personal formation, legacy, life mapping and focused living, organizational systems theory and applications, operational effectiveness, ministry planning, strategic planning, distance learning and technology-mediated course delivery, men’s ministry, small group dynamics, and mentoring. He is an adjunct professor for University of Northwestern and Bethel Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota.

As President and Founder of Heart of a Warrior Ministries, his ministry is dedicated to helping men live lives of integrity and honor under the authority of God. He has taught in graduate and post-graduate schools and ministry organizations and spoken and preached in many churches and ministry contexts around the world. He has also twice been C.S. Lewis Visiting Scholar-in-Residence at the Kilns in Headington England. Greg has been happily married for 52 years and enjoys his grandchildren every chance he gets.

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Jay Bennett

Founder of National Christian Foundation Twin Cities

Jay Bennett has been married to his wife, Sally, for 51 years and has three grown sons, three daughters-in-law, and nine grandchildren. Professionally, Jay led a “parallel career” of practicing law and engaging in a wide variety of business transactions in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis), domestically, and internationally for the past 40 years while also leading a Christian foundation serving Christian ministries for 35 years.

To integrate his passions to see the Lord’s resources flow generously into high-impact ministries, Jay founded National Christian Foundation Twin Cities in 2000, a Christian Community Foundation and NCF affiliate. He serves on numerous for-profit and non-profit boards including service as Chairman of the National Christian Foundation.

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Ken Blanchard

Author and cofounder of Blanchard®

With a passion to turn every leader into a servant leader, Ken Blanchard shares his insightful and powerful message with audiences around the world through speeches, consulting services, and bestselling books. Universally characterized by his friends, colleagues, and clients as one of the most influential and compassionate leadership experts in the world, Ken is respected for his lifetime of groundbreaking research and thought leadership. In fact, few people have influenced the day-to-day management of people and companies more than Ken Blanchard.

When Ken speaks, he speaks from the heart with warmth and humor. No matter how large the audience, he is able to communicate with each person as if the two of them were alone and talking one on one. Ken is a sophisticated storyteller with a knack for making the seemingly complex easy to understand.

Dr. Ken Blanchard is the cofounder and Chief Spiritual Officer of Blanchard®, an international management training and consulting firm that he and his wife, Margie Blanchard, began in 1979 in San Diego, California. In addition to being a renowned speaker and consultant, Ken is a trustee emeritus of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Cornell University, cofounder of Lead Like Jesus, a world-wide Servant Leadership ministry, and he also teaches students in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership Program at the University of San Diego.

Ken’s impact as an author is far reaching. His iconic 1982 classic, The One Minute Manager®, coauthored with Spencer Johnson, has sold more than 13 million copies and remains on bestseller lists today. In the past three decades he has authored or coauthored 60 books whose combined sales total more than 21 million copies. His groundbreaking works—including Raving Fans, The Secret, and Leading at a Higher Level, to name just a few—have been translated into more than 42 languages. In 2005 Ken was inducted into Amazon’s Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 bestselling authors of all time.

Ken has received many awards and honors for his contributions in the fields of management, leadership, and speaking. The National Speakers Association awarded him its highest honor, the Council of Peers Award of Excellence. He was inducted into the HRD Hall of Fame by Training magazine and Lakewood Conferences, and he received the Golden Gavel award from Toastmasters International. Ken also received the Thought Leadership Award for continued support of work-related learning and performance by ISA, The Association of Learning Providers.

Born in New Jersey and raised in New York, Ken received his master’s degree from Colgate University and his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from Cornell University.

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Jon Gordon

Best-selling author and keynote speaker

Jon Gordon’s best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 28 books including 14 best sellers and 5 children’s books.

His books include the timeless classic The Energy Bus which has sold over 2 million copies, The Carpenter which was a top 5 business book of the year, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, The Power of a Positive Team, The Coffee Bean, Stay Positive, The Garden, and his latest book The One Truth. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers.

His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, Campbell’s Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, Miami Heat, The Los Angeles Rams, Snapchat, Truist Bank, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, West Point Academy and more.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

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Laurie Beth Jones

Best-selling Author

Laurie Beth Jones is a best-selling author, speaker, and leadership consultant whose work has inspired individuals and organizations around the world. She is best known for her books Jesus, CEO, The Path, and Jesus in Blue Jeans, which explore timeless biblical principles applied to leadership, purpose, and everyday life. Her writing has been translated into multiple languages and has impacted leaders across business, education, ministry, and personal development.

With a background in business and communications, Laurie Beth has dedicated her career to equipping others to discover their unique mission and live with clarity and conviction. She founded The Path, a training program that helps people and organizations articulate and pursue their purpose, and has worked with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, churches, and individual leaders seeking transformation.

Through her books, workshops, and speaking engagements, Laurie Beth Jones continues to encourage people to lead with vision, compassion, and integrity—leaving a legacy that blends spiritual depth with practical action.

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Larry Julian

Author, Speaker, Coach

Larry S. Julian is a successful consultant and speaker who specializes in Biblically-based leadership development and strategic planning. Larry’s mission is to help business people integrate their work and faith, transform their adversity into their destiny, and revolutionize their life into their legacy. He’s the author of the nationally acclaimed and best-selling business book, GOD IS MY CEO: Following God’s Principles in a Bottom-Line World. His latest release, GOD IS MY SUCCESS: Transforming Adversity into Your Destiny helps people overcome the obstacles which keep them from being the success God intended.

As founder of God is My CEO, Larry addresses the needs of large groups of business people through church retreats and other programs. His Executive Forum helps small groups of business leaders integrate their work and faith and become the success God intended them to be. Through one-on-one coaching and consulting, Larry helps leaders of all levels overcome difficult circumstances to become effective and successful.

As President of The Julian Group, Larry uses his experience consulting with the corporate, government, and community sectors in successful speaking, facilitating, and coaching engagements. Over the past several years, he’s facilitated hundreds of strategic planning retreats, teambuilding retreats and leadership development programs. Larry’s unique talent is in bringing diverse constituents together in partnerships with a shared vision and a common purpose.

In addition to many churches and non-profit organizations, his clients have included 3M, American Express Financial Services, AT&T, BP Amoco, General Mills, Honeywell, Mayo Clinic, PepsiCo, Qwest and hundreds of other large and small organizations. Larry is also a popular instructor at the University of St. Thomas Management Center. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Paul L. H. Olson

Executive, speaker, and founder of faithlegacy.com

Paul L. H. Olson is an experienced executive in the fields of eCommerce, software and technology services, investment advisory, higher education, mergers and acquisitions, philanthropy, and strategic planning.

His passion is to take on challenging, creative ventures of high impact by utilizing executive and consultative know-how as a servant leader, leveraging networking and mentoring skills, and inspiring and impacting others in successful, significant endeavors.

Today, he serves on corporate and non-profit boards and consults with C-level executives on leadership and strategy.
After Olson retired from a successful career as a corporate executive in late 2000, he rewired to give his energy and expertise to corporate board work, capital market consulting, higher education management, and philanthropy.

He currently serves as a board director for several companies and non-profit organizations including Entegris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTG) as Chairman of the Board, WCM Industries, Inc. as Lead Director, Liaison Technologies, Inc. a Director and Advisor, and the Macalester College Board of Trustees.

He is a frequent speaker in business and community, a lecturer and an adjunct professor in academia, and has authored numerous professional journal articles.

Olson holds a doctorate degree in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a BA in Mathematics from Macalester College.
Paul and his wife of 40 years, have three married children and seven grandchildren.

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Randy Ross

Speaker and founder of Remarkable!

Randy is Anchored by Hope and the belief that tomorrow can hold bigger and brighter possibilities than today. Most importantly, he’s a messenger of practical wisdom to help untangle the biggest challenges facing today’s business leader, tomorrow’s workforce and the future marketplace. He engages audiences worldwide, creating value for leaders and teams alike. His keynotes and workshops resonate with transformational truths that inspire elevated performance.

In 2008, Randy founded Remarkable! – a consulting and advisory firm specializing in team development and organizational health. Spending time in both the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds, Randy has traveled throughout the United States and internationally as a speaker, consultant and coach, building teams and developing leaders. A compelling communicator, Randy has the keen sesnsitivity to speak to the heart of leaders and inspires elevated performance among teams. Randy’s unique understanding of employee engagement allows him to offer practical solutions for increasing both the morale and performance of your teams.

A graduate of Baylor University, Randy also holds two advanced degrees from Southwestern. Randy is the co-author of Remarkable!, a leadership parable that illustrates the power of applied axiology to guide organizations toward the creation of a more compelling and collaborative culture, based on Value Creation. Randy’s latest book, Relationomics: Business Powered by Relationships, provides powerful insights and practical principles to create relationally rich environments.

Before founding Remarkable!, Randy led several not-for-profit entities in Texas and Florida and served as VP of Recruiting for a large regional mortgage corporation, based in Atlanta. Later, he became the Chief People Officer of North American Automotive Group. He and his wife, LuAnne have four children and live in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Tony Dungy

Author, Speaker, and former NFL Head Coach

Tony Dungy is a former professional football player and coach who became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl. After playing college ball for the University of Minnesota, Dungy played three seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers. Beginning his coaching career in 1980, Dungy went on to serve as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later the Indianapolis Colts. He guided the Colts to a Super Bowl victory in 2007.

Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of eleven children. Since stepping down as head coach of the Colts, Dungy has worked as an analyst for NBC’s “Football Night in America.” In addition, Dungy, a committed Christian, has remained active in a number of charitable causes, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Prison Crusade Ministry.

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David Horsager

Advisor, speaker, and author

David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE is CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute and a global authority on helping leaders and organizations become the most trusted in their industry.He is inventor of The Enterprise Trust Index™, director of the annual study—The Trust Outlook™, and national bestselling author of The Trust Edge.

With clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to professional sports teams and global governments, David has taken the platform across the United States and on 6 continents.

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Mark Batterson

Pastor & Author

Mark Batterson is a visionary pastor and prolific author whose leadership and voice have impacted millions around the globe. He currently serves as Lead Visionary (Lead Pastor) of National Community Church (NCC) in Washington, D.C., a multi-campus, theater-based church recognized for innovation, cultural engagement, and Kingdom entrepreneurship.

A gifted storyteller and communicator, Mark is the author of 25 books (as of 2025), including the New York Times bestseller The Circle Maker. His writing spans devotionals, leadership works, children’s titles, and books on spiritual formation such as Whisper, Win the Day, and A Million Little Miracles.

Mark holds a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree from Regent University and has two master’s degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His educational journey also includes undergraduate study at Central Bible College after a scholarship stint at the University of Chicago.

Under Mark’s leadership, NCC has launched and operated Kingdom enterprises such as Ebenezers Coffeehouse, The Miracle Theatre, the DC Dream Center, and Capital Turnaround (a mixed-use redevelopment in D.C.). These initiatives intertwine community transformation with creative ministry strategy.

Mark and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., and they have three children: Parker, Summer, and Josiah.

His passion is to help people reimagine faith in daily life — dreaming boldly, praying with confidence, and leading with courage. As a contributor to Faith Legacy, Mark brings insights from decades of pastoral leadership, writing, and Kingdom innovation — helping readers move beyond success to supernatural significance.

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Bob Kobielush

Founder of Christian Camping Foundation

Bob Kobielush is a respected leader, mentor, and advocate in Christian camping, conference, and retreat ministry whose career has spanned more than four decades. Known for his visionary leadership and steady hand in guiding organizations through change, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of Christian outdoor ministry in the United States and around the world. Bob’s life work has centered on equipping leaders, strengthening ministries, and ensuring that the life-changing power of camp experiences continues to impact generations for Christ.

Bob Kobielush is a respected leader, mentor, and advocate in Christian camping, conference, and retreat ministry. For more than four decades, his leadership and vision have strengthened ministries and equipped countless leaders to serve with integrity and faith. His passion for experiential ministry has inspired generations to encounter Christ through the transformative power of camp and community.

As former president of the Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA), Bob guided the organization through seasons of growth and renewal while maintaining a clear focus on its mission to connect people with God. His influence extended globally through his collaboration with Christian Camping International, where he supported leaders and organizations dedicated to advancing Gospel-centered ministry around the world.

Today, Bob continues to mentor emerging leaders and invest in the next generation of Christian ministry. His enduring legacy is seen not only in the thriving camps and leaders he has equipped but also in his steadfast commitment to Christ-centered leadership and lifelong service to God’s Kingdom.

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