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2008 Summit Speakers

BILL HYBELS

Bill Hybels is the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. He convened The Leadership Summit in 1995 following a God-given prompting to help develop the spiritual gift of leadership in the local church. A highly sought-after conference speaker on issues related to Christian leadership, Hybels is the best-selling author of more than 20 books including Courageous Leadership, The Volunteer Revolution, and the recently released, Holy Discontent.

Known worldwide for his work equipping and training Christian leaders, Bill Hybels is the visionary behind The Leadership Summit. He is passionate about empowering leaders to transform communities through the local church.

For more information on Bill Hybels’ leadership experiences visit willowcreek.com

BRAD ANDERSON

As vice chairman and chief executive officer for Best Buy Brad Anderson champions the ongoing development of leaders at all levels in the firm belief that constant innovation is required to enhance the customer’s experience. Anderson joined the company in 1973 as a commissioned salesman. Thirty-five years later, his early work with customers still informs Best Buy’s continued growth. Today, Anderson leads approximately 140,000 employees throughout North America and China and was recently named one of “The Best CEOs in America” by Institutional Investor Magazine.

A native of Sheridan, Wyoming, Anderson has degrees from Waldorf College and the University of Denver. His charitable and volunteer efforts are highlighted by his participation on numerous boards. Anderson and his wife, Janet, live in Minneapolis. They have two sons.

For more information on Brad Anderson’s leadership experiences visit bestbuy.com

JOHN BURKE

John Burke serves as lead pastor at Gateway Community Church in Austin, Texas, a congregation dedicated to helping unchurched people become a unified community of growing Christ-followers, no matter what their background or past. He is the author of the book, No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come-as-You-Are Culture. Before starting Gateway, John was the Executive Director of Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church. Prior to that, John and his wife, Kathy, were on staff with a campus ministry in California.

John did his undergraduate work at the University of Texas and his graduate work at Trinity University in Chicago. He and Kathy, who is also active in leadership at Gateway, are the parents of two children.

For more information on John Burke’s leadership experiences visit gatewaychurch.com

CHUCK COLSON

Internationally known commentator, columnist, and author Chuck Colson is the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries. His radio broadcast, BreakPoint, airs daily to five million listeners. In the last thirty-three years, Chuck has visited more than 600 prisons in forty countries and, with the help of nearly 50,000 volunteers, has built Prison Fellowship into the world's largest prison outreach.

He has written more than twenty books including Born Again, the contemporary spiritual classic Loving God, and (with coauthor Ellen Vaughn) the groundbreaking God and Government (originally released as Kingdoms in Conflict). Chuck's latest book, The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters, will be released in February 2008.

For more information on Chuck Colson’s leadership experiences visit breakpoint.org

BILL GEORGE

Bill George is professor of management practice, Henry B. Arthur Fellow of Ethics, at Harvard Business School, where he is teaching leadership and leadership development. A best-selling author, his books include the recently-released True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership as well as Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. George is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company. Currently, he serves as a director of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, and Novartis, as well as Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and World Economic Forum USA.

Mr. George received his BSIE with high honors from Georgia Tech, and his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar. In 2002 George was selected as one of "The 25 Most Influential Business People of the Last 25 Years" by PBS Nightly News.

For more information on Bill George’s leadership experiences visit truenorthleaders.com.

CRAIG GROESCHEL

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and is known for his creative and relevant Bible teaching. Groeschel’s passion—to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ—is the driving force behind his down-to-earth teaching that touches thousands of people weekly. Craig’s creative leadership skills are changing the way church is done worldwide. Under his leadership, LifeChurch.tv has become one of the country’s first multi-campus churches, with over forty weekend worship experiences currently at twelve different locations throughout the United States.

Craig’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Oklahoma City University and a Master’s of Divinity degree from Phillips Theological Seminary. He has authored three books including, Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life, Confessions of a Pastor, and the October 2007 release Going All The Way.

For more information on Craig Groeschel’s leadership experiences visit lifechurch.tv.

GARY HAUGEN

Gary Haugen serves as the President of International Justice Mission (IJM), an international human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression. Haugen and a team of experts work alongside world leaders to achieve IJM’s four-fold purpose of victim relief, perpetrator accountability, structural prevention, and victim aftercare. Before founding IJM, Haugen was a Senior Trial Attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as Officer in Charge of the United Nations’ genocide investigation in Rwanda personally directing and conducting field investigations at various sites.

A decorated scholar, Haugen frequently speaks at collegiate venues on the topic of international law and human rights. He has authored numerous articles and books including Good News About Injustice, a chronicle about the vision behind IJM’s work, and Terrify No More, a highlight of the rescue of elementary age girls from brothels.

For more information on Gary Haugen’s leadership experiences visit ijm.org.

WENDY KOPP

In her undergraduate senior thesis at Princeton University, Wendy Kopp outlined a plan to recruit outstanding recent college graduates to teach for two years in America's neediest urban and rural schools. Upon graduation, she used this plan to found Teach For America (TFA) and over the past 18 years developed the corps into a prestigious, highly regarded program. Today, 5,000 TFA corps members reach approximately 440,000 students in low-income communities across the country.

Kopp holds various honorary doctorate degrees and is the author of One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way. She is the youngest person and the first woman to receive Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson Award, the highest honor the school confers on its undergraduate alumni. In 2006, she was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report.

For more information on Wendy Kopp’s leadership experiences visit teachforamerica.org.

CATHERINE ROHR

Catherine Rohr is the CEO and Founder of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) whose mission is to stimulate positive life transformation for executives and inmates, uniting them through entrepreneurial passion, education, and mentoring. Since its inception in May 2004, PEP has produced unparalleled results with its 300 graduates: a 98% employment rate, a 3.7% return-to-prison rate, and the launch of 40 entrepreneurial businesses. The only program of its type nationally, PEP has recruited 900 senior business executives and 400 MBA students from 12 programs, including Harvard and Stanford, to provide hands-on assistance to its graduates.

Prior to founding PEP, Catherine worked in private equity for American Securities Capital Partners and as a venture capitalist at Summit Partners. She worked with more than 4,000 CEOs and generated $32 million in equity investments in her investment career. Catherine holds a degree in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. She lives in Houston with her husband, Steve.

For more information on Catherine Rohr’s Leadership Experiences visit prisonentrepreneurship.org.

EFREM SMITH

Efrem Smith is pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. An internationally recognized leader who uses storytelling, comedy, and passion to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Smith serves frequently as a keynote speaker for various organizations. Previously, Smith served as executive director of The Park Avenue Foundation (Minneapolis) and urban ministry director of Minnesota Fellowship of Christian Athletes. A graduate of Saint John’s University and Luther Theological Seminary, he is a member of the CORE seminar training team of Youth Specialties, a speaker with Kingdom Building Ministries, and the author of Raising Up Young Heroes.

Smith is married to Donecia and has two daughters. He has received many awards such as the Role Model Award from the Hennepin County Community Coalition and the Community Service Award from Saint John’s University.

For more information on Efrem Smith’s leadership experiences visit sanctuarycovenant.org.

Stay tuned to fbcowasso.org/summit for updates and additions to the 2008 Summit faculty.

August 7 - 8, 2008

Register before May 20th to receive the Super Early Bird Rate.

Non-FBCO Members Register HERE.
 

FBCO Members

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