All Conference Speakers

Kevin G. Ford is the Chief Visionary Officer of TAG, a management consulting firm headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Kevin’s expertise extends from strategic planning and organizational development to competency-based management and leadership development. He has developed strategic plans for hundreds of organizations nationwide and has taught leadership development in numerous settings. He is also creator of the Transforming Church Index, a powerful assessment tool. Kevin’s previous years of experience in ministry combined with this extensive background in management consulting brings a powerful focus to his ongoing work to help churches become more effective in ministry.

Will Mancini emerged from the trenches of local church leadership to found Auxano, a first-of-kind consulting ministry that focuses on vision clarity. As a “clarity evangelist,” Will has served as vision architect for hundreds of churches across the country. Will’s style blends the best of three worlds: the process thinking from the discipline of engineering, the communications savvy as an ad agency executive, and the practical theology as a pastoral leader. His education includes a ThM in Pastoral Leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State. He is the author of Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture and Create Movement, a Leadership Network Publication, and of Building Leaders.

Julie brings a unique gift mix to Generis’ team of generosity strategists. She has exceptional experience influencing churches and other organizations to embrace a culture of generosity. Most recently on staff at Community Christian Church (CCC), a multi-site church in Chicagoland with 11 campus locations, she led the development efforts for the private phase of CCC’s innovative generosity campaign. Julie also served as the director of development for the NewThing Network, CCC’s church planting network with over 52 churches nationwide, as a generosity and fundraising coach to new church plants and churches going multi-site. Julie is experienced and talented at working with innovative churches seeking to accelerate generosity for new projects, churches seeking to reproduce dollars and go multi-site, churches seeking to expand their vision and open up new pockets of generosity, or churches simply looking for what’s next. You’ll find her to be a sharp mind with a warm and energetic spirit and a work ethic of excellence.

Follow Julie on Twitter: @juliebullock

Evan McBroom is founder of Fishhook, a marketing communications and creative services company. He is dedicated to serving as a communications partner and resource with churches and Christ-centered organizations. He combines the passion of his faith journey with the expertise he gained during his 14-year career with one of central Indiana’s largest corporate communications and marketing companies. Through Fishhook, he now provides churches with senior-level communications consulting services. Evan is a guest lecturer, presenter, emcee and trainer for numerous organizations. He and his wife are active in adult and children’s worship arts at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis.

Follow Evan on Twitter: @evanmcbroom

David DeGroot graduated from Calvin College in 1984 with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. He graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Illinois/Chicago in 1988 with emphases in Finance and Accounting. He graduated with distinction from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 1997. He is a Certified Public Accountant. He worked for First Evergreen Corporation from 1984 to 1987 as an auditor, Westbank Financial Corporation from 1988 to 1992 as Controller, and Suburban Bank and Trust from 1992 to 2006 as Chief Financial Officer. He presently serves Providence Bank as Manager, Regional President and Chief Financial Officer. He serves on the Executive Loan Committee and champions the effort to provide lending solutions to nonprofit organizations and churches. Dave co-authored a business banking white paper on providing lending services to churches, private schools and nonprofit organizations. Dave has served on various committees and capacities at his church and currently serves as Elder. He has also served on various civic and Christian nonprofit organizations and currently serves as board member of Love Christian Clearinghouse.

Tim Siefker, Project Developer at Aspen Group, has a comprehensive background with over 15 years experience in architectural design, construction, and business development. His experience also includes time as the Children’s Ministry Director at his church and serving on the building committee for a sizeable addition/renovation project. In his role as Project Developer, Tim navigates through the design and construction process with clients, while listening and responding to questions and concerns. He ensures that the facility design is aligned with the culture, ministry, and leadership of the church – an alignment that translates into an effective facility that will enhance ministry.

Follow Tim on Twitter: @tsiefker

As the Director of Design and Senior Project Architect at Aspen Group, David leads the design team efforts at all Aspen Group locations. Since 1989, David has specialized in the design of churches, commercial and residential structures with an expertise in designing architecture with an underlying theme of constructability. He enjoys hearing the testimonies from past Aspen Group clients about how the facility designs are enhancing the church’s ministries and how lives are being changed.

Derek DeGroot, Project Architect in the Frankfort office, enjoys working with clients through the creative process, from early concepts to the finished design of a space. Derek excels at navigating through unique challenges that churches face with budget and space constraints, finding creative solutions no matter how tight a budget may be. This positive approach combined with Derek’s architectural expertise results in ministry-enhancing designs that reflect a church’s DNA.

Follow Derek on Twitter: @DDDeGroot

Jed has always loved impacting and transforming the landscapes of life. So, he pursued a degree within civil engineering from Valparaiso University and jumped into the world of land development. For the past ten years, he’s completed multiple commercial and residential projects. Through these projects, God provided an opportunity for Jed to come alongside his local congregation and guide the development of the parking and recreational facilities. This experience ignited a fire within Jed, as he discovered the ability to blend the skills of his mind with the passions of his heart. The Lord also used this church construction project to connect Jed with the Aspen Group. Jed proclaims the Aspen Group encapsulates his passions instilled by God to impact His Kingdom.

Sean is the Lead Pastor at Athens Church in Watkinsville, GA. Athens Church is a strategic partner of North Point, and Sean helped start Athens Church in 2004. He graduated from Toccoa Falls College with a BS in Christian Counseling and Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters in Theology. He has served on the staffs of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Northwest Bible Church in Dallas, TX and North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. He grew up in the Atlanta area, and has been married to his wife, Bonnie for 18 years. They have two boys & one girl (Bryson – 10, Boone – 8 years, Lola – 20 months).

Based on experience and affinity, Brad Leeper is drawn to larger, innovative, growing churches and the challenges of helping them expand in the area of generosity practically and spiritually. As President and Principal of Generis, he is well served by his experience as a consultant to churches across the nation, a staff leader in resource development for local ministries, a Campus Director for Campus Crusade for Christ, and his role as church elder in his own 4,000-member home church, Perimeter Church in Atlanta.

Brad’s unique approach allows him to serve larger and growing churches with significant funding requirements. Brad has a strong understanding of the multi-site church strategy and other pioneering church movements.

A 20-year member of Perimeter Church, Brad served four years on the Global Outreach Executive Team, which oversees a significant missions budget. Brad also served on the Kingdom Resource Team, which developed strategic giving for the church. Brad also served on a local high school ministry board and works closely with several ministries across the country. He and his wife Lisa have two delightful adult daughters, Laura and Sarah.

Brad earned a Masters in Theology degree from Dallas Seminary and a B.S. in Economics from West Virginia University. A member of the National Association of Church Business Administrators, he has professional certifications in church risk management and human resources—with diverse experience in financial analysis, adult education, cross-cultural missions and strategic planning.

Kurt André is a Senior Partner with TAG. Kurt’s expertise includes strategic planning, leadership and organizational development and leadership coaching. Kurt is a professionally certified Leadership Coach. He has received numerous awards including national recognition for his leadership among network development, Young Leaders of America, Who’s Who of Christian Leaders and for his international work among the former Soviet Republics.
Kurt has worked with hundreds of organizations across the US and overseas to develop and implement strategic plans in a variety of settings, but specializes in coaching individuals and groups in competency based management and leadership development. He is a sought-after expert in the area of postmodern studies. Kurt’s current work is in the areas of strategic planning, leadership and organizational development and coaching, he also has extensive experience in student ministry.

Greg Snider, Aspen Group Senior Project Developer, came to his current position with 12 years of field construction experience, six of which were spent building churches. Greg has served as a deacon and worship team leader. He also served as building committee chairperson for his church, an experience that gives him insider knowledge of how to serve churches during planning and construction. In his current role as Project Developer, Greg works with dozens of churches each year, helping them translate their visions into effective designs and then finished, ministry-enhancing facilities.