Spring Savior Summit 2026

Accordion Content

Former Buffalo Bills legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jim Kelly is known not only for his remarkable football career, but for his unwavering faith through adversity. Having faced life-threatening health battles and profound personal trials, Jim’s testimony is one of perseverance, humility, and total dependence on Christ. His message powerfully connects leadership, resilience, and faith under pressure.

Mark Whitacre is one of the most compelling redemption stories of our time. Once a high-level executive entangled in corporate corruption, Mark’s life was radically transformed by the grace of God. Today, he is a respected speaker, author, and advocate for integrity, faith, and ethical leadership. His testimony is raw, honest, and deeply hopeful—proof that no one is beyond God’s reach.

Mark has been engaged with the faith at work movement the past twenty years.  Mark is Vice President of Culture & Care and Executive Director of the t-factor initiative at Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. and Mark has worked with Coca-Cola Consolidated since 2019.  Coca-Cola Consolidated is a faith-friendly, publicly traded (NASDAQ) company with an official purpose statement “To honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence, and to grow profitably”.   Mark had served as National Director and then COO of Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC) from 2013 to 2019.  Mark was the COO and Chief Science Officer from 2006 to 2013 at Cypress Systems, Inc., a California faith-based biotechnology company where Mark still serves on Cypress’ advisory council. 

Mark and his wife Ginger have been married for 46 years and have three adult children.

Colonel George Youstra brings decades of leadership experience from both the U.S. military and ministry. As a former Army Chaplain and trusted spiritual leader, he speaks with authority, clarity, and compassion about faith under fire, servant leadership, and standing firm in biblical truth. His insights are especially impactful for leaders navigating high-pressure environments.

In Anchored in the Storm, I share my personal journey of leading my family’s television ministry through an unexpected and deeply challenging family crisis. During a season marked by uncertainty and pressure, God taught me what it truly means to lead with faith, resilience, and unwavering trust in Him.

Through testimony, Scripture, and leadership insight, I encourage leaders to view storms not as obstacles, but as opportunities for spiritual growth and refinement. I explore how difficult seasons strengthen commitment, deepen faith, and shape leaders to remain anchored in God’s purpose.

This message equips ministry and marketplace leaders with practical, faith-based principles they can immediately apply as they navigate challenges, pursue their calling, and lead with confidence secure in the truth of Psalm 62:6: “Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

Lovell Casiero is a respected speaker, author, and coach, with a powerful testimony of faith, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership. She spent over a decade leading her family’s television ministry, helping expand its reach from local broadcasts to major global networks while navigating seasons of profound personal and organizational challenge.

With a unique blend of ministry experience and 30+ years of executive leadership, Lovell is passionate about equipping leaders to integrate faith with action, lead with authenticity, and remain steadfast in their calling especially during difficult seasons. She is the author of Lead Like a Girl: A Leader’s Journey from Aspirations to Achievements and is known for her transparent storytelling, biblical grounding, and practical encouragement.

Lovell’s message inspires leaders to stay anchored in Christ, trust God through
uncertainty, and lead with courage, compassion, and unwavering faith.

God uses ordinary people for extraordinary assignments; calling figures like Ruth and David to take small steps of obedience that build confidence in motion and shape a legacy far greater than themselves. The question isn’t whether you have a calling, it’s whether you’ll follow it, even if the legacy outlives you.

Tara LaFon Gooch is an international speaker, brand strategist, and CEO of Best Branding Solutions, where she helps high-performing leaders clarify their message and step boldly into their calling. She is the creator of the GRASP Method—a faith-anchored framework built on Gratitude, Responsibility, Action, Sight, and Purpose—designed to help leaders lead with confidence and alignment. Tara is the author of two bestselling books, a co-author of another bestselling title, and is currently writing her next book dedicated to helping Christian women step into their God-given callings with confidence and overcome self-doubt. She is also the host of the top-ranked podcast GRASP Confidence, where she interviews influential leaders from around the globe on faith, confidence, and purpose-driven leadership. Known for blending biblical truth with practical strategy, Tara teaches that confidence is built on a foundation of gratitude and that when you partner with God, purpose turns into possibility.

Mitch Sugg is a dynamic communicator, leadership coach, and pastor who is known for helping faith-driven leaders lead well. He speaks to the real pressures leaders face and offers faith-centered tools that bring clarity and confidence. Through engaging and practical insight, he challenges leaders to ground their influence in faith and walk away encouraged, challenged, and ready to lead with purpose.”

This executive-level session equips Christian leaders with practical tools to lead with clarity, steadiness, and integrity during seasons of uncertainty and pressure. Using the UNMUTE framework and the A.N.C.H.O.R. leadership model, participants will learn how to make grounded decisions, steward responsibility wisely, support their teams effectively, and integrate faith and ethical leadership without compromising performance.

Dr. Rita Renee is a TEDx Speaker, international keynote speaker, and author with over 35 years of experience in healthcare and leadership. Through her UNMUTE framework, she helps leaders come off mute, lead with conviction, and navigate high-pressure environments with clarity, faith, and ethical responsibility.

In a world that increasingly feels foreign to Christian convictions, Believers often struggle to know how to live Faithfully among those who do not share their Faith. Scripture reminds us that this tension isn’t new. God’s people have always lived as exiles in Babylon. Yet we’re still called to represent Him in places that do not honor Him, without retreating, condemning, or compromising.

This session explores what God truly expects from Believers as they engage unBelieving friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Drawing from Scripture and lived experience, we’ll examine how Jesus calls us to remain distinct without becoming distant, compassionate without becoming permissive, and Faithful without becoming hostile.

Rather than arguing people into the Kingdom, God’s design is that our lives become a visible, credible witness, marked by humility, integrity, love, and consistency, so that those who do not yet believe can encounter God through us.

Attendees will leave with a clearer Biblical framework for engaging unBelievers, practical guidance for navigating cultural tension, and a renewed understanding of their role as ambassadors of Christ, Faithfully representing God in the Babylon He has intentionally placed them in.

Jesse Hardy is the Founder and Principal of Purpose & Principle-Driven (P2-Driven) and a former C-suite executive with more than 30 years of experience leading organizations through complexity, growth, and cultural change. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Jesse has served in senior leadership roles including Chief Safety & Training Officer, Executive Vice President, and Director of Leadership & Organizational Development across construction, oil & gas, public education, and higher education.

Today, Jesse works as an executive coach, life coach, and corporate culture consultant—partnering with senior leaders, teams, and organizations to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. Drawing from his executive and military background, clinical mental health training, and biblical wisdom, he helps leaders clarify reality, align purpose with principles, and build cultures marked by trust, accountability, and sustainable performance.

Jesse speaks candidly about what it means to follow Christ as an exile in Babylon—representing God with humility, consistency, and love in environments that do not share Christian convictions. He is the author of Your Purpose & Principle-Driven Life 2.0 and a frequent contributor to faith-based leadership conversations, including with C-Suite For Christ. Jesse lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and family.

In a world that talks about time management and balance, Dr. April Jones reframes leadership through the lens of identity in Christ and stewardship of the whole person, mind, body, spirit, and influence. CEOs will be invited to consider how peace, clarity, and sustainable impact flow from surrendering every resource, from time and health to roles and relationships, to the Lord. When leaders root their identity in Christ and steward what they have been entrusted, they can show up well in every arena of life and leadership.  And it starts with humility and a fresh look.

Dr. April Jones is a healthcare executive and faith-driven entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience leading innovation across clinical, corporate, and wellness settings. She is the CEO and founder of Storehouse Wellness and WholeBio Insights, an in-person wellness experience integrating advanced technology with whole-person, biblically grounded stewardship. Dr. Jones serves as an instructor for the Institute of Health and Productivity Management and as a women’s coach for Real Life Management. An author and sought-after speaker, she equips leaders to align identity, health, and purpose so they can sustain impact, steward influence well, and lead with clarity, resilience, and faith in every arena of life and work.  

In Storms Sing Selah, James Zeigler challenges leaders to rethink the storms they instinctively avoid. With theological depth and practical daily practices, he reframes adversity through preparation, gratitude, and calm musical resolve — revealing how storms, both scientifically and spiritually, truly do sing.

Every storm carries two sacred bookends: the calm before and the calm after. It is in those spaces that leaders are formed. Drawing from Scripture, personal trials, and a near-death experience, James shows how tension and disruption become defining moments of strength and calling.

In a culture pressing leaders to conform, this keynote calls them back to daily connection with God, introducing the Daily Bread 5n2 planner as a practical tool for spending one’s day in relationship with God throughout the day, focused on what there is to do today – this day.

If you have lived as a storm sufferer — bracing for impact or simply riding them out — you may leave with the mindset of a storm seeker.

Storms Sing Selah is a call to lead with courage, focus, and calm musical resolve — preparing in the calm before and growing grateful in the calm after.

James is a husband, father, grandfather, keynote speaker, author, and a friend to many.
He is a seasoned leader with over 35 years of experience in healthcare, specializing in
helping individuals achieve a harmonious blend of leadership and life through self-
awareness and the reduction of both internal and external bullying. His work focuses on
empowering people to build stronger, more effective relationships, both personally and
professionally, by enhancing their communication and listening skills.

Throughout his career, James has held significant leadership roles, including
owner/operator of a private speech-language pathology practice, assistant professor,
Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer. He has managed organizations
with operating budgets of up to $800 million and led teams of over 4,000 Full-Time
Equivalent Employees (FTEE). A proud U.S. Air Force Veteran, James also served as a
Senior Executive Service Member in the Veterans Health Administration, where he
contributed to shaping policy and leadership within the federal government. He holds a
life appointment by the President of the United States of America.

As a keynote and inspirational speaker, James is passionate about guiding others to
discover their full potential. His mission is simple: to equip people with the confidence to
"one another," fostering kindness, collaboration, and respect. His vision is to reduce
bullying by coming alongside the accusatory voice within each of us and partnering,
paving the way for a safer, more compassionate world. James is also a certified
Professional Christian Leadership Coach trained by the Professional Christian Coaching
Institute and Coach Training Institute. Hot off the press in November 2024, James
released his book: Chemical Courage: Reframing the bully within for a healthier world.
In this book he carefully protects the identity of over 70 anonymous contributors who
shared stories of being bullied and gives a compelling message from a near death
experience of his own.

In 2025, he became host of the popular C-Suite for Christ YouTube Show: “In This
World.” He also is the founder of the professional/personal planner: “Daily Bread 5n2.”
James is an ordained minister, a budding author, and a lover of music. He enjoys
playing guitar and writing worship music, finding inspiration in the beauty of life, faith,
and service. He and his wife, Brenda have two grown children. They live in rural

Wisconsin, where they cherish time with their granddaughters and bird and squirrel
watching.

At his core, James believes that people are beautiful and have much to beheld—both
within themselves and in the relationships they cultivate. Through coaching, he helps
others discover this truth, enabling them to flourish with and for one another.