Outcomes Conference Mainstage Highlight: Creating a Culture of Encouragement

Outcomes Conference Mainstage Panel Discussion on Shaping Culture

During Wednesday afternoon’s Outcomes Conference mainstage session, Ed Fry, founder and president of FaithSearch Partners, is facilitating a vital panel discussion on how Christian leaders shape and create a culture of encouragement. Ed will be teamed up with Elaine Welcome, SVP Christian Media at FaithSearch Partners. Together, they will guide the panel, focusing on creating cultures that inspire employees to become their best as they give their best to an organization’s inspired mission and vision.

These leaders represent Christ-centered ministry, church, business, and education. In the Christian Leadership Alliance tradition, they come prepared to share what they know and have learned. And to understand more fully the depth of their experiences, here is more about each.

Fran Brown – Managing Partner, CapinCrouse

As Managing Partner, Fran leads CapinCrouse, a business that empowers nonprofits with expert audit, review, tax, consulting, and cybersecurity services. He guides the implementation of strategic plans and objectives.

He is also involved in client acquisition meetings, significant board meetings, and representing the firm nationally. Fran has over 35 years of experience providing audit and management consulting services to various nonprofit entities, including colleges and universities. Fran previously led the New England Higher Education and Not-for-Profit Practice at Grant Thornton and was partner-in-charge of the not-for-profit practice at CCR LLP. His expertise includes strategic planning, budgeting, financial statement preparation, exempt-organization tax filing, actual property sales and leases, board training, and enterprise risk management (ERM) training.

Laura Gardner – COO | President, Joni and Friends

Laura Gardner entered her role as President of Joni and Friends in July of 2022. Joni and Friends is a ministry that envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ.

Before this appointment, she was Joni and Friends’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She was responsible for Accounting and Finance, Development, Data Analytics, Marketing, and Special Events. She also served as Chairman for the Joni and Friends Foundation, a supporting organization responsible for managing complex assets, and the Joni and Friends Endowment.

Before joining Joni and Friends in 2011, she was CEO and founder of The Protocol Institute. After studying at The American School of Protocol and The Emily Post Institute, she recognized a unique opportunity to combine etiquette and technology to deliver world-class online lessons. Her company was the first of its kind in the etiquette industry.

Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder – National Commander, The Salvation Army

Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder oversees the work of two million officers, soldiers, employees, and volunteers at almost 7,000 local units that annually provide help to more than 24 million people across the country. The Salvation Army meets human needs wherever and whenever they can.

In addition, Commissioner Hodder represents the organization to the Federal government, the corporate community, and the nonprofit sector. He has served as a member of the DHS Faith-Based Security Advisory Council and testified before Congress in 2022 on the needs of veterans.   Commissioner Hodder serves on the Boards of Directors for the Christian Leadership Alliance and the National Association of Evangelicals, and he is a member of the Generosity Commission, Leadership 18, and the JustServe National Advisory Council.

In 2023, Commissioner Hodder was selected by The NonProfit Times as one of the top 50 nonprofit leaders in the nation. A sixth-generation Salvationist, he is a graduate of Harvard College (A.B. magna cum laude, 1980) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1983).

Dr. Justin A. Irving – Chair of the Department of Leadership and Discipleship, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Dr. Justin A. Irving is the Duke K. McCall Professor of Christian Leadership and chair of the Department of Leadership and Discipleship at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, Kentucky. The Seminary offers gospel-centered, theologically-grounded training for ministry.

Dr. Irving also serves as one of the pastors at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville.

Before this, Dr. Irving served at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN, for twenty years in various roles (Professor of Ministry Leadership, Doctor of Ministry Director, Associate Dean, Interim Co-Vice President, and Dean). Dr. Irving’s previous positions also include serving as pastor of leadership development and outreach in the local church, worship leader, assistant youth minister, homeless shelter chaplain, and adjunct instructor of Bible at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul.

He is the author of Leadership in Christian Perspective: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Practices for Servant Leaders and the Outcomes Conference 2024 Book of the Year,  Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish.

We hope you join us for the Outcomes Conference on April 9 – 11, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. This is one of over 100 unique learning experiences designed to build mission-critical competencies and expand leadership capacity. And finally, a word from Ed Fry!

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