MARCH 6, 2026
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
HYATT REGENCY DTC

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Network: Hyatt_Meeting
Password: BCG2026

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PATRON sponsorS

DAY AT A GLANCE

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8:30 AM

MAIN SESSION 1

ballroom

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10:15 AM

MAIN SESSION 2

ballroom

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Leader sponsors

11:30 AM

BREAKOUTS

CHASM CREEK

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mesa verde

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highlands amphitheater

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WIND RIVER

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WIND STAR

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12:45 PM

LUNCH + BUSINESS PITCHES

Graduates from the Change Agency will be pitching their business ventures while lunch wraps up.

1:45 PM

BUSINESS PITCHES & SESSION 3

Graduates from the Change Agency will be pitching their business ventures while Session 3 begins. Don't miss this unique opportunity to support a local Front Range business & practice redemptive networking.

MAIN SESSION 3

ballroom

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2:30 PM

CONNECT & CONTINUE

Connect with peers who share similar roles, industries, or questions, and continue translating today's ideas into practice. Check out the variety of rooms to choose from below.

ballroom

With Ross Chapman
See featured speakers

MESA VERDE

With Joanna Meyer

WIND RIVER

With Justin Hein (FaithTech)

WIND STAR

With Redemptive Real Estate & Community Growth Foundation

CHASM CREEK A

With CrossPurpose, Access Mode & More

CHASM CREEK B

With Ben Nussbaum

stay connected

Click below for more Denver Institute resources and news
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SPONSORS

PATRON SPONSORS
LEADER SPONSORS
SPONSORS

Employment As Mission

TIME:11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

LOCATION: Wind Star (Downstairs)

Hiring is one of the most consequential decisions any employer makes for productivity, profitability, and organizational health. And employees want a job where they are valued. This session examines how forward-thinking leaders are embedding love into their workforce strategies through employee retention, nontraditional hiring, compensation, and other pathways to flourishing. Companies can design jobs that restore people and create value that expands the bottomline beyond their profit—renewing lives, strengthening communities, and reshaping workplace culture. Discover how business leaders and workforce partners are redefining success for the good of their own  success and their employees flourishing.

Brian Gray

VP of Formation

Denver Institute

Brian is the VP of Formation here at DIFW and also leads our 5280 Fellowship program. Prior to landing at DIFW, he served in pastoral ministry for thirteen years and at Denver Seminary for four years. His vocation includes moving ideas out into life through relationships and conversation – whether that applies to God, work, the Church, good beer, or Liverpool Football Club. He married way out of his league, and spends most of his free-time being parented by his two daughters.

Adrienne Tafilowski

Executive Director

Mile High Workshop

Adrienne Tafilowski is the Executive Director of Mile High Workshop, a second-chance work program in Denver, Colorado. Her approach at the Workshop is enriched by the experiences she’s had in social work, community navigating, and adolescent mental health support roles over the past decade, both locally and abroad. In addition to deep nonprofit and ministry experience, Adrienne worked in a manufacturing facility as a senior leader at L&R Pallet, focused on developing a robust culture of employee care among those facing barriers to employment.

Jason Janz

CEO

CrossPurpose

Jason co-founded CrossPurpose in 2008, influenced greatly by spending his childhood and adolescence in poverty. Jason’s passion for social entrepreneurship and serving the poor is satisfied through his role as CEO where he builds the staff team, sets the organizational culture, and raises funds. When he is not working, Jason enjoys bike riding and hanging out with his wife and four boys.

Bryan Fowler

Director of Ministry

Architectural Graphics, Inc

Bryan Fowler is the Director of Ministry at Architectural Graphics, Inc, a growing leader in national signage for 50+ years with over 1,000 employees. His unique job title shows the generous integration of his and the the AGI President’s deep faith with their commitment to creative employee care and flourishing in a pluralistic work setting. Describing “Compassion” as one of AGI’s own corporate values, they note: “Compassion means to us that we will give generously in time and money to those less fortunate in our community, aiding them in their physical and spiritual needs.” Bryan leads their efforts in corporate culture, employee care, and community service.

Peter Stitcher

Founder

Ascent Fly Fishing

Peter Stitcher is an Aquatic Biologist and the founder of Ascent Fly Fishing, a Colorado-based company specializing in biologist-crafted fly selections. A self-proclaimed “Chief Fly Geek,” Peter is passionate about breaking down the science of the water into accessible tools that help anglers “think like a fish” while finding healing and community on the river. He spent the early years of his career managing trophy trout waters across the globe before launching Ascent in 2013, a venture fueled by his deep knowledge of entomology and a desire to support his family during a medical emergency. Motivated by his faith, Ascent creates a “redemptive exchange” by employing 55 full-time fly tiers in Nairobi, Kenya, and providing them with living wages, healthcare, and profit-sharing to ensure their families can flourish.

The Paradox of Genuine Leadership

TIME: 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

LOCATION: Ballroom

Every business leader knows what it takes to make the business work: increase productivity, anticipate risk, scale growth, pursue excellence, reduce cost, move fast but not too fast, and carry the weight when no one else will. These are the marks of strong leadership, the habits that keep companies alive and growing. They may also leave you feeling a little like the man beaten and left for dead in The Good Samaritan story. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. Distinctly Christian leadership knows the mercy we’ve received individually can become the common mercy we extend in commerce, and it can offer wisdom for how we engage our economic system.

Who's in the room?

At the start of the program, Ross will conduct a real time survey about who is in the room and what expectations we hold for the day. Use button below or screen in the ballroom to join.
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Ross Chapman

CEO

Denver Institute

Ross Chapman was named CEO of Denver Institute for Faith & Work in August 2022. Before working at Denver Institute he served as the President and Executive Director at For Evansville, a movement of people who are actively working toward the good of the Greater Evansville region. Ross has earned his doctorate of ministry in faith, work, economics and vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the co-author of Faithful Work: In the Daily Grind with God and for Others (IVP, Winter, 2024).

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Jeff Haanen

Writer & Entrepreneur

Founder of Denver Institute

Jeff Haanen is a writer and entrepreneur known for his work at the intersection of faith, work, and culture. He is the founder of the Denver Institute for Faith & Work, an educational organization that creates content and experiences around these themes. Under his leadership, the institute has launched several initiatives, including the 5280 Fellowship, the Faith & Work Classroom, and the CityGate network.

Jeff has authored books such as An Uncommon Guide to Retirement: Finding God’s Purpose for the Next Season of Life and Working from the Inside Out: A Brief Guide to Inner Work That Transforms Our Outer World. His writings have been featured in publications like Christianity Today and the American Enterprise Institute.

He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and four daughters, and continues to engage with leaders in various sectors to promote the integration of faith and work.

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Dr. Kenneth J. Barnes, FRSA

Director

Mockler Center for Faith & Ethics in the Public Square

Kenneth J. Barnes is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; the Mockler-Phillips Professor of Workplace Theology and Business Ethics; and the director of the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Barnes spent many years as a senior international executive doing business on six continents. His main areas of research and teaching are the intersections of faith, work, and economics. Widely published, he has taught at prestigious institutions all over the world, including Oxford University (UK), Harvard Law School (US), and Ridley College Melbourne (AU). He is also a regular speaker at both academic and business conferences, on radio and television, and on popular podcasts.

His recent book projects include Redeeming Capitalism (Eerdmans, 2018), “Religion and Business Ethics: Religious Perspectives on Business” in Routledge Companion to Business Ethics (Routeldge, 2018), “Faith, Work and Economics: A Mission of the Church, a Mission to the Church” in Transforming Work (Brill, 2024), and Sabbath as Resilience (eds.) (Wipf & Stock, 2025). He is married to singer-songwriter Debby Barnes, is a father of three, and a grandfather of four.

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Karla Nugent

Chief Revenue Officer

Loenbro

As a founding partner of Weifield Group, now a Loenbro company, Karla Nugent is responsible for the company’s sales, marketing and preconstruction in 19 states, 21 offices. Weifield Group has grown to over 1000+ employees in the Rocky Mountain region, receiving the Denver Post Top Workplace award for twelve years running, the USA Top Workplace award annually since 2020 and is the first electrical contractor in the region to complete Net-Zero energy projects.

She is proficient at building relationships and alliances and is highly regarded by her peers, design community, developers, general contractors, and vendors as a leader in the industry. Karla promotes Weifield Group while passionately advocating for a better construction workforce and industry, as well as the needs of the less fortunate. She has been an innovator in workforce development and improving training for the next generation of construction workers. Her deep commitment to philanthropy and her professional achievements led her to be recognized with many awards.

The Practices of Mercy-Shaped Business

TIME: 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.

LOCATION: Ballroom

What if compassion, extending common mercy, was your company’s greatest competitive advantage? What would that look like in a company’s culture, operations, and bottom line? Is that even possible? In this session, three Front Range leaders will share how they’re structuring their companies around Jesus’ command to love our neighbor, to “go and do likewise,” with a sincere and practical focus on people but not at the expense of profit. They’ll explore how confronting the pressures of efficiency, control, and scale can open space for dignity, generosity, and shared flourishing. The same mercy that transforms a leader can transform a business.

ask an expert

What questions do you have about AI and workplace culture? Submit your questions below at any time and Matt Randerson will answer them in the closing portion of this session.
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Vinh Chung

Mohs Surgeon

Vanguard Skin Specialists

Dr. Vinh Chung is a skin cancer surgeon. He left Vietnam as a refugee when he was three years old and grew up in Arkansas as one of eleven children.

He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Harvard. Dr. Chung also studied at the University of Sydney as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a Master of Theology from the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Chung has been named a “Top Doc” every year by Colorado Springs magazine.

Dr. Chung has served on the board of World Vision U.S. and The Gathering. He and his wife, Leisle, have four children and run a successful private medical practice in Colorado. Dr. Chung’s memoir, Where the Wind Leads, is available on Amazon.

 

Leisle Chung

CEO 

Vanguard Skin Specialists

Since 2009, Leisle Chung and her husband, Dr. Vinh Chung, have opened nine dermatology clinics throughout Colorado. As CEO of the practice, Leisle provides leadership to its expansive mission to positively impact patients, the community, and the world. Before Vanguard, Leisle graduated magna cum laude from Yale College, studied theology at the University of Edinburgh, earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, and spent almost a decade at Bain & Company, a leading global consulting firm. The film Minari, about a Korean family who moved to rural Arkansas in the 1980s, is based on Leisle’s family’s life experience. Leisle lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and four children.

Max Anderson

Co-Founder & CEO

Saturn Five

Max Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Saturn Five, a long-term-hold investment firm focused on buying and operating some of the best small businesses in America. Saturn Five owns more than two dozen companies (including 16 in Colorado), spanning construction, business services, home services, retail, distribution, and hospitality. Collectively Saturn Five’s companies employ more than 1,500 people and generate nearly $400 million in annual sales.

A graduate of Princeton University, Max began his career at McKinsey. After two years he left to work at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. He explored becoming a pastor but ultimately felt called to business and opted for graduate school. Max became a George Fellow and a Reynolds Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and earned an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School. After graduation, Max joined Bridgewater Associates and served in multiple leadership roles there before launching Saturn Five. Max is the author of a book on business ethics and leadership - The MBA Oath (Penguin Portfolio 2010). He is the editor of The Weekend Reader, a newsletter on technology, culture, and current events encouraging subscribers to "Read widely. Read wisely." He lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife and four children.

Matt Randerson

Founder and CEO

HumanCulture

Matt Randerson is the Founder and CEO of HumanCulture, where he works with leaders navigating the cultural and human implications of artificial intelligence. Previously, Matt served as Vice President at Barna Group, where he spent half a decade using research to advise influential faith-based organizations and global media brands. He also brings experience from a Fortune 300 financial services company, where he led national engagement initiatives. Matt speaks and writes on leadership, culture, and human capability in the AI era, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and son.

Ross Chapman

CEO

Denver Institute

Ross Chapman was named CEO of Denver Institute for Faith & Work in August 2022. Before working at Denver Institute he served as the President and Executive Director at For Evansville, a movement of people who are actively working toward the good of the Greater Evansville region. Ross has earned his doctorate of ministry in faith, work, economics and vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the co-author of Faithful Work: In the Daily Grind with God and for Others (IVP, Winter, 2024).

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Investing for Faithfulness

Beyond "Faith-Based" Finance

TIME: 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

LOCATION: Chasm Creek (Upstairs)

This isn’t another conversation about values-aligned investing or philanthropy. It’s a deeper reckoning with how mercy can shape what we do with capital itself. This session examines how wealth holders can reframe capital from merely a possession to grow as a good steward to a means of participation in God’s redemptive work as a good steward. In financial terms, that may mean taking risks others won’t, accepting lower returns, or deploying wealth where restoration, not reward, is the goal. It’s about doing good even when it costs you doing as well as you could by embracing loss as faithfulness and risk as love. Participants will leave with a renewed imagination for capital as capacity for mercy—the kind that reshapes both investment portfolios and strategies.

Ben Nussbaum

Senior Advisor

Impact Foundation

Ben thought he wanted to be a pastor but ended up in business, and now works to bring the two vocations together. He serves on the investor relations team for the Impact Foundation, where he advises investors as they deploy capital into businesses around the world, while also leading Faith & Work Chicago, where his goal is to equip the scattered church to live out the story of the gospel in their everyday work. He brings a theological vision alongside over a decade of business development experience, with a passion for helping people "think theologically" about whatever it is that they do.

A graduate of Wheaton College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies, Ben is also currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Over the past decade, he has worked in business development across both startups and large tech enterprises while also training, leading, and preaching at his local church.

A proud Chicagoan, Ben lives on the West Side with his wife Emma and their young daughter. In his free time, you'll likely find him playing or thinking about basketball, enjoying time at the family cabin, finding new things to grill, or simply being present with those he loves.

Kate Gardner

Principal

Kinveris

Kate Gardner a next-generation investor and philanthropist with a passion for holistic stewardship and community-building. After an inheritance event, she stewards her capital through the name Kinveris, with a particular focus on impact investing. A resident of Nashville for 5 years, she also spends her time on localized relationships, prayer, and helping other Next-Gens through a faith-based community called Magnify and media around legacy called Ascendants. She seeks to encourage other inheritors and business families to seek relational health, creativity, and purpose in the way they both wrestle with and embrace stewarding resources and living a legacy.

Dave Snyder

President & Chairman of the Board

Continental Realty Group, Ltd.

Dave Snyder is President and Chairman of the Board of Continental Realty Group, Ltd., a national institutional investment sponsor specializing in multi-family assets. His expertise comes from more than forty-five years of commercial real estate investment experience with Continental Realty Group, Ltd. Mr. Snyder's activities have governed all phases of real estate investment for pension funds, insurance, family office partners, private equity partners and CRG sponsored funds. Mr. Snyder has conducted more than $5B in multi-family real estate investments for CRG and CRG investors along with CRG sponsored investment funds.

Mr. Snyder attended Colorado State University, concentrating on various degree work in the areas of Construction Management, Solar/Chemical Engineering, and Business Administration. Mr. Snyder resides with his wife in the Metro Denver area and has two adult children.

CRG’s economics research system is known as one of the more comprehensive predictive analytical processes in the multi-family industry. The company's operations are headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, where a highly-experienced team oversees all major areas of responsibility. CRG is founded and operated on biblical principles that involve an active participation in the social and spiritual development of our fund investors, partners, residential clients, and our corporate staff.

Dave is also President of the Community Growth Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization. The purpose of the foundation is to cultivate and nurture a Faith-based Ecosystem in the US multi-housing industry, to a higher standard of excellence in Real Estate ownership, management, service, and ministry to achieve communities’ and personal WHOLENESS.

Ty Johnson

Financial Planner

Peak Financial Management

Ty grew up in Austin, TX where he developed a love for horses, the outdoors, great BBQ, and good stories. After high school, Ty attended Colorado Christian University (Sko Cougs!) where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and met his wife, Jesse. Now, they live in Castle Rock, Colorado, with their three sons and aussiedoodle, Ranger – life is full!

In his free time, Ty loves reading, writing, hunting, and being with friends. He and Jesse are both involved in their local church, but most of his time is happily spent with his family.

Ty holds the Certified Financial Planner© designation and the Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®), equipping him to provide financial counsel that aligns with biblical principles and Christian values. He loves helping clients live out biblical financial wisdom and is passionate about faith-based investing. Ty specializes in Impact Wealth Management, serving clients nationwide. He brings a unique blend of professional expertise and faith-based guidance to his clients.

Caretaking Crisis

The Pressure that Can Make or Break Your Workforce

TIME:11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

LOCATION: Mesa Verde (Downstairs)

Workers in today’s labor market often and regularly maintain care responsibilities for children, parents, or loved ones, and the emotional and logistical load can be immense. Yet caregiving, at its core, reflects the very character of God, who tends to and sustains his people and all of creation. This session explores how leaders and organizations can create cultures and strategies that respect and make room for employees with these responsibilities, workplaces that do not force their workers to choose between faithfulness at home and fruitfulness at work. Learn from practitioners, advocates, and executives reimagining schedules, benefits, and cultures that dignify caregiving as essential, not peripheral, to a flourishing workforce.

Joanna Meyer

Executive Director of Women, Work, & Calling®

Denver Institute

Joanna serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Women, Work, & Calling, while also hosting the Faith & Work Podcast. Prior to coming to the Institute, Joanna worked in global telecom, nonprofit consulting, and campus ministry with Cru. She has an MA in Social Entrepreneurship from Bakke Graduate University and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is the author of Women, Work, & Calling: Step Into Your Place in God's World (IVP, Fall 2023).

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Nicole Riehl is the President and CEO of Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), where she works with employers and business executives to advocate for early childhood investments, policies, and workforce solutions. Her experience spans across the private and non-profit sectors, including serving as Chief Operating Officer at Denver’s Early Childhood Council, working for a national home builder and beginning her career as an early childhood teacher at the employer-based child care program for StorageTek. She also supported the launch and onboarding of over 200 child care programs participating in the Denver Preschool Program when it was authorized by Denver voters in 2006 and has extensive public policy experience.

Wes Gardner

Founder

The Bridge Network

Wes Gardner is a co-founder of Transformational Housing Partners, which is a group dedicated to creating truly affordable housing. THP partners with churches to develop their unused or underutilized land. THP combines innovated land banking and charitable minded entrepreneurs to create affordable For Sale Homes to first time home buyers. Wes is an entrepreneur who founded Prime Trailer Leasing. As CEO, Wes was deeply invested in the culture of his employees and sought ways to create an environment where they flourished and gave back to the community. He launched a program partnering with Hope House of Colorado to provide personalized work opportunities, mentorship, and education grants to single moms with young children. He founded the Gardner Family Foundation and the Bridge Network in 2017 specifically to improve access to wealth-building opportunities for families across Colorado. Through those initiatives, Wes has made catalytic contributions to launch career development, private cash assistance and financial coaching programs with several nonprofit organizations including ActivateWork and CrossPurpose. Wes helped to launch CrossPurpose's Legacy Fellows program in 2021, to build wealth programs for the CrossPurpose graduates. While a longtime member at Foothills Community Church (renamed Revive Church) in Arvada, CO. Wes acted as an elder and Chairman of the Board. He helped to grow the church from 200 to over 2000 members and was instrumental in the church’s strategy to purchase and develop a 90-acre parcel of land. This parcel was eventually sold, and the profit was used to redevelop their community through the purchase of a strip mall at 88 th and Wadsworth in Arvada CO. This purchase led to the creation of “The Bridge,” a 115,000 square- foot mixed-use retail facility designed as a center for community and social services, including childcare, workforce development (through CrossPurpose), family healthcare, mental health and nutrition services, restaurants, and many other social enterprises and ministries. Wes served on the board of CityUnite, Activate Workforce Solutions and is actively engaged in philanthropy at the national level through StandTogether, which aims to activate private philanthropic capital to create distributed, bottom-up solutions to wealth-building and community development.

Hadley Heath Manning

Senior Fellow

Independent Women

Hadley Heath Manning is a nationally recognized policy commentator and speaker. She is a senior fellow at Independent Women (IW), where she focuses on family and culture. She previously spent more than a decade on the IW staff, rising to Vice President for Policy, where she led the organization’s policy department and became a frequent voice in national media. Hadley is also a senior fellow and fellowship director for the Steamboat Institute, advancing its mission of promoting America’s first principles through critical thinking and constructive debate. Her commentary has appeared in major newspapers and on broadcast outlets nationwide, and she is especially passionate about making the case for conservative ideas to broad audiences. Originally from North Carolina, Hadley is a Morehead-Cain Scholar and graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill. She now lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, Dr. Aaron Manning, and their children.

Frontline Work

Customer Service as a Transformation Opportunity

TIME: 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

LOCATION: Highlands Amphitheater (Downstairs)

Frontline employees are the face of an organization. Their words and presence shape customer experience more than any policy, brand statement, or leader’s name. This session highlights the unique opportunity these roles have for relational connection, showing how everyday interactions can foster dignity, resolve conflict, and build a culture of care. Learn from leaders experienced in managing frontline teams as they share how to equip employees with practices of hospitality and grace—while also extending compassion to the frontline workers themselves, who often bear the greatest weight of customer expectations.

Abby Worland

VP of Operations & Finance

Denver Institute

Abby serves as the VP of Operations & Finance where she spends her energy making sure things run smoothly and effectively. Before coming to Denver Institute, she spent more than a decade working in public education in Mississippi and Colorado as a teacher, administrator, and human resources leader. Abby is an alum of the 5280 Fellowship, and she is passionate about the Denver restaurant scene–ask her for recommendations. 

Utibe Bassey

Vice President of Customer Experience

Dominion Energy

Utibe Bassey serves as Vice President, Customer Experience at Dominion Energy and she is also the Creator of ‘Love as a KPI’ - a teaching platform based on the premise that when organizations are driven by LOVE for people (customers, employees, community members etc), they are better outcomes financially, strategically and operationally.

Utibe’s passion lies in bridging business and humanity. Her functional experience spans strategy, planning, operations, experience design, leadership development and innovation, and she has led Global teams and businesses in 2-person and 50,000-person organizations alike – each role as a conduit to improving the experience for employees and customers in tandem with business results.

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Greg Sauer

CSO 

True Clean

Greg grew up in Houston, Texas and got a B.A. in Bible from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He was a youth pastor for several years before going overseas with Christy in Tunisia.

They got married in Boulder Canyon and have spent the past 15 years starting a janitorial company from scratch that has grown to 40 employees and 2 managers. They are raising three kids in Denver and can walk to school, church and their office and love to enjoy all the outdoor activities the Rocky Mountains provide.

Christy Sauer

CEO 

True Clean

Christy got a B.S. in Physics from the University of Oklahoma and M.A. in Biblical Studies from Dallas Seminary. She worked overseas with Cru for 10 years spending the last four years in Tunisia where she met Greg.

They got married in Boulder Canyon and have spent the past 15 years starting a janitorial company from scratch that has grown to 40 employees and 2 managers. They are raising three kids in Denver and can walk to school, church and their office and love to enjoy all the outdoor activities the Rocky Mountains provide.

The Biblical Vision for Economic Flourishing

TIME:11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

LOCATION: Wind River (Downstairs)

Explore the biblical and theological foundations that undergird love and mercy in economic life. Rather than reducing Jesus’ insistence on love to a societal definition of charity, this session explores how rightly ordered love transforms systems of exchange, commerce, into instruments of restoration and human flourishing. Participants will examine mercy as the organizing principle of God’s economy—one that redefines value, exchange, and purpose itself. Drawing from Scriptural emphases like Jubilee, gleaning, and the Good Samaritan, this conversation offers a foundation for leaders seeking a more faithful economic imagination for their work and enterprises. It’s an imagination that can animate their everyday work, no matter how their work contributes to today’s economy.

Jeff Hoffmeyer

VP of Advancement & Theologian-in-Residence

Denver Institute

Jeff Hoffmeyer is the VP of Advancement at Denver Institute for Faith and Work. He is an ordained Presbyterian pastor, and holds a Ph.D. in theology, having written his dissertation on the doctrine of atonement. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife and two children, and loves all things true, good, and beautiful, including fly fishing, Wendell Berry, craft cocktails, and the Denver Broncos.

Dr. Kenneth J. Barnes, FRSA

Director

Mockler Center for Faith & Ethics in the Public Square

Kenneth J. Barnes is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; the Mockler-Phillips Professor of Workplace Theology and Business Ethics; and the director of the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Barnes spent many years as a senior international executive doing business on six continents. His main areas of research and teaching are the intersections of faith, work, and economics. Widely published, he has taught at prestigious institutions all over the world, including Oxford University (UK), Harvard Law School (US), and Ridley College Melbourne (AU). He is also a regular speaker at both academic and business conferences, on radio and television, and on popular podcasts.

His recent book projects include Redeeming Capitalism (Eerdmans, 2018), “Religion and Business Ethics: Religious Perspectives on Business” in Routledge Companion to Business Ethics (Routeldge, 2018), “Faith, Work and Economics: A Mission of the Church, a Mission to the Church” in Transforming Work (Brill, 2024), and Sabbath as Resilience (eds.) (Wipf & Stock, 2025). He is married to singer-songwriter Debby Barnes, is a father of three, and a grandfather of four.

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Change Agency
Business Pitch Showcase

TIME: 1:20 - 1:45 p.m.

LOCATION: Ballroom

During lunch, we’re partnering with CrossPurpose for a pitch session featuring 4 Change Agency graduates. Each entrepreneur will briefly share their business story, vision, and current needs. The Change Agency is a nine-month incubator and accelerator for CrossPurpose alumni, equipping them to launch and grow thriving ventures. As you enjoy your meal, lean in and listen. This session is designed to model Redemptive Networking while creating purposeful connections that help these businesses flourish.

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the founders

Jacqueline Enriquez

Beloved Grandfamilies

Jacqueline Enriquez is a Colorado native, devoted grandmother of ten and great-grandmother, and the compassionate founder of Beloved Grandfamilies, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to uplifting grandparents who are courageously raising children for a second time. Guided by her own lived experience, Jacqueline understands the emotional and financial challenges grandfamilies face—needs that are too often overlooked—and she has made it her life’s mission to ensure they feel seen, supported, and empowered. With certifications in Mediation and Peer Support and as a CrossPurpose graduate, she blends professional training with heartfelt advocacy, representing Colorado nationally with Generations United and traveling to Washington, D.C., with the Save the Children Action Network to champion expanded SNAP benefits and stronger food security for grandfamilies. Recognized as a trusted voice for grandfamilies and featured in Westword, Fortune 500, and on the Fearless Faith radio show, Jacqueline also serves as Vice President of the Laureate Alpha Beta Sorority and a Community “Kin-ship”Stakeholder, faithfully connecting policy to practice by providing resources, education, and spiritual encouragement—inviting partners and donors to join her in strengthening and honoring the grandfamilies who hold our communities together.

Tahani LuQman

Brotherhood Haven

Wife. Mom. Business owner. At 32, I'm building my legacy through purpose-driven work and a deep passion for community impact. Everything I do is rooted in love and creating positive change for those around me.

Patmos Debrah

LD AutoParts

Patmos Debrah is a 35-year-old entrepreneur and the founder and owner of LD AutoParts, an automotive recycling and parts distribution business built on resilience, discipline, and purpose. Raised with a deep sense of compassion, Patmos was profoundly influenced by the strength and generosity of his mother, who has fed the unfortunate since the day he was born. Watching her serve others instilled in him a lifelong belief that success is most meaningful when it uplifts those around you. What began as a hands-on hustle driven by necessity has grown into a structured and scalable company with a clear strategy for sustainability and long-term impact. Patmos is recognized for his strong work ethic, operational mastery of the automotive market, and ability to turn limited resources into consistent results. Through LD AutoParts, he has built a business that balances fast inventory turnover with disciplined reinvestment, serving both domestic and international markets.

Darin Valdez is the Executive Director and Founder of Colorado Artists in Recovery (CAiR), a Colorado nonprofit devoted to inspiring healing, connection, and recovery through creative arts workshops and events. With 12 years in recovery following experiences with addiction and homelessness, Darin brings a deep sense of calling to this work and a belief in restoration, dignity, and second chances. His own early recovery was shaped by the transformative power of community and creativity, guiding CAiR’s mission to provide free, peer-led creative arts programs rooted in recovery-oriented principles. Through partnerships with community organizations, Darin helps create safe, welcoming spaces where the arts serve as a bridge to healing and transformation, renewing hope, purpose, and flourishing for individuals choosing a better life in recovery from addiction.

Presenters

Brian Gray

VP of Formation, Denver Institute

Brian is the VP of Formation here at DIFW and also leads our 5280 Fellowship program. Prior to landing at DIFW, he served in pastoral ministry for thirteen years and at Denver Seminary for four years. His vocation includes moving ideas out into life through relationships and conversation – whether that applies to God, work, the Church, good beer, or Liverpool Football Club. He married way out of his league, and spends most of his free-time being parented by his two daughters.

Jason Janz

CEO, CrossPurpose

Jason co-founded CrossPurpose in 2008, influenced greatly by spending his childhood and adolescence in poverty. Jason’s passion for social entrepreneurship and serving the poor is satisfied through his role as CEO where he builds the staff team, sets the organizational culture, and raises funds. When he is not working, Jason enjoys bike riding and hanging out with his wife and four boys.

The Promise of Hope & Life in the Front Range

TIME: 1:45 - 2:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Ballroom

Let’s imagine together what it means for business to contribute to a region known for hope and life, where every person experiences more and more the “ life to the full” Jesus came to bring. Businesses can choose to meet the needs of those they influence with their compassion and capacity, and when they do, the Kingdom of God becomes more tangible in the Front Range. The outcome, or the KPI, of mercy extended each day at work is a flourishing city. This session explores how the reality of AI impacts this vision and highlights stories of leaders who have “gone and done likewise” through their daily work.
Don't miss the business pitches

As you enjoy your meal, we will kick off Session 3 with an opportunity to hear from graduates from the Change Agency who will be pitching their business ventures. Learn more about each venture below:

Zaneta Kelsey

Co-founder & CEO

Access Mode

Zaneta Kelsey is a visionary CEO and trailblazer in inclusive technology, she is redefining what’s possible for global entrepreneurship. As co-founder and CEO of Access Mode, she accelerates exceptional founders and drives systemic change across the entrepreneurial landscape. Her leadership has forged powerful partnerships with industry giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, consistently delivering innovation that shapes markets worldwide. Through Delightsum, her strategic consultancy, she empowers brands with market insights, transformative messaging, and growth strategies. Known for her customer-first approach and ability to inspire high-performing teams, she has led marketing teams within billion-dollar business units through complex transformations and sustained growth. With a foundation in Computer Information Systems and a Master’s in Counseling, she brings a rare blend of technical expertise and human-centered leadership to every initiative. A champion for diversity and community impact, she has pioneered pathways for underrepresented groups in STEM, served on influential boards, and been recognized as an Outstanding Woman in Business by the Denver Business Journal.

Carl Chapman

Retired President & CEO

Vectren Corporation

Carl Chapman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) from 2010 until the company's successful merger with CenterPoint Energy in 2019. Under his leadership, Vectren grew its market capitalization from approximately $1.8 billion to nearly $6 billion, consistently ranked within the Fortune 1000, and expanded its influence across energy delivery, infrastructure services, and sustainability sectors. Over a 30-year career in the energy industry, Carl held senior leadership roles spanning finance, operations, strategic development, and regulatory relations. He played a key role in the formation and expansion of key subsidiaries including ProLiance Energy, Energy Systems Group, and Miller Pipeline Corporation — positioning Vectren as an industry innovator in energy services and infrastructure modernization. He and his wife, Kay, live in the Indianapolis area, and they have two sons and 6 grandchildren.

Doug Smith is the recently retired associate dean in the College of Engineering at CU Boulder where he served as CFO and directed its capital program.  He was the faculty advisor for the Deming Center Venture Fund, and was co-founder and sponsor of Catalyze CU, the campus wide business accelerator founded in 2014. He joined CU Boulder in 2013 after retiring from Tetra Tech (TTEK) where he was President of its global A&E business, and Executive VP of the corporation for 8 years.  He was President of Black & Veatch’s outside US business and lived in London from 1996 through 2004 and developed businesses and projects in over 50 countries around the globe. He has degrees in engineering, law and advanced business training from the London Business School.  He is a current and founding board member at the Denver Institute.

Ross Chapman

CEO

Denver Institute

Ross Chapman was named CEO of Denver Institute for Faith & Work in August 2022. Before working at Denver Institute he served as the President and Executive Director at For Evansville, a movement of people who are actively working toward the good of the Greater Evansville region. Ross has earned his doctorate of ministry in faith, work, economics and vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the co-author of Faithful Work: In the Daily Grind with God and for Others (IVP, Winter, 2024).

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Connect & Continue Session

Speaker Q&A | Meet & Greet

TIME: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Ballroom

Have a follow up question for one of our speakers from the sessions today? Missed a breakout session that you'd like to still hear a bit of? Want to have a more in-depth convo with one of the speakers? Continue translating today's ideas into practice by joining the speaker Q&A in the main ballroom. See the featured speakers below:

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Caretaking Crisis

Wes Gardner

Founder

The Bridge Network

Wes Gardner is a co-founder of Transformational Housing Partners, which is a group dedicated to creating truly affordable housing. THP partners with churches to develop their unused or underutilized land. THP combines innovated land banking and charitable minded entrepreneurs to create affordable For Sale Homes to first time home buyers. Wes is an entrepreneur who founded Prime Trailer Leasing. As CEO, Wes was deeply invested in the culture of his employees and sought ways to create an environment where they flourished and gave back to the community. He launched a program partnering with Hope House of Colorado to provide personalized work opportunities, mentorship, and education grants to single moms with young children. He founded the Gardner Family Foundation and the Bridge Network in 2017 specifically to improve access to wealth-building opportunities for families across Colorado. Through those initiatives, Wes has made catalytic contributions to launch career development, private cash assistance and financial coaching programs with several nonprofit organizations including ActivateWork and CrossPurpose. Wes helped to launch CrossPurpose's Legacy Fellows program in 2021, to build wealth programs for the CrossPurpose graduates. While a longtime member at Foothills Community Church (renamed Revive Church) in Arvada, CO. Wes acted as an elder and Chairman of the Board. He helped to grow the church from 200 to over 2000 members and was instrumental in the church’s strategy to purchase and develop a 90-acre parcel of land. This parcel was eventually sold, and the profit was used to redevelop their community through the purchase of a strip mall at 88 th and Wadsworth in Arvada CO. This purchase led to the creation of “The Bridge,” a 115,000 square- foot mixed-use retail facility designed as a center for community and social services, including childcare, workforce development (through CrossPurpose), family healthcare, mental health and nutrition services, restaurants, and many other social enterprises and ministries. Wes served on the board of CityUnite, Activate Workforce Solutions and is actively engaged in philanthropy at the national level through StandTogether, which aims to activate private philanthropic capital to create distributed, bottom-up solutions to wealth-building and community development.

employment as mission

Adrienne Tafilowski

Executive Director

Mile High Workshop

Adrienne Tafilowski is the Executive Director of Mile High Workshop, a second-chance work program in Denver, Colorado. Her approach at the Workshop is enriched by the experiences she’s had in social work, community navigating, and adolescent mental health support roles over the past decade, both locally and abroad. In addition to deep nonprofit and ministry experience, Adrienne worked in a manufacturing facility as a senior leader at L&R Pallet, focused on developing a robust culture of employee care among those facing barriers to employment.

The Paradox of Genuine leadership
Biblical vision for economic flourishing

Dr. Kenneth J. Barnes, FRSA

Director

Mockler Center for Faith & Ethics in the Public Square

Kenneth J. Barnes is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; the Mockler-Phillips Professor of Workplace Theology and Business Ethics; and the director of the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Barnes spent many years as a senior international executive doing business on six continents. His main areas of research and teaching are the intersections of faith, work, and economics. Widely published, he has taught at prestigious institutions all over the world, including Oxford University (UK), Harvard Law School (US), and Ridley College Melbourne (AU). He is also a regular speaker at both academic and business conferences, on radio and television, and on popular podcasts.

His recent book projects include Redeeming Capitalism (Eerdmans, 2018), “Religion and Business Ethics: Religious Perspectives on Business” in Routledge Companion to Business Ethics (Routeldge, 2018), “Faith, Work and Economics: A Mission of the Church, a Mission to the Church” in Transforming Work (Brill, 2024), and Sabbath as Resilience (eds.) (Wipf & Stock, 2025). He is married to singer-songwriter Debby Barnes, is a father of three, and a grandfather of four.

The Paradox of Genuine leadership

Karla Nugent

Chief Revenue Officer

Loenbro

As a founding partner of Weifield Group, now a Loenbro company, Karla Nugent is responsible for the company’s sales, marketing and preconstruction in 19 states, 21 offices. Weifield Group has grown to over 1000+ employees in the Rocky Mountain region, receiving the Denver Post Top Workplace award for twelve years running, the USA Top Workplace award annually since 2020 and is the first electrical contractor in the region to complete Net-Zero energy projects.

She is proficient at building relationships and alliances and is highly regarded by her peers, design community, developers, general contractors, and vendors as a leader in the industry. Karla promotes Weifield Group while passionately advocating for a better construction workforce and industry, as well as the needs of the less fortunate. She has been an innovator in workforce development and improving training for the next generation of construction workers. Her deep commitment to philanthropy and her professional achievements led her to be recognized with many awards.

The Practices of Mercy-shaped Business

Leisle Chung

CEO 

Vanguard Skin Specialists

Since 2009, Leisle Chung and her husband, Dr. Vinh Chung, have opened nine dermatology clinics throughout Colorado. As CEO of the practice, Leisle provides leadership to its expansive mission to positively impact patients, the community, and the world. Before Vanguard, Leisle graduated magna cum laude from Yale College, studied theology at the University of Edinburgh, earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, and spent almost a decade at Bain & Company, a leading global consulting firm. The film Minari, about a Korean family who moved to rural Arkansas in the 1980s, is based on Leisle’s family’s life experience. Leisle lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and four children.

Hope & Life in the Front Range

Carl Chapman

Retired President & CEO

Vectren Corporation

Carl Chapman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC) from 2010 until the company's successful merger with CenterPoint Energy in 2019. Under his leadership, Vectren grew its market capitalization from approximately $1.8 billion to nearly $6 billion, consistently ranked within the Fortune 1000, and expanded its influence across energy delivery, infrastructure services, and sustainability sectors. Over a 30-year career in the energy industry, Carl held senior leadership roles spanning finance, operations, strategic development, and regulatory relations. He played a key role in the formation and expansion of key subsidiaries including ProLiance Energy, Energy Systems Group, and Miller Pipeline Corporation — positioning Vectren as an industry innovator in energy services and infrastructure modernization. He and his wife, Kay, live in the Indianapolis area, and they have two sons and 6 grandchildren.

Hope & Life in the Front Range

Ross Chapman was named CEO of Denver Institute for Faith & Work in August 2022. Before working at Denver Institute he served as the President and Executive Director at For Evansville, a movement of people who are actively working toward the good of the Greater Evansville region. Ross has earned his doctorate of ministry in faith, work, economics and vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the co-author of Faithful Work: In the Daily Grind with God and for Others (IVP, Winter, 2024).