Business for the Common Good

Arthur C. Brooks is professor of the practice of public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of management practice at the Harvard Business School. Before joining the Harvard faculty in July of 2019, he served for ten years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), one of the world’s leading think tanks. Brooks is the author of 11 books, including the national bestsellers Love Your Enemies (2019), The Conservative Heart (2015), and The Road to Freedom (2012). He has also published dozens of academic journal articles and the textbook Social Entrepreneurship (2008). He is a columnist for The Atlantic, host of the podcast “The Art of Happiness with Arthur Brooks,” and subject of the 2019 documentary film “The Pursuit,” which Variety named as one of the “Best Documentaries on Netflix” in August 2019.

Don is owner and CEO of Flow Automotive Companies, which includes 30 dealerships and more than 800 employees. His dealerships go across many brands from MINI and Saturn to Cadillac, HUMMER, and BMW, and are located in Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, and Greensboro, North Carolina, and Charlottesville, Virginia. His long list of community involvement includes: chairman of the board of visitors, Wake Forest University Graduate School; board of trustees, Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony; and board of directors, Forsyth Medical Center Foundation.

Donna is an internationally-known entrepreneur, who believes in the power of entrepreneurial thinking to drive culture change and collective flourishing. She is founder of Builders + Backers, co-founder and managing partner of 1776 Ventures, and was previously managing director of the Startup America Partnership. As a board member of both the Global Entrepreneurship Network and the National Center for Entrepreneurship, an advisor to the Economic Innovation Group, a distinguished fellow of the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at The Busch School, and an entrepreneur-in-residence at Georgetown University, Donna works to inspire entrepreneurs to create companies of impact and to become leaders in their communities.

Mark Canlis is the third-generation owner of Canlis Restaurant, a fine dining experience described by Food and Wine Magazine as “one of the 40 most important restaurants in the past 40 years.” He joined Canlis in 2003 and spearheaded the generational transfer and brand modernization that has garnered the family business national acclaim as one of the finest restaurants in America. Mark assisted famed restaurateur Danny Meyer in opening his fifth restaurant, Blue Smoke, in Manhattan. Canlis restaurant has received 22 consecutive Wine Spectator Grand Awards, and has won three James Beard Awards.

Angelina Drake is the chief operating officer of PHI, a national direct-care agency for the elderly and disabled. She leads initiatives across the organization in service of PHI’s strategic goals and oversees its administration, human resources, IT and learning solutions, and operations teams. Angelina was named a Job Quality Fellow at the Aspen Institute and authored "Direct Care Work is Real Work: Elevating the Role of the Direct Care Worker.” 

Michael currently serves as the founder and CEO of Garden City, a purpose-driven buyout holding company that has raised $40M of permanent capital to buy, grow, and forever-hold service companies across the Southeast. Most recently, Michael was an early employee at DocuSign where he served as global vice president, general manager, and chief of staff to the CEO. In 2016, Michael founded MAV Ventures, a venture capital group that has invested in more than twenty companies ranging from technology to healthcare to consumer goods. Michael also co-founded New Story, a nonprofit that has built over 2,000 homes in developing countries and was recognized for creating the world’s first-ever 3-D home printer.

Michael Lindsay serves as the eighth president of Gordon College. Prior to arriving at Gordon, Michael was a member of the sociology faculty at Rice University, where he won multiple awards both for his teaching and his scholarly research. The author of two dozen scholarly publications, Dr. Lindsay’s Faith in the Halls of Power was nominated for the nonfiction Pulitzer Prize in 2007. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University and completed graduate theological degrees from Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Meagan McCoy Jones serves as the president and COO of McCoy's Building Supply, where she is the fourth generation of leadership in this entrepreneurial family. She is a member of the board of directors of McCoy Corporation and McCoy’s Executive Team, a partner in McCoy Remme Ranches, a member of the board of directors of the Texas Association of Builders, and co-chair of the legislative committee of the Lumbermen’s Association of Texas. 

Steve Cuss is the lead pastor at Discovery Christian Church and the author of Managing Leadership Anxiety. His heart is for those who are in roles of leadership, seeking to equip them with the tools they need for individual and team health. In addition to his leadership at Discovery Christian Church, Steve is a spiritual care professional in the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education and the host of the podcast Managing Leadership Anxiety. He has aided countless leaders in overcoming long-stuck patterns in themselves and their organizations.

Karla Nugent is the chief revenue officer of Weifield Electrical Contracting, a national electrical construction company that seeks to build the world’s most energy-efficient buildings. Karla’s focus on people has led Weifield to become one of the Denver Post’s Top Workplaces multiple years running. Her advocacy for improved training for the next generation of construction workers led to her becoming one of the founding members of SkillBuild Colorado and Skills2Compete Colorado.

Carlos joined the McCoy’s team in 2003 and has served in commercial sales support, as an assistant store manager, and as store manager. He was appointed to his current role as the regional manager of the area known as “Heart of Texas” in 2018, and oversees locations in Bastrop, Brownwood, Belton, Austin, Waco, Taylor, Georgetown, Corsicana, and Bee Cave. Carlos describes his focus as “mentoring and supporting my store managers to effectively run their store operation, serve our current and potential customers, and care for and develop our team members”.

Hanna joined the Daniels fund in December 2020 and manages more than $1.5 billion in assets, making her organization one of the Rocky Mountain Region’s largest foundations. Previously, she served as secretary of education for the State of New Mexico under Governor Susana Martinez, realizing the most significant gains for students in New Mexico’s recent history. In this role, she oversaw a budget of $2.7 billion and more than 300 employees. Skandera also served as undersecretary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, deputy commissioner for Governor Jeb Bush, and deputy chief of staff and senior policy advisor for U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

Dr. David Hataj has served for more than 40 years at Edgerton Gear, a second-generation precision machine shop. His innovative approach to small business has birthed two additional businesses, two charitable trusts, and a mentoring partnership with the local high school. With decades of experience in workforce development, Dave brings real-world insight about caring for workers in the trades. He authored the book Good Work: How Blue Collar Businesses Can Change Lives, Communities, and the World.

Darius Wise is the executive vice president and COO of Red Rocks Credit Union. Darius works as a visionary leader whose work stretches far into the communities around him. Before working in the business sector, Darius spent more than 17 years in pastoral ministry and leadership. He has previously served as the director of Upstream Impact, a nonprofit that seeks to help families in the Denver area escape poverty and pursue their dreams. He currently serves on the board of directors for Denver Institute For Faith & Work.

Chris Horst is the chief advancement officer at HOPE International, an international microfinance organization that helps people escape poverty. His development staff raise $16 million annually to support HOPE’s mission. He loves to write, having been published in The Denver Post and Christianity Today and co-authored Mission Drift, Entrepreneurship for Human Flourishing, and Rooting for Rivals with Peter Greer. In addition to his role at HOPE, he serves on the board of the Mile High WorkShop.

Jeff Haanen is a writer and entrepreneur. He founded Denver Institute for Faith & Work, a community of conveners, teachers and learners offering experiences and educational resources on the gospel, work, and community renewal. He is the author of An Uncommon Guide to Retirement: Finding God’s Purpose for the Next Season of Life and an upcoming two-book series on spiritual formation, vocation, and the working class for Intervarsity Press. He lives with his wife and four daughters in Denver and attends Wellspring Church in Englewood, Colorado.

Joanna serves as Denver Institute’s Director of Public Engagement, hosts the Faith & Work Podcast, and founded Women, Work, & Calling, a national initiative that disciples women for godly influence in public life. Prior to coming to the Institute, Joanna worked in global telecom, nonprofit consulting, and campus ministry with Cru. She served as associate faculty at Denver Seminary and as a sewing instructor at Fancy Tiger Crafts. A third-generation Coloradan, Joanna appreciates both the state’s innovative culture and its cowboy roots. She has an MA in Social Entrepreneurship from Bakke Graduate University and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She also completed a certificate of Women in Leadership through Cornell University. She is the author of Women, Work, & Calling: Step Into Your Place in God's World (IVP, Fall 2023) and is a contributor to the multi-author book, Women & Work: Bearing God’s Image and Joining in His Mission through our Work (B&H Publishing, Spring 2023).