Tod Bolsinger, Ph.D.

VP & Professor, Fuller Seminary; author of Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory

Tod Bolsinger joined Fuller Seminary as vice president for vocation and formation in March 2014 and will also be an assistant professor of practical theology as of July 1, 2014. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1993, Dr. Bolsinger served as senior pastor of San Clemente Presbyterian Church since 1997. Prior to that he was associate pastor of discipleship and spiritual formation at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.

With a Master of Divinity and a PhD in theology from Fuller Seminary, he has taught graduate-level classes in theology for the past 14 years at Fuller’s regional campus in Orange County. He has extensive experience in church and nonprofit consulting and executive coaching, and he blogs on church and leadership formation. His faculty role at Fuller includes team-teaching the new Touchstone class that all master’s-degree students will take to begin their course of study, leadership classes, and the development of a leadership cohort for DMin students.

The author of three books, Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory, It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian: How the Community of God Transforms Lives, and Show Time: Living Down Hypocrisy by Living Out the Faith, Bolsinger has also written a chapter about building community in a virtual world in the book The New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ. He blogs frequently at bolsinger.blogs.com.

Kristen Mclean

Director of New Business Development at Nielsen Book

Kristen McLean is the Director of New Business Development at Nielsen Book, a part of Nielsen Entertainment, where she is responsible for developing new lines of revenue from existing products, as well as the creation of new initiatives that expand Nielsen's value to its publishing clients.

Kristen is a twenty year veteran of the publishing industry, where her career has spanned many roles including frontline retailing, merchandising, buying, field sales, marketing, and business development which gives her an unusually deep perspective as a market analyst.

Since 2010, she has edited Nielsen Book's deep-dive consumer study of the children's book market, Children's Books in the Digital World, which originated at R.R. Bowker. In 2013, she co-chaired O'Reilly Media's Author (R)evolution Day, a Tools of Change conference for professional authors and creators, and in 2014 she became the co-chair of Nielsen's Children's Book Summit, an annual marketplace trend event focusing on the children's content space. In 2015 she launched the Nielsen Christian Summit, and she continues to oversee both the Children's and Christian verticals for Nielsen Book.

In addition to managing Nielsen Entertainment's in-house events, Kristen lectures extensively on issues facing the publishing world including the effect of technology and culture on books and reading, the role of bookstores and libraries in the lives of 21st century readers, and emerging models for the Publishing Industry. She regularly presents at national and international conferences including IDPF, Digital Book World, Editech, Bologna Children's Book Fair, Writer's Digest, Muse & the Marketplace, and Book Expo America (BEA).

Prior to joining Nielsen she was the founder and CEO of Bookigee, an innovative data and analytics company in the publishing space. Over the years her clients have included Scholastic, HarperCollins, RandomHouse, Dreamscape Media, Shelf Awareness, Disney Publishing, Page Foundry, R.R. Bowker, and Tribune Media among many others.

Before founding Bookigee, Kristen was the Executive Director of the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC), a non-profit trade association founded in 1984 that networks the children’s book industry. Under Kristen’s leadership, ABC merged with its sister association, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) in 2011, where its work continues. Find out more at www.bookweb.org.

Kristen is deeply interested in the confluence of emerging consumer behavior, technology, literacy, and global transformation in the Digital Age.

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D.

Executive Director of LifeWay Research, author, contributing editor for Christianity Today

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of LifeWay Research, a prolific author, and well- known conference speaker. Stetzer has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books.

Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. He is also the Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, which is used by over 1 million individuals each week. Stetzer is Executive Editor of Facts & Trends Magazine, a Christian leadership magazine with a circulation of 70,000 readers.

Stetzer serves as Senior Fellow of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at many other colleges and seminaries.

As of fall 2015, Stetzer co-hosts BreakPoint This Week, a radio broadcast that airs on over 400 media outlets.

He also serves as Lead Pastor of Grace Church in Nashville, Tennessee, a congregation he planted in 2011, and teaching pastor at Christ Fellowship, a multi-cultural gigachurch in Miami, Florida.

He has written the following books:

• Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age (2003),
• Perimeters of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church (w/ Elmer Towns, 2004),
• Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Be a Missionary in Your Community (w/ David Putman, 2006),
• Planting Missional Churches (2006),
• Comeback Churches: How 234 Churches Turned around and Yours Can Too (with Mike Dodson, 2007),
• 11 Innovations in the Local Church (with Elmer Towns and Warren Bird, 2007),
• Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living (with Philip Nation, 2008),
• Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and Churches that Reach Them (with Richie Stanley and Jason Hayes, 2009),
• Viral Churches: How Church Planters Can Become Movement Makers (with Warren Bird, 2010),
• Spiritual Warfare & Missions (with Jerry Rankin, 2010),
• Transformational Church (with Thom Rainer, 2010),
• MissonShift: Mission Issues in the Third Millenium (with David J. Hesselgrave, 2010),
• Compelled: Living the Mission of God (with Philip Nation, 2011),
• The Mission of God Study Bible (with Philip Nation, 2012),
• Subversive Kingdom: Becoming Agents of Gospel Transformation (2012), and
• Transformational Groups (with Eric Geiger, 2014).

Caleb Kaltenbach

Lead Pastor for Discovery Church, author, Messy Grace

Caleb Kaltenbach is Lead Pastor for Discovery Church in Simi Valley, California and author of Messy Grace.

Caleb was born in Columbia, MO and was raised there (as well as Kansas City). When he was in high school, he joined a Bible study to learn how to disprove the Bible, but ended up following Jesus instead. He married Amy in 2004, and they have a boy and a girl who are growing up way too fast!!! Amy is a teacher at Heritage Christian School in Granada Hills.

In addition to holding ministries in Texas, Kansas, and Missouri, Caleb was on staff at Shepherd of the Hills Church for 11 years serving in the areas of college ministry, small groups, and multisite ministry. At Discovery Church, he serves as Lead Pastor where he is the lead communicator, casts vision, and leads with the elders and staff.

Caleb is a graduate of Ozark Christian College, Talbot School of Theology (Biola University), and is working on a Doctor of Ministry at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Mark Kuyper

Executive Director of BISG, the Book Industry Study Group

Mark Kuyper is the Executive Director of Book Industry Study Group (BISG). Mr. Kuyper has spent nearly thirty years working in the larger publishing ecosystem, and has seen the industry from multiple perspectives. Prior to his role at BISG, Mark was the President/CEO at ECPA for 11 years.

Other previous positions include: an executive at the Christian Retail Association and a sales director for Nav Press. He has extensive experience working with boards and committees, planning and managing a stellar lineup of events, and navigating the changing digital landscape. He has served on the BISG Board for the past ten years. Mr. Kuyper also holds a Certified Association Executive accreditation from the American Society of Association Executives.

Stan Jantz

Executive Director, ECPA

Stan Jantz is the Executive Director of ECPA and has been involved with Christian content throughout his professional life. After a successful career in Christian retail, he began writing and became the bestselling co-author of more than 60 books, with 3.5 million copies sold worldwide. In 2007 Stan co-founded ConversantLife.com, a faith and culture social media experience. He served as the Publishing Director for Regal Books and the Interim CEO for Gospel Light Publishers. Stan holds an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. He is an elder at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California, and has served as a member of the Biola Board of Trustees since 1999, including four years as Chair.

Bob Fryling

Publisher, InterVarsity Press

Bob Fryling is the Publisher of InterVarsity Press and has been involved with both InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and InterVarsity Press (IVP) for 48 years. Under his leadership, IVP has consistently appeared on the list of “Best Christian Workplaces” and has brought diversity to its workplace and diverse voices to the marketplace. Respected for his leadership in various capacities, Fryling is the author of The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are. Together with his wife, Alice, he has coauthored Handbook for Engaged Couples, Handbook for Married Couples and Handbook for Parents. Fryling also contributed a poignant chapter on his leadership experience in Transformation of a Man’s Heart, which was edited and compiled by Stephen W. Smith.

C. Jeffrey Wright

CEO of Urban Ministries, Inc.

Carl Jeffrey Wright is chief executive officer of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.), the largest independent African American religious media firm. UMI has been the leader in independent (nondenominationally affiliated) African American Christian media content for over 40 years. The magazines, books, Sunday school and vacation Bible school curriculum, videos, DVDs, music, and crafts produced by UMI have been used in over 40,000 African American churches. The company’s unique Christian education curriculum, which is specifically contextualized for the African American audience, is used in over 10,000 churches weekly for Bible study. UMI publishes resources on an exclusive or semi-exclusive basis for over a dozen denominations.

Jeff Wright spent over 15 years in the Fortune 50 companies Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where his last position was vice president for corporate development for its consumer businesses. Jeff has been a licensed minister in the Baptist church since 1988.

A lawyer, Jeff is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a member of the Pennsylvania bar and the US Supreme Court bar. He has an MBA in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and graduated with honors from Fisk University. He completed additional study in the Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers and the Wharton School in business development, and he taught jurisprudence and ethics at the graduate level in Indiana at the University of Evansville for four years. He has also done postgraduate work in religious studies and church administration at Trinity Theological Seminary in Indiana. He is the author of the book and curriculum God’s Vision or Television? How Television Influences What We Believe and a contributing author to the book Nonprofit Leadership in a For Profit World.

Jeff serves on the boards of several organizations and is the board chairman of Circle Y Ranch, Bangor, Michigan, one of the few African American owned and operated Christian camps in the country. Jeff has four children and is married to Lakita Garth, the noted social commentator, media consultant, and professional entertainer.

Cory Verner

President & Publisher, christianaudio and christianaudio.com

Cory cofounded christianaudio, now the leading publisher of Christian Audiobooks, in 2004.  He currently manages licensing for christianaudio and its imprints, web & technology and key initiatives for christianaudio.com and eChristian, Inc.

Prior to christianaudio Cory worked for ChannelWave (now Digital River) managing enterprise level eCommerce projects for key accounts including Sony, HP and Hyundai and Kia.  Cory graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Business Administration from UC Riverside.

Larry Bennett

Executive Director, Nord Compo

As executive director, Larry manages the North American market for French technology company Nord Compo, the leader in providing prepress composition and digital services for book publishers in the French-speaking world. Prior to joining Nord Compo full time, Larry worked on retainer with Nord Compo and a variety of small book publishers, including Christian publisher Heritage Builders, managing their distribution strategies. From 2011-2013, Mr. Bennett was President of Distribution at Bookmasters, Inc., where he was responsible for managing the global distribution business, including print and eBooks. At Bookmasters, he greatly expanded the company’s reach into the CBA market, hiring Noble Marketing to handle sales. From 2007-2011, Mr. Bennett was Vice President of Digital Print Media at Baker & Taylor where he was responsible for developing and managing the company's Digital Print Media (print on demand) business worldwide.

Larry is married with one beautiful Chinese daughter, Olivia Cai Hua, the inspiration for a series of recently published picture books authored by Larry, The Adventures of Ru-lan series. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Placing a high value on languages, he is a fluent Spanish speaker and speaks conversational French and Italian.

Susan Ruszala

President, NetGalley

Susan Ruszala is the President of NetGalley, which delivers secure, digital galleys to professional readers on behalf of over 300 publishers and hundreds of authors, to help promote and market new books in North America, the UK, Australia, France and Germany. NetGalley and the ECPA have been working in partnership since 2009. Over 300,000 reviewers, media, booksellers, librarians and bloggers use NetGalley to read, review and recommend forthcoming books. Susan has been launching, pitching and polishing global publishing technology ventures for nearly 20 years and is a frequent speaker at industry events.