April 27 to 28, Nashville
SPEAKERS
Dr. Jonathan V. Adams, Ph.D.
Dr. Jonathan V. Adams, Ph.D. is the Senior Vice President of Program Development at Bible League International.
Jerri Helms
Jerri Helms is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP), where she leverages over 15 years of extensive experience in digital marketing strategies. Since 2018, Jerri has provided strategic leadership to HCCP's Marketing Operations team, guiding key initiatives across various digital marketing areas. Her responsibilities also include overseeing the Consumer Insights team, driving data-informed decisions to shape publishing strategies, and managing the Online Optimization Team, championing consistent SEO and metadata best practices company-wide. Furthermore, Jerri serves on the SEO Global Council at NewsCorp, the parent company of HarperCollins. A regular speaker at industry conferences, Jerri has delivered engaging presentations at numerous Digital Summit events, focusing on evolving content strategy, copywriting, and search engine optimization. Her sessions highlight her expertise in the intersection of artificial intelligence and advanced SEO techniques for maximizing digital visibility and audience engagement. Additionally, she has contributed valuable insights as a panelist in high-profile discussions, such as "AI and Re-shaping Marketing" during the DMWF Expo North America.
Timothy Jones
Timothy Jones is a pastor, retreat leader, speaker, Substacker, and author. He cares deeply about making Christian truths more inviting and accessible to both seekers and believers. Tim has written for the Rabbit Room, Inkwell, Mockingbird, and other publications. He was an editor at Christianity Today and managing editor of Moorings, a division of Ballantine/Random House. In November 2026, he spent a week as a Resident Fellow at the C.S. Lewis Study Centre/the Kilns, in Oxford, exploring Lewis’s bracing words about Jesus’s resurrection. His latest book, Fully Beloved: Meeting God in Our Heartaches and Our Hopes (Nelson Books), explores God’s triune love set amid our everyday longing and heartbreak. His books include Celebration of Angels, The Art of Prayer: A Simple Guide to Conversation with God and Awake My Soul: Practical Spirituality for Busy People. He also compiled and edited the best-selling book by Henri Nouwen, Turn My Mourning into Dancing (W Publishing). Of his writing, Sandra McCracken has said it “names our loneliness and lifelong quest for belonging,” and that “with honesty and relatability he invites us to encounter the God of divine love.” Tim lives with his wife, Jill Zook-Jones, near Nashville and enjoys the outdoors, good stories, and playing the Celtic bodhran and old-time banjo with friends.
Dr. Andrew Ollerton
Dr. Andrew Ollerton is a theologian, pastor, author and presenter who makes complex ideas simple and relevant. Andrew lives in Wales (UK) and regularly speaks at conferences, festivals and churches and films video content on locations around the world. He recently developed a new edition of The Bible Course with Bible Society and published a new title with Tyndale House Publishers titled God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics. Andrew has degrees in Geography (BSc), Theology (BTh) and History (MA). He completed his PhD in Historical Theology and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Andrew loves climbing mountains and exploring the great outdoors. He’s married to Charlotte and they have three kids, two fish, a snake and a dog.
Sanford C. “Sandy” Shugart
Sanford C. “Sandy” Shugart earned a PhD in cognitive sciences from the University of North Carolina and was headed to a career in research and teaching when he took a temporary position as a policy advisor to the governor of the state. A little more than a year later, he was recruited to serve as the chief academic officer of the state’s system of fifty-eight colleges. Since then, he has served for forty years in higher education leadership, thirty as a college president. He presently serves as a Senior Fellow with the Aspen Institute, working on the formation of a new generation of impactful college and university leaders. Sandy also served for many years as chairman of a major healthcare system, a visiting scholar at Oxford University, and on the boards of numerous organizations. He was recognized by Washington Monthly as one of the ten most innovative college presidents in America and received the prestigious McGraw Prize for Higher Education Innovation. Sandy is a published poet, a songwriter, a performer, and author of Leadership in the Crucible of Work: Discovering the Interior Life of an Authentic Leader. He and his wife, Jane, have four grown children and live near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Much of the focus of Sandy’s writing and speaking through the years has been on leadership, with an emphasis on the formation of leaders and the role of faith in their development. He has taught extensively on issues of ethics, organizational development, institutional fidelity to mission, the making and execution of strategy, excellence in service, and organizational learning. Sandy’s presentation style is unusually engaging, often employing original music and poetry, as well as compelling stories. He especially enjoys interaction with audiences, the give and take of questions and deeper exploration of these issues together. His current projects include a manuscript entitled “The Virtuous Institution,” a full portfolio of executive coaching, and occasional musical tours with The January Band, with whom he has recorded six full length albums.
Rev. Dr. Eun K. Strawser
Rev. Dr. Eun K. Strawser is the co-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o (which means "Presence" in Hawaiian), missional communities multiplying in Honolulu, HI, a community physician, and previously an executive leader at the V3 Movement, the church planting arm of the BGAV. She is an adjunct professor at the Leland Center for Theological Studies and Northern Seminary, the author of Centering Discipleship: A Pathway for Multiplying Spectators into Mature Disciples (IVP 2023) and You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone: The Power of Sharing Leadership (IVP 2025), and is the co-founder of `Iwa Collaborative, a consulting and content developing firm to equip kingdom-grounded leaders to center discipleship in their local place. She also serves on the executive board for the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). Prior to transitioning to Hawaii, she served as adjunct professor of medicine at the Philadelphia College of Medicine and of African Studies at her alma mater the University of Pennsylvania (where she and her husband served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) after finishing her Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Dar es Salaam. She and Steve have three, seriously, amazing children.
Tim Wildsmith
Tim Wildsmith is a pastor, writer, and content creator whose videos have generated millions of views while helping people around the world make informed, meaningful decisions about the Bibles they buy and the way they engage with Scripture. Tim brings a unique blend of creativity and clarity to everything he does, and his thoughtful approach has made him one of the most trusted voices in the Bible publishing and Christian content space. His audience looks to him for authenticity and guidance in choosing resources that help them deepen their faith, grow spiritually, and follow God more passionately. His first two books, Bible Translations for Everyone and Daily Scripture Guidebook, were published by Zondervan Reflective in 2024 and 2025. His third book will be published by W Publishing Group in the fall of 2027. His first two books, Bible Translations for Everyone and Daily Scripture Guidebook, were published by Zondervan Reflective in 2024 and 2025. His third book will be published by W Publishing Group in the fall of 2027.
