NCS Bergen County

Preston Poore is a dedicated corporate leader with a storied history at The Coca-Cola Company and further expertise honed at The Hershey Company, Ralston Purina, Dale Carnegie Training, and AmSouth Bank.

As the founder of Preston Poore & Associates, LLC, and a Certified Maxwell Leadership Team Speaker, Trainer, and Executive Coach, he seamlessly blends leadership excellence with Christian principles to empower leaders and organizations. His tailored coaching, speaking engagements, and leadership training are designed to inspire ethical leadership and elevate influence in the workplace and community.

As a Colson Fellow, Preston is equipped with an understanding of a biblical worldview to be a redemptive influence in the marketplace and beyond. As a board member of Christ Led Communities, he champions the development of men into passionate Christ-followers within small, collaborative groups.

He is also the author of the acclaimed “Discipled Leader” and “21 Days to Sound Decision Making,” using his platform to mentor individuals in effective leadership and decision-making.

In the defense sector, he shapes the future as a minority shareholder and board member of Numerica Corporation. Preston’s academic foundations include an MBA from Samford University and a BS in Management from Colorado State University.

Preston and his wife live in the Metro Atlanta Area, where they live out a commitment to service and leadership in every aspect of their lives.

Learn more at prestonpoore.com.

Major Kornelis “Korky” Vander Ploeg (Retired), enlisted in the New Jersey State Police in December of 1977. During his tenure with the NJSP he was assigned first as a road duty uniformed trooper serving in the rural communities of Sussex County, and then later served in a highway patrol capacity on both the busy interstate highways that connected into and out of New York City as well as toll road duty on the Garden State Parkway. Later in his career he served in the Executive Protection Bureau, providing security for three different Governors: Thomas H. Kean, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he was assigned to supervise the NJSP support team that assisted the Port Authority police with security at Newark/Liberty International Airport, the George Washington Bridge, and the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. He finished his 27+ year career with the NJSP in the Administration Section rising to the rank of Major and was part of the NJSP Command Staff from where he retired in July of 2005.

After his retirement, Vander Ploeg entered the corporate world, going to work for Prudential Financial where he provided security to the Chairman and CEO. He retired from Prudential as Executive Security Director in April of 2020 and continues living in northern New Jersey with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife attend Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, N.J. where he has served as a deacon and elder and is currently part of the worship team.

A graduate of Eastern Christian High School, Korky holds an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Rockland Community College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from William Paterson University.

Prior to launching his “Speaking on Joy and Happiness” venture, Geoff was the co-founder of eMarketer, a New York-based company providing data, analysis and insights on all aspects of digital marketing and ecommerce on a global scale. In serving his various roles at eMarketer for over two decades, Geoff quickly became sought-after as a dynamic motivational speaker within the digital marketing industry. Geoff is also co-author of a book, Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success (Wiley & Co.) In his former careers, he was an advertising executive for over 15 years working in New York ad agencies, as well as a professional magician performing close-up and stage magic. Geoff was not raised on religion growing up, but after having an existential crisis in his mid-twenties, he found Christ and began his spiritual journey which has led him to where he is today. Geoff lives in Allendale with his wife Kim and they have four children.

Chip Skowron’s life has spanned the heights of professional success, the depths of personal failure, and the redemptive power of a transformed heart. A physician-scientist by training, with both an M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale and surgical training at Harvard, Chip went on to a prominent career in finance as a hedge fund manager.

It was at the height of his success when, in a moment, the trajectory of his life permanently changed. An investigation into a suspicious trade led to a criminal indictment and a public fall from grace. In that season of complete isolation and humiliation, Chip found the New Canaan Society. Their embrace of his broken life and extraordinary, intentional friendship began to radically reshape his heart.

Sentenced to five years in federal prison, Chip discovered the power of belonging to an authentic community, a power that penetrated those walls and transformed him. Since his release, he founded NCS-Inside and led organizations devoted to second chances and restorative community. Notably as a CEO of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and serving on the Board of Directors of Prison Fellowship.

Today, Skowron carries the authority of one who has lived both sides of loss and restoration, faith and failure, and who holds an unwavering belief in the power of a loving community to set people free.

Chip lives with his wife in Greenwich, Connecticut with their two dogs and has four adult children. He attends Trinity Church in Greenwich, Connecticut and is an active member of the men’s Bible Study and local prison ministry.

Dan is married to his best friend Michelle Lazor. Together they have nine children: Isabelle, Danny, Manny, Nora, Karina, Lucy, Judah, and twins Addie and Andy. The Lazor family’s most meaningful experience was spending nine years serving with an International Christian School in Seoul, South Korea – an experience that has shaped Dan’s and his family’s outlook on many aspects of life and faith. Dan is originally from Scranton, PA, but to answer your question, no, he never worked at Dunder Mifflin. He is a huge sports fan, having played on athletic teams from the age of 5 through 19, and enjoys running now. His favorite teams are the ones his kids are playing on (and of course, EC!). The Lazors attend Emergence Church. Currently Dr. Lazor serves as the principal of Eastern Christian middle school in Wyckoff New Jersey.

Mike Latona is a Vice President and Account Manager in the Global Wealth Management team at PIMCO, a global asset management firm. He advises financial professionals across New Jersey, educating them on PIMCO’s economic outlook and portfolio construction ideas. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2010, he worked as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch and UBS Financial Services. He has 27 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Ramapo College of New Jersey and is a Certified Financial Planning professional. Mike is a loving husband to his wife Rose, father to Sarena, James and Sofia and grandfather to Roman. He is also a lay pastor at Bridgepoint church in Midland Park.

Pastor Anthony Fleming was born and raised Aussie, has a passion for God, people, and life.

From the young age of 19, Anthony believed he was called to preach the word of God. He earned a tennis scholarship to Liberty University and represented the school during college while earning a Bachelor of Business of Science in Business Marketing. It was here that he also met his beautiful wife Miriam. They have 3 beautiful children and together they founded and currently serve as the Senior Pastors of Church Alive in northern New Jersey.

From a basement with 8 people at the start of the church, Church Alive has grown to over 1300 people in attendance, and is known for its passion for God, love for people, and generosity in the community.

Wanting to practically equip people to have a fresh, real, and powerful walk with God, in 2018, Anthony launched Transform. Through a dedicated focus to develop men, he continually sees to it that men find genuine faith and continue to get unstuck and flourish in all areas of life. What started as a men’s group at Church Alive grew in 2021, when Anthony Fleming released his first book, Transform. He is now the President of Transform the Movement and continues to coach leaders throughout the nation and empower men to rise up and transform their lives.

Lyman Good – UFC Fighter, Champion, and Founder of Good Theory

Lyman Good, known in the fighting world as the “American Cyborg,” is a professional mixed martial artist who has competed in Bellator and the UFC, holding titles such as Bellator Welterweight Champion and CFFC Welterweight Champion.

Raised in East Harlem by his mother alongside two sisters, Lyman’s early years were marked by hardship and the absence of a father figure. His mother encouraged him into martial arts as a way to channel his energy, and under the guidance of his mentor, Shihan Schulmann, Lyman not only found discipline but also a purpose greater than himself—serving and mentoring others.

With over a decade of teaching experience, he is committed to helping people grow stronger in body, mind, and spirit. In the gym, he brings intensity and high expectations, but always with a sense of trust and camaraderie. Outside the octagon, he founded the Good Theory movement, where he speaks vulnerably about his own battles with depression, loss, and the darkness he faced. Out of those struggles came a calling: to encourage others toward resilience, self-awareness, and hope.

Today, Lyman continues to fight professionally while also investing in people as a teacher, coach, and mentor. His story points to the reality that even out of hardship and brokenness, God can bring redemption and use our lives to strengthen others.

William “Bill” Parker is an experienced CEO and board member whose leadership is shaped by both his military service and deep faith. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and serving six years in the Navy, Bill joined CACI International (NYSE: CACI), where he rose to Executive Vice President, overseeing business development and strategy.

Driven by a desire to integrate faith and business, he left CACI to become CEO of Crosswalk.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMEN). Under his leadership, Crosswalk created the first Christian lifestyle web platform and was ranked by Nielsen NetRatings as one of the world’s most highly trafficked websites.

Bill went on to guide transformative strategies for multiple organizations, serving as President of Parker Strategic, LLC; President of Kforce Government Solutions; President of Karta Technologies; COO of NCI, Inc.; COO of Salient Federal Solutions; and CEO of MCR. He continues to advise companies as a board member, while also serving in his church as a Bible teacher, elder, and mentor.

His new book, Business After God’s Heart, draws on more than 20 years of reflection on the Psalms of David. In it, Bill shares how these scriptures shaped his leadership through seasons of success, failure, and trial, challenging business leaders to pursue God’s heart as David did.

Bill’s talk will explore Psalm 27, where David, under the stress of leading a nation, identifies the “One Thing” his heart longed for. This foundational principle from David’s life offers timeless guidance for today’s business leaders.

For the last 50 years, David Bryant has helped millions of Christians worldwide explore and experience the wonders of the supremacy of God’s Son. Formerly a pastor, minister-at-large with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, president of Concerts of Prayer International (COPI), and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, today David provides leadership to Proclaim Hope! and ChristNow.com, which have the mission of fostering and serving a nationwide Christ awakening movement.

For decades, David played a widely visible role in the emergence of an unprecedented, worldwide prayer movement by building on citywide mass prayer rallies; organizing national and international conferences; creating training videos, seminars, and manuals; developing leadership coalitions; mentoring younger leaders; and sharing his message through books, radio, television, and podcasts. David and his wife Robyne live in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, and are the parents of three grown children, all adopted as infants from India.