OG INSPIRATION

Valerie F. Leonard holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Spelman College and a Master of Management with concentrations in finance and marketing from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is the former Vice-Chair of the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation’s Social Capital Committee.

Valerie F. Leonard is an expert in community and organizational development with a mission to strengthen the capacity of organizations to make a positive impact on the communities they serve through technical assistance, specialized workshops, and organizational development. Her clientele is diverse and includes institutions, emerging organizations, small businesses, and churches.

Valerie recently launched Nonprofit Utopia, LLC. Nonprofit Utopia is a community of emerging nonprofit leaders that provides a safe environment in which members can innovate, speak candidly about the issues and concerns they face daily, and share ideas and resources. 

Valerie is the host of Nonprofit Utopia blog radio talk show, f.ka. Nonprofit "U", an online forum where nonprofit stakeholders can discuss the latest developments in the sector and increase their capacity to serve their clients and build sustainable communities. Topics include nonprofit management, community development, capacity building, and organizational development. Nonprofit  Utopia is downloaded in 90 countries around the world and is top-ranked in BlogTalkRadio’s non-profit category. The show is also among Player FM’s Top 36 Nonprofit Podcasts for 2018.

Valerie has considerable experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Prior to starting her consulting practice, she spearheaded the spin-off of a community-based grant-making organization from a family foundation and became its founding executive director; managed site planning and development activities for Jewel- Osco stores in Chicago and the six collar counties; coordinated financing in excess of $100 million for construction, renovation and major capital equipment purchases for the Mount Sinai Health System; and developed marketing strategies for New York City’s $6 billion general obligation bond program.

Valerie is a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Illinois’ Certificate in Nonprofit Management Program, where she has taught courses in operations management, strategic management, finance, program design and evaluation, and proposal writing for government grants.  Valerie is also an adjunct instructor at Roosevelt University's Heller College of Business, teaching new ventures and social entrepreneurship.

Kevin D. Hofman grew up in Detroit Michigan and received his Bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from Alma College, a small liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan. Kevin Hofman grew up in a White home as a biracial transracial adoptee and has had an interesting experience as he shares with us in his memoir.  His memoir entitled "Growing Up Black In White" shares what it was like to be adopted at 3 months old by a white minister and his wife who already had 3 biological children of their own. Writing the book has afforded Kevin the opportunity to travel all over the United States speaking and training foster and adoptive parents as well as child welfare professionals. The highlights of his career were him being interviewed by Nightline ABC and NPR.Recently due to his rich multicultural background, he has also been given the opportunity to teach on multiculturalism at the university level and work with school districts and organizations on diversity and inclusion.

Shaun Eli Breidbart is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's  Wharton School of Business.  You can watch his videos and read some of his writings, including satirical political essays and hundreds of jokes he’s written for late-night television, on his website BrainChampagne.com where his slogan “Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for Smart Mindssm” rings true.

Shaun Eli has rightfully been called one of America’s smartest comics. Whether it’s a story about dining with a vegetarian or successfully fighting a parking ticket, master storyteller Shaun Eli shows you that there’s hilarity in the ordinary if you approach life with a comedic warp. Job interviews? Serving on the NYC criminal jury? How about the Ten Commandments? For just about anything he’s experienced Shaun has a hilarious story at the ready.

With a sense of humor, that’s both cheerful and universal Shaun has headlined shows on five continents. His jokes have been quoted everywhere from the New York Post to Readers Digest to Healthcare Finance News. In both Reform Judaism magazine and the Christian Science Monitor, where he was the subject of the cover story. He’s been featured on CareerBuilder.com and CNN, in local papers like the Scarsdale Inquirer and the Asbury Park Press and in the college papers the Yale Daily News and the Daily Pennsylvanian. Even in The Journal of Irreproducible Results, a scientific humor magazine. Yes, there is one. And his group The Ivy League of Comedy was the subject of a front-page story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

More than just smart, funny, and clever, Shaun is determined to express his opinion passionately, not surprising for someone who wrote his first satirical essay at age ten. When profiled in Fortune magazine “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno quoted one of Shaun’s jokes, citing it as an example of the type of “smart comedy” he’s happy to include in his opening monologue. Jay and other late-night hosts used Shaun’s topical material in their monologues for almost two decades.

Outside the world of comedy, Shaun was a world-class athlete in two obscure sports (rowing and dragon-boat racing), worked as a lifeguard instructor, and is an instrument-rated pilot. He is also an award-winning economic forecaster who once sold his car to a hitchhiker.

Dupree Foster is a "certified confidence coach" who has for nearly 20 years served his community as both "Emergency Medical Technician and Police Officer".  He currently serves as the full-time recruiter for the Chesapeake Police Department, where he is responsible for marketing the department and attracting those who have the heart to serve others. He earned his bachelor's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Longwood University in Farmville, Va. It was there where he served in various campus ministry leadership roles.

Dupree Foster believes everyone has unique gifts, skills, talents, and abilities that this world needs. The problem is many of us lack the Purposeful Development of our mindset to reach the full potential that God desires for us. When he discovered this, it changed his life who used to be shy, lacked self-confidence, and terrified of public speaking. 

Dupree Foster has a passion for bringing the best out of people through coaching. He posts weekly videos on his YouTube channel under his name "Dupree Foster". On his channel, he shares his life and how God allows him to grow through challenges to become his best self.  He stands amazed at how He has changed my own life and prays for all people to experience the love of Christ. He empowers people to become their very best in each endeavor.  Dupree lives in Virginia with his wife and two children and is working towards starting his own speaking and coaching business.

Bill Woolsey is the President and Founder of FiveTwo Network,(https://fivetwo.com/ ) a network that equips Christian entrepreneurs to launch a variety of sustainable start-ups that reach people for Jesus. After starting his undergraduate work at Texas A&M, Bill transferred to a pre-seminary route and then received his Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, serving congregations in a variety of roles for the next decade. In 1997, Bill and his family planted CrossPoint Community Church, a multi-site congregation outside of Houston that led his denomination in growth formost of the 2000s (scaling from 7 to 1600 families). Bill began leading FiveTwo Network full-time in 2015 when the network launched StartNew, its “Mother Teresa meets a friendly Mark Cuban” training process that helps entrepreneurial leaders to grow their God-given dreams into ministries, non-profits, and faith-based businesses that make an eternal difference in financially sustainable ways. Over the past decade, Bill and his team have been able to help producenew and renewed churches, homeless shelters, mobile medical clinics, mobile food ministries to underserved communities, sports ministries, preschools, single mothers’ groups, recovery ministries, and coffee shops: all of them loving their communities in an incredible way.

With decades of experience in starting and leading ministries, churches and networks, Bill now invests his life in men and women who want to reach people for Jesus in new, creative ways.

After serving congregations in the Midwest, in 2009 he led the launch of FiveTwo, a network that helps men and women grow their God-given dreams into ministries and businesses that last.

Bill authored “Seven Steps to Start,” a practical ‘how-to start book written from a front-row seat of over 30 years of outreach experience. He and his wife of 34 years, Julie, have 3 children: Timothy, and his wife, Caitlyn; Abigail, her husband Nick and son, Ezra; and Samuel.

Deidre Reilly is both writer and editor. Her work has appeared on FoxNews.com, CBN.com, and others. 

She has a new book debuting soon: "The Pretend Christian" (Crosslink Publishing). In “The Pretend Christian,” author Deirdre Reilly takes the reader on her personal journey to find authentic Christian faith, winding through common questions, doubts, and both negative and positive experiences that all lead to the stunning, life-changing reality of Christ’s presence. Filled with raw honesty, sincere doubts, genuine searching, and moving, often humorous insights, “The Pretend Christian” is a candid and bracing modern-day search for the one true God. How judgmental Christians hurt the case for Christ;  How a focus on being a “cookie-cutter” Christian or belonging to the “correct” denomination can interrupt a personal relationship with God; How God powerfully handles our doubts and fears; It is the evidence of God available to every searcher. Can it really all be true — did Christ come to save us? What does that mean for each one of us? The Pretend Christian’ introduces the reader to the reality of relationship over religion. Deirdre has appeared on national radio and on cable television, including Blaze TV. Deirdre's new book has been blurbed by notables such as Alveda King, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and Christian television producer/director Dallas Jenkins.Deirdre loves speaking to/with Christians and non-Christians and has a special interest in those who are interested in learning more about Christianity — but not ready to commit.

Andrew Robison is President of Petrus Development. As an established leader in fund development across many sectors of the nonprofit community, Andrew has worked for over 12 years in development roles in Catholic campus ministry, higher education, and academic medicine. Previously at the Texas A&M Foundation, St. Thomas More Newman Center at Ohio State University, and St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M University, Andrew welcomed the opportunity to lead Petrus Development and impact more campus ministries around the country. Andrew has a strong passion for Catholic campus ministry and enjoys helping directors and staff build a vision for the future and implement the practices and systems that will help them achieve their goals.  Andrew has 2 bachelor's degrees in history and business and a master's in philanthropy and development.

Andrew informs the audience that 'fundraising" is about story-telling, which means finding ways to connect people to what they like and do to what you do.  One must build genuine, authentic relationships. The art and science of fund-raising are both building relationships and being intentional.  His organization supports "giving for a place of abundance and not from a space of scarcity".  Developing relationships with intention are critical skill set values when it comes to fund-raising. Education can open us up in ways that we otherwise would not imagine. His background helped him pivot nicely into becoming president of Petrus Development.

When not working with clients, Andrew loves spending time with his wife, Cheryl, and two daughters, Annabel and Nora. He also has a healthy appetite for adventure, particularly when it comes to biking, snowboarding, road trips, and triathlons.

Deigratia Daniels creates solutions with technology. He is an accomplished Systems Engineer, Software Architect, and Project Manager with 20 years of progressive experience in virtual/augmented reality development. His profession includes designing, building, delivering virtual and augmented reality products, training systems, and centers to clients and customers all over the world. Deigratia’s work covers the spectrum of complex military systems to include a proposal, design, manufacturing, testing, delivery, and maintenance. He is a proven team leader, motivator, and active participant, leading with integrity and respect for all. 

Deigratia received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the illustrious Florida A&M University (FAMU), and he is a Marching, 100 alumni. He continued his education at the University of Central Florida (UCF) where he received his Master of Science in Interactive Simulation & Training Systems Design (Virtual/Augmented Reality Engineering).He has spent the last 18 years fully engaged in designing, building, and delivering virtual reality products all over the world. Known for collaborative project management approaches focused on learning and adaptation, Deigratia is experienced in design engineering with systems engineering training, project/program execution, strategic planning, government contracts, and subcontractor management. He has communicated project status and risks across team boundaries to all project stakeholders for more than 90 trainingsimulator projects, implementing agile practices and processes on projects with budgets ranging from $100K to $30M from inception through the full product life cycle. Of those 90 training simulator projects, Deigratia has analyzed more than 50,000 requirements to develop accurate and efficient test procedures.

Currently, Deigratia uses his expertise in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to create interactive stages that allow performers to push the boundaries of performance by creating a digital, physical, and multimedia experience that fully immerses the audience rich audio and visual experience. As a business management consultant, he defines the organizational vision, determines execution roadmaps, and tailors business techniques to meet cost and schedule. Deigratia uses lean thinking to lead continuous process improvement efforts, resulting in waste reduction. Familiar with the latest engineering practices, Deigratia can speak about a variety of technological, futuristic, and cultural arts subjects.Aside from his accomplished career, Deigratia is an accomplished dancer, musician, and artist performing in venues all over the world.Deigratia has performed with legends such as Wynton Marsalis and Nat Adderley.His works of art have been featured at art institutions such as Atlanta’s High Museum of Art and The Goat Farm Arts Center.

Deigratia’s mottoes are “Work hard and play harder,” “Imagination is the ability to navigate theunknown,” “Inception is a leadership skill,” and “We gotta blaze our own trails.

Andrew Greenberg, director of the Southern Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo (SIEGE) and commissioner of the Georgia Esports League (GEL) and has been organizing large-scale events both domestically and internationally, for decades. In addition to SIEGE and GEL, he also helped organize the Mythic Journeys conferences that brought Deepak Chopra, Janis Ian, Robert Bly, Joyce Carol Oates, and many more to Atlanta. He has organized environmental design conferences in the US and Mexico and helped direct the Human Forum of Puerto Rico that brought together numerous Nobel Prize winners, activists, and others to demonstrate the Power of People Making a Difference. Greenberg chairs the DeKalb Entertainment Commission and serves on the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Commission. 

Game developer, Andrew Greenberg is also the executive director of the Georgia Game Developers Association who also serves as a mentor to many independent game developers.

As a gaming advocate in Georgia, Andrew promotes the growing number of video game development studios on tap as the Peach State reaches nearly $1 billion a year in economic development across the state, making it one of the fastest-growing gaming communities in the nation.

In this interview, he explains to the audience that one doesn't need a college degree to get into this field. A college degree helps but if you are open to learning on your own it's just as much value as having one.  New games are developed each year and he wants to see many more. Reach out to him to start an organization where you live.

Dr. Orlando McCauley is an experienced Military and Hospice Chaplain, with a stellar history for compassionate pastoral ministry both in the medical field and US Army. He is skilled in Microsoft Word, Pastoral Counseling, Team Building, Fundraising, and Preaching. Strong community and social justice activists, and a professional member of the Association of Professional Chaplains, as a National Board Certified Chaplain. Currently, Asst. Professor of Religion and Pastoral Care and Pastoral Psychology, Dickerson-Green Seminary, Allen University, Columbia, SC. In this interview, the executive team, consisting of Elder Sandy Drayton and Reverend Dr. Jacques Days gives us the history of the AME church, the history of Allen University, and why they are endorsing Reverend Dr. Orlando McCauley as a candidate for the bishop within the church. Reverend Dr. Orlando McCauley expresses his vision for becoming a bishop and what he plans to do.

Dr. Orlando McCauley is a second-generation preacher, born in the native land of Liberia, West Africa, and pays homage to his parents for his spiritual upbringing. Dr. McCauley accepted Christ at an early age and was indoctrinated into the faith under the banner of African Methodism.

Rev. McCauley began his pastoral ministry serving the following congregations: Reevesville, AME Church, Alcolu, SC, St. Peters, and Mt. Pisgah Circuit. He was transferred to the Newberry/Spartanburg District and served the following congregations as their pastor: Mt. Zion, Little Mountain; Cross Road, Saluda; and Elisha, Silver Street, SC. He was later transferred to the Columbia District and served as pastor for the following congregations: New Bethel, Lexington; Piney Grove, Gaston; Hopewell, Irmo; and Pine Grove, Columbia. In 2015 Bishop Richard F. Norris transferred him to the Northeast Conference and he pastored St. Luke, Sumter. In 2015 Rev. McCauley earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Pan Methodism from Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC. In 2015 he returned to his alma mater, Allen University, and began teaching in the Department of Religion. He was the coordinator of the same department. He now serves as the Assistant Professor of Religion in the Department of Humanities.