Hugh Ballou is The Transformational Leadership Strategist and Corporate Culture Architect working with visionary leaders and their teams to develop a purpose-driven, high-performance collaborative culture.

With 40 years as musical conductor, Ballou uses the leadership skills utilized daily by the conductor in teaching relevant leadership skills and showing leaders in business, church, or nonprofit organizations the power of creating a high performance culture that responds to the nuances of the leader as a skilled orchestra responds to the musical director. 

Dr. David Gruder, Ph. D, DCEP, is an 11-award-winning clinical, organizational, and enterprise success psychologist with a background in master planning (50-100 year plans).

An entrepreneur since 1980, he co-founded Willingness Works in 1988; became founding president in 1998 of a still-thriving international nonprofit, the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology; and is currently President of Integrity Culture Systems™. Radio & TV Interview Reports named Dr. Gruder "America's Integrity Expert" in 2008, and he has received a leadership award and a culture creation award.

A precocious visionary and innate entrepreneur from youth, Bishop S.Y. Younger is the establishmentarian of multiple thriving non-profit and faith-based organizations, including The Ramp Church International, where he currently serves as Senior Pastor. 

His unprecedented leadership has compelled many Christian leaders and pastors to seek his oversight. As a result, he was elected to the bishopric, and subsequently founded the One Way Churches International in 2011, where he currently serves as Vice-Presiding Prelate and Co-Adjutor Primate over 15+ churches.

Walter currently serves as the Director of Strategic Projects and Alliances within the Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity at Liberty University, the world’s largest Christian University in Lynchburg, VA. He is a visionary on a mission to radically transform the prison statistics from a hopeless crisis to a hopeful future for the next generation.

Walter has built a reputation for being a stylish force of encouragement and relentless passion. As a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., his trademarked authenticity and energy have allowed him the opportunity to speak life to various industries and organizations.

Leigh Anne Taylor

Leigh Anne grew up in the rural community of Shawsville in southwest Virginia, where life revolved around family, church, and school. She attended James Madison University and Southern Methodist University, earning a Master of Sacred Music degree from Perkins School of Theology and Meadows School of the Arts and a Master of Choral Conducting from Meadows.

She has served as Minister of Music in UM churches in DeSoto, Texas, Hutchinson and Wichita, KS and in Blacksburg, VA. Leigh Anne was ordained a Deacon and is a life-long learner, with her ongoing studies on Bowen Family Systems and the Enneagram. 

A Senior at Liberty studying Politics from Georgia. Dorien has served our community in many different facets.

First at Liberty within its SGA and now as the Executive President of our area’s Rotaract Club. Dorien is the outcome of Generational service above self believers through military service fighting for these United States. 

Daniel Hodges is an insightful and intuitive advocate with personal experience with disability, chronic illness, and rare diseases. And is co-founder of Peaces of Me Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to erasing the stigma surrounding disability & chronic illness. His personal experience as a blind person with Ehlers Danlos syndrome, and efforts to assist friends and family navigate a complicated and dehumanizing healthcare system, have guided his work.

He believes that if we approach the epidemic of ableism with determination, teamwork, and innovation, significant progress will be made.

Bill Gilmer is owner of Wordsprint who specializes in assisting nonprofit organizations in donor communication and donor retention with direct mail campaigns.

His work for over 2 decades in over 2.5 million campaigns has provided the data to create programs for nonprofit organizations to retain and increase donations from a well-connected and engaged donor base.

His unique and effective methodology is easily grasped and immediately implementable, so that over time any nonprofit can achieve success in their donor management programs.

Hardy Smith is author of, Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game: How to Stop the Cycle of Frustrating Relationships and Benefit From A Fully Engaged Board. As a consultant and speaker, Hardy works with nonprofits and associations who want fully engaged boards.

His in-depth understanding of the needs of associations and nonprofits comes from extensive professional and personal involvement with nonprofits, volunteer-based organizations, and community groups nationwide.

He has certifications in nonprofit management, volunteer administration, and personality assessment.

Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar is the 11th president of the University of Lynchburg. She most recently served as provost and interim chancellor at Western Carolina University. She has held academic and leadership roles at private and public institutions in Europe and the United States. She said students she met at Lynchburg tipped the scales for her.. 

Morrison-Shetlar brings a wealth of international experience to the presidential post. A native of Scotland, she is the first woman and the first person born outside the United States to serve as president of the University of Lynchburg.

David Dunworth is the Founder and Chief Experiences Officer of Marketing Mastery, a VIP Membership Mastermind and coaching platform.  With more than three decades of marketing expertise serving entrepreneurs, dental and medical professionals, nonprofit organizations, and NGOs, as well as an international best-selling author, and global speaker, he’s considered by many as the Maven of Marketing. 

In “giving back,” Dunworth volunteers his time, talent, and treasure in the marketing matters and business administration support requirements to those organizations performing servant leadership. 

Tory Lucas joined the faculty of Liberty University School of Law in 2011 after practicing in the public and private sectors, serving in all three branches of the federal government, and teaching at three law schools.

Professor Lucas has taught a number of courses, including Disability Law, Property, Federal Jurisdiction, Torts, Professional Responsibility, Lawyering Skills, Legal Writing, Employment Law, Labor Law, Trusts and Estates, and courses exploring the foundations of the American experience.

Lucas has recently published a comprehenise article "Dissing Ability"  on the Lewis & Clark Law Review.