Night of Hope: Celebrating Champions of Hope in Our City and Beyond 

PAID TICKET REQUIRED

Location: Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

Join us as we joyfully celebrate the efforts, partnerships and collaborations of those across Nashville and beyond who exemplify what it means to be a Champion of Hope – one who personifies hope and illustrates how our faith can animate our steps toward action.

Night of Hope is an opportunity to highlight and recognize individuals and groups for their tremendous work in this space, as well as present the third annual Rick Byrd Character Award. Dinner provided; cocktail attire preferred.

Check In & Registration

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Welcome to Day One of the Hope Summit, a gathering of change-makers, thinkers and leaders committed to shaping a more hopeful world. Today, we start with an exploration of the stories that matter most. Join us for pastries and coffee, student musicians and a welcome to the 2024 Hope Summit.

Equipping Agents of Hope

Location: Fisher Center Performing Arts Hall

Our opening session will feature a conversation with Dr. Henry Cloud, acclaimed leadership expert, psychologist and best-selling author and Dr. Greg Jones, Belmont President.

Part of the AWC Family Foundation Lecture Series

Featured Speaker

Dr. Henry Cloud

Dr. Henry Cloud is a clinical psychologist, pastor to pastors, and New York Times bestselling author. His 46 books, including the iconic Boundaries, have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Throughout his storied career as a clinician, he started treatment centers, created breakthrough new models rooted in research, and has been a leading voice on issues of mental health and leadership on a global scale. Dr. Cloud lives in Nashville with his wife, Tori, and their two daughters, Olivia and Lucy.

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Enjoy casual student musicians, coffee and time for connection and networking.

Equipping Agents of Hope Workshops

RSVP Required.

Location: Fisher Center Performing Arts Hall

Our afternoon workshops are designed to empower you as an Agent of Hope. You can choose one of three interactive workshops that will deepen your understanding and skills. You can make a profound impact in your respective communities and beyond.

Workshop 1: Discovering Where You Can Be An Agent of Hope: For those getting started or starting over on the journey

This session invites participants to “decelerate” and create space to consider those ideas, dreams, visions, and redemptive quests that have been idling in the background of their lives, calling them to a deeper and more purposeful work. Led by national leaders in the Faith and Work movement, this interactive workshop will provide the opportunity to bring these dreams to the surface and offer practices for how to continue cultivating them back home. Dare to listen to what’s beckoning you just below the surface of your life!

David Kim, Goldenwood

David’s passion is helping people and organizations envision a hopeful future that changes the way we work today. The Rev. Dr. David Kim is the CEO and co-founder of Goldenwood, a non-profit dedicated to “Cultivating a New Vision for Work Revived by Love.”  Over the past several decades, David has trained, consulted, and coached hundreds of leaders and organizations, fostering a meaningful integration of faith and work.  His more recent work has focused on the role of Artificial Intelligence and Spiritual formation, distinctively coalescing spiritual wisdom with collaborative knowledge.

David’s experience includes roles as the Executive Director of Redeemer’s Center for Faith & Work (NYC), Director of the Gotham Fellowship, and editor of Zondervan’s NIV Faith and Work Bible. He’s taught courses in cultural renewal at Fuller Seminary and Regent College.  In his work with churches, David emphasizes developing an exilic approach to ministry and cultural engagement, helping them navigate and thrive in the challenges of our changing society.

Amilee Watkins, Goldenwood  

Amilee Watkins is the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Goldenwood, where she has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission over the past five years. With over fifteen years of experience in the faith and work space, Amilee has dedicated her career to leadership development and spiritual formation. She spent nine years at the Center for Faith & Work (CFW) in New York City, cultivating leaders through innovative programs and initiatives. An alumna of the inaugural Gotham Fellowship class of 2009, Amilee later played a crucial role in training ministry leaders to implement the program nationwide. Before her tenure at CFW, Amilee honed her leadership skills at Starbucks Coffee Co., where she spent seven years managing teams and developing future leaders from entry-level baristas to management positions. As a Brand Ambassador, she launched new products in the NYC region, discovering the profound connection between faith and work over countless cups of coffee. Inspiring and deeply committed, Amilee continues to lead Goldenwood with a vision that transcends the ordinary, inviting everyone to experience the divine in their everyday work.

Workshop 2: Moving From Serving to Solving Through Human Centered Design: For those wanting to grow their skillset

This session invites participants to expand their imaginations for what it means to do well in today’s world. Few things are needed more than shifting the paradigm from one only focused on serving people in acute need to one that includes solving the individual and systemic reasons why people are in those positions of need to begin with. Led by expert practitioners, this session will introduce participants to how they can shift to a solving mindset by applying human-centered and systems approaches to their work.

Josie Mackenzie, JoyCorps

Josie is lead for the JoyCorps Studio, a studio specializing in supporting organizational leaders, entrepreneurs and NGOs to tackle the wicked problems that they face in their communities. Josie has a background in design and entrepreneurship; founding a social enterprise in Sri Lanka soon after graduating from a BA Textile Design degree in London. This work passionately led her to study for an MA in Ecological Design Thinking from Plymouth University – where she was curious to learn how the tools of design thinking and systems mapping could bring new perspectives to the global problems of our time. Josie lives in Ireland where she enjoys spending time outdoors and swimming in lakes and rivers.

Erica D’Souza, JoyCorps

Erica works with JoyCorps Studio, a design thinking studio that works with nonprofits and businesses to co-design solutions to complex problems. With a background in monitoring and evaluation, she has contributed to projects focused on anti-human trafficking, maternal health care in India, and digital safety for children. Currently residing in Mumbai, she enjoys swimming and spending time outdoors.

Workshop 3: So You Want to Make a Measurable Difference? For those wanting to have an impact 

Inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela that “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead,” this session will equip participants to understand how best to think about, measure, and manage the impact of their work. Led by one of the world’s leading experts in the field of Impact Measurement and Social Accounting, this workshop will enable you to hone your ability to articulate and validate the impact you want to see in the world.  

Dr. Colin Habberton, Relativ Impact

Dr. Colin Habberton is the Co-Founder and CEO of Relativ Impact, an impact solutions provider based in Cape Town, South Africa with subsidiaries in Canada, UK and New Zealand serving for purpose organisations in over 50 countries, over the past 15 years.

He is the grateful Dad of two kids, a 14 year old daughter, Eden, and 10 year old son, Sam, all thanks to his best friend, business partner and wife, Gabrielle. They share a belief that that the integration of life and work is a God given gift.  At the core of their work is the conviction that building relationships through common language is the key to transformational change for institutional, commercial and community development.

Gabrielle Habberton, Relativ Impact

Gabrielle is the Co-Founder of the Relativ Group and a specialist in Socio-economic Development and Impact Management. Gabrielle has been working across the social investment continuum for over a decade. She has been involved in each aspect of the life cycle of impact-driven organizations, the investors that support them and the contexts in which they operate to enhance innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Workshop 4: A Framework for Redemptive Entrepreneurship: For those interested in exploring a redemptive approach for their organization

This session introduces entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders to the Redemptive Frame and explores how it may be applied within their organizations. Originally developed by Praxis, The Redemptive Frame is now shared through dozens of Praxis Labs around the world through workshops, content, playbooks and prototypes.  It helps leaders define and explore redemptive possibilities based upon 3 distinct Ways to Work (Exploitative, Ethical, Redemptive) and 3 specific Dimensions of Work (Strategy, Operations, Leadership).  If you’re interested directing your agency and resources toward organizational creation, innovation, and flourishing and following the pattern of creative restoration through sacrifice in your life and work, then please join us.

Missy Wallace

Strategic leader currently serving as a consultant and coach after a decade in formal ministry and two decades in the corporate and education sectors.

She is a former Managing Director of Redeemer City to City and its Global Faith and Work Initiative. Previously, she was the Founder and Executive Director of Nashville Institute for Faith and Work. She has published several articles and is a contributing author to a book about the integration of mercy and justice with faith and work.

Before she entered ministry, she helped start Ensworth High School in Nashville and worked at The Boston Consulting Group, Time Warner, and Bank of America in Chicago, NYC, Singapore, Bangkok and Charlotte.  

She loves hiking with her husband of 30 years, her dog and her three grown children. She and Paul recently completed the 500 mile Camino de Santiago.

Paul Wallace, Palingen Capital

Over 25 years of leadership in private equity and venture capital investing, with a proven track record of scaling investment firms, building best-in-class teams, raising capital, executing transactions, and delivering value to investors.

15 years as Partner and 20 years in various senior roles including General Partner, Investment Committee Member, and Board Member. 6 years as senior executive with a publicly traded healthcare services company delivering revenue growth of 7x. Personally participated in over 100 transactions representing over $1b of invested capital. 

Most recently, served as one of the inaugural partners at the Heritage Group, orchestrating the successful raising and management of three strategic healthcare investment funds, totalling over $700 million. The firm grew to 15 professionals, invested in 31 portfolio companies, and consistently delivers top-tier performance.

Beyond work, Paul enjoys running, hiking, and fishing. He and his wife Missy recently completed the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. He’s also the Dad of three grown children. 

An Evening of Songs & Dreams

Location – Monday Night Brewing @ Preservation Co.
1308 Adams Street
Nashville, TN 37208

RSVP required.

Presented by Goldenwood and Creative Arts Collective 

The evening will feature a mix of story-sharing and music, highlighting the stories of several Dreamers from the Goldenwood community’s Dream Forum and a song-share from members of their Red Vineyard initiative, led by local singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken. The event aims to create a relational and inspirational experience, with the venue’s reimagined factory space providing an intimate and community-focused atmosphere. The hope is to provide a space that fosters inspiring connections and conversations among attendees and presenters in a way that thoughtfully integrates into the larger goals of the Summit.

Monday Night Dreamers

Sarah Spear

Sarah Spear is the Founder and CEO of Empowered Together, an online marketplace where people can discover, connect with, and recommend accessible businesses. Previously, Ms. Spear led development, communications, and operations at the New Haven-based human rights organization Love146. She also served as Executive Director of the economic development fund, Arch Grants, in St. Louis and as Co-founder of PharmaSecure, a healthtech company in India, where she saw the company through its Series A funding. Ms. Spear lives in central Connecticut with her husband and two children. She serves on the Portland Public Schools Board of Education. Find her on LinkedIn (@shine) and at sarahmspear.com.

Matthew Perkins

Matthew Perkins, affectionately known as “Perk,” is an award-winning filmmaker from Athens, Georgia, where he brought the University of Georgia’s mascot, “Hairy Dawg,” to life during his college years. He is the co-founder of Play to Win Entertainment, an independent production company that specializes in crafting smart stories for the screen with heart, soul, and broad commercial appeal. Currently, Play to Win is developing a diverse slate of film projects across various stages of production.

Throughout his career, Perk has also collaborated with brands and non-profits to creatively bring their messages to life. His work has appeared on major platforms including The New York Times, The Today Show, HuffPost, USA Today, Digg, ESPN, Esquire, The Hollywood Reporter, Marie Claire, MSNBC, BuzzFeed, and The American Image Awards, showcasing a thoughtful approach to storytelling that resonates with audiences. Above all, Perk is a devoted husband to his wife, Laura, and a proud dad to his daughters, Emmy (8) and Violet (5).

Christina Farinacci-Roberts 

Christina Farinacci-Roberts is a former NYCDOE high school principal turned founder of Head Heart Hands Consulting, an award winning education & equity consultancy. She works with thought leaders and pioneering orgs to strengthen strategy, catalyze culture and optimize operations for greater individual and collective flourishing.  Her SOULARISE Leadership Model is redesigning the future of work by transforming work into a labor of love, workplaces into communities of care and workforces into guilds of glory that drive greater results, retention and revenue. It guides leaders to marry their personal essence with their professional excellence to be great, do good and have more while equipping teams to achieve greater employee engagement, center workforce well-being and drive organizational success.

As co-founder of W.I.D.E. Dynamic Dialogues, Christina helps to integrate and operationalize Wellness, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity initiatives to organizational goals and strategic priorities for exponential impact. Lastly, Christina is the matriarch of a blended family who strives to model to her two kids the unrelenting work ethic and audacious ambitions her Korean immigrant Tiger Mom and Italian American veteran dad instilled.  When she isn’t advancing her mission of creating a more just, equitable and flourishing world, you can find her trotting across the globe and maintaining her sanity with yoga, jogging, CrossFit and frequent karaoke sessions.

Monday Night Songwriters

Sandra McCracken 

Sandra McCracken is a prolific songwriter, modern-day hymn writer, and record producer. With more than thirteen studio albums to her credit, her soulful, alt folk-gospel songs soar whether in a grand theater or a country chapel, and her dynamic performances blur the lines of what church music sounds like, captivating and inviting audiences to sing along.

While many of her songs, such as “We Will Feast In The House Of Zion” and “Thy Mercy My God,” have settled into regular rotation in worship services around the world, her songs have also been recorded and/or featured by Ellie Holcomb, The FAITHFUL Project, All Sons And Daughters, Keith and Kristyn Getty, A Rocha Compilation, Bifrost Arts, The Porter’s Gate, Village Lights, Nashville Indie Spotlight, Rain For Roots, and Indelible Grace, and her music has also appeared on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Sandra has been a guest writer for Art House America, She Reads Truth, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and Relevant Magazine. In affiliation with Christianity Today’s Podcast Network, her Steadfast Podcast released its second season in March

2021, and this past April she began offering a small-group Bible study curriculum based on the Psalms (via smallgroups.com). Her most recent album release, Patient Kingdom (Integrity Music), released October 2020, and she has just written her first book, “Send Out Your Light,” which will release September 2021.

Sandra lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, Tim Nicholson, and three children. For more information, visit SandraMcCracken.com.

Andrew Osenga

Known for his honest songwriting and gutsy guitar playing, Andrew Osenga is a veteran of the Nashville Christian music community. He has worked extensively with Andrew Peterson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Caedmon’s Call, Mission House, Sandra McCracken, Citizens, the FAITHFUL Project and many others.

Most recently, he founded and leads Anchor Hymns, a community of artists creating new sacred songs, and releases music prolifically as a solo singer/songwriter, while writing weekly about music and culture on his popular Substack newsletter. In addition, Andrew serves as Creative Director for the intergenerational worship “In Every Generation” project in collaboration with Belmont University.

More importantly, Andrew would tell you, he’s a part of a rich community of artists and storytellers, painting a picture of an authentic life with Jesus through music and words. He lives in Nashville with his wife and daughters and hikes at Radnor Lake every morning he can.

Cindy Morgan

Nashville singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan is a two-time GRAMMY® nominee, a 14-time Dove winner, including A Dove for producing the 2023 Inspirational Album of the year. She is a recipient of the prestigious Songwriter of the Year trophy and most recently the 2024 Hollywood Independent Music Award for her single “Jubilee (featuring Tommy Sims).”

Cindy released her debut novel The Year of Jubilee, a historical  southern fiction offering set in the foothills  of Eastern Kentucky in 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights movement. She has served for a decade with Operation Song—an organization that partners veterans suffering from PTSD with professional songwriters to process their experiences through songwriting.

Brett Taylor

A Texas native and almost 20-year Tennessee resident, Brett is 1/3 of the folk group Shadowlands and also writes songs for artists in country, folk and gospel, including the songs “Hallelujahville” and “Hurt People” recorded by country icon Tim McGraw. He is the Worship/Arts Director at West End Community Church and lives in Nashville with his wife, two young boys, Chevy Silverado and Gibson Hummingbird.

Melanie Penn

Melanie Penn writes pop songs at the crossroads of faith and culture. She was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Falls Church, VA. She began training as a classical vocalist as a pre-teen and competed as a classical singer until moving to New York City. In New York, Mel transitioned to pop and theater singing, and for many years was a mainstay of the theater scene, which included playing Sandy on the national tour of Grease! with Frankie Avalon. She also served for many years as a worship leader at Redeemer Presbyterian Church and several other New York City churches.

Together with long-time producer Ben Shive, Melanie has released 6 albums and is best known for the original album, IMMANUEL, a retelling of the Christmas story. In Spring 2025 Mel will release a follow-up album that tells the story of the resurrection. Mel now lives in Nashville and you can get in touch at melpennsings@gmail.com.

Connect Over Coffee

Location: Fisher Center Grand Foyer

Welcome to Day Two of the Hope Summit, a gathering of change-makers, thinkers and leaders committed to shaping a more hopeful world. Join us for pastries, coffee and performances by student musicians.

Discovering Hope Through Adversity

Location: Fisher Center Performing Arts Hall

Featured Speaker

R.A. Dickey

R.A. Dickey is a former Major League Baseball player who played professionally for 21 years culminating in the National League Cy Young Award as a member of the New York Mets in 2012, which honors the top pitcher in the Major Leagues. From 2011 – 2015, R.A. threw 1096 innings, averaging 219 innings per year, tops in the Major Leagues over that span.  Additionally, R.A. was a three-time All-American at the University of Tennessee and a three- time Academic All-American as an English Major. He represented the United States as an Olympian in 1996 as a pitcher on the bronze medal winning Olympic team. 

R.A.’s passions move well beyond baseball. He became a New York Times best selling author after the release of his autobiography, Wherever I Wind Up, My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball. The book chronicles his tumultuous journey from an 8-year-old victim of sexual abuse to a can’t-miss first round draft pick for the Texas Rangers whose career was met with unrealized potential until his discovery of the Knuckleball, a pitch that is as unpredictable as life.

R.A. grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and attended Montgomery Bell Academy. His wife Anne and his four kids reside in Franklin Tennessee and enjoy life on a farm caring for their 3 horses, 1 donkey, 2 rabbits, 3 dogs, 3 ducks, 25 chickens, and their pig, Meatball.

Part of the AWC Family Foundation Lecture Series