Chris Hodges

Chris Hodges is the founding and senior pastor of Church of the Highlands. Since it began in 2001, Highlands has grown to have campuses across the state of Alabama, and we’re known for our life-giving culture and focus on leading people to an intimate relationship with God.

Pastor Chris has a deep passion for developing leaders and planting life-giving churches. He co-founded ARC (Association of Related Churches) in 2001, which has launched hundreds of churches across the United States. He also founded GrowLeader, specializing in training and resourcing pastors and churches to help them break barriers and reach their growth potential. Chris is also the founder and Chancellor of Highlands College, a ministry training school that trains and launches students into full-time ministry careers.

Chris and his wife Tammy have five children and live in Birmingham, Alabama, where Church of the Highlands began. He speaks at conferences worldwide and is the author of Fresh Air, Four Cups, The Daniel Dilemma, What’s Next?, Out of The Cave, Pray First, and co-authored Jesus, the High Road Leader with John C. Maxwell.

Dr. Hendry 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 Los Angeles with his wife, Tori, and their two daughters, Olivia and Lucy.

Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He is an nine-time #1 national bestselling author and host of The Ramsey Show, reaching 20 million listeners each week on more than 600 radio stations and digital platforms. As CEO at Ramsey Solutions, Dave leads over 1,000 team members committed to disrupting the toxic culture with hope and generosity. Together, they’re helping people take control of their life and money so they can live and give like no one else.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez

Samuel Rodriguez is the lead pastor of New Season, one of America’s most influential megachurches according to Newsmax, and the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, one of the world’s largest Christian organizations.

Rodriguez has been recognized by CNN, FOX News, Univision, and Telemundo as America’s most influential Latino/Hispanic faith leader and has been named one of the 40 Leaders Who Changed the World by Charisma Magazine and one of the Top 12 Latino Leaders by The Wall Street Journal—the only faith leader to receive this distinction. Additionally, he has been listed among the Top 100 Christian Leaders in America and was nominated as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Rodriguez is also the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award presented by the Congress of Racial Equality and, according to Marie Arana’s book Latino Land, is one of the top Latino Christian Zionists in the world.

Rodriguez has advised Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump. He is the first Hispanic American to have participated in two different Presidential inauguration ceremonies. In 2009, he read from the gospel of Saint Luke at President Barack Obama’s inaugural prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church and in 2017, on the Capitol steps before a global viewing audience, Rodriguez read and prayed from the gospel of Matthew, concluding with “in the name of Jesus”. In 2024, NBC described him as “one of the most influential figures in American politics today.”

He is the best-selling author of 12 books, including Be Light, Persevere with Power, Your Mess, God’s Miracle, and Fresh Oil, Holy Fire, New Wine. He is also an executive producer of three films, including BREAKTHROUGH and FLAMIN’ HOT, both of which were nominated for Academy Awards for best original music.

As a societal architect and cultural reformer, Samuel Rodriguez’s mission is to glorify and magnify the name of Jesus.

Dr. Dharius Daniels

One of the most prolific communicators of our day, Dr. Dharius Daniels is on a mission to help as many people as possible become their best selves while doing their best work. Speaker, coach, and certified emotional intelligence specialist, Dharius specializes in helping others self optimize without self destructing. He acquired his passion to add value to the lives of others at an early age growing up in a small town, Kilmichael, MS. Although the population was less than 700 residents, he was taught by his father that your enlightenment, not your environment, determines your outcomes. He was inspired to unleash his untapped potential while gaining his undergraduate degree from Millsaps College and post graduate degrees from Princeton and Fuller.

With over 20 years of leadership experience, Dharius understands that right information can cause a comprehensive revolution. This passion for transformation inspired him to continue his writing career by releasing his most recent published book Relational Intelligence: The People Skills You Need For The Life Of Purpose You Want. Dr. Dharius also emerged in the mentoring and coaching arena with the release of the Daniels Den Mentoring & Coaching Program which serves thousands of members.

In addition to his contributions in the field of speaking and coaching, Dharius continues to serve as Lead Pastor of the multi-site, and multi-regional, Change Church. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Princeton. He enjoys downtime with activities such as playing a round of golf or weight training. Dharius is married to his college sweetheart, Shameka, and they are the proud parents of two sons, Seth and Gabriel.

Dr. John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, speaker, coach, and leader who has sold more than 33 million books in fifty languages. He has been called the #1 leader in business and the most influential leadership expert in the world. His organizations-the John Maxwell Company, the John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation-have translated his teachings into seventy languages and used them to train millions of leaders from every country in the world. A recipient of the Horatio Alger Award and the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network, Dr. Maxwell influences Fortune 500 CEOs, the presidents of nations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. For more information about him visit JohnMaxwell.com.

Andy Andrews

Andy Andrews is an internationally known New York Times bestselling author, leadership consultant, speaker, and coach whose books have positively impacted millions of people’s lives and have been translated into over 40 languages. He regularly consults with leaders from the world’s top organizations-including four U.S. presidents, elite military personnel, intelligence agencies, and a diverse group of executive teams. His story-driven principles add value and drive positive change in corporate climate, culture, and revenue. Andy has consulted with nine college football national championship teams-Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida State, Auburn, and Florida-that have used Andy’s books and personal strategies to maximize their performance. His bestselling books include The Traveler’s Gift, The Seven Decisions, The Butterfly Effect, The Little Things, The Noticer, and many more. Individuals and teams seek out Andy’s power of storytelling to gain greater insight into life’s most powerful principles.

Bobby Gruenewald

Bobby Gruenewald is passionate about exploring new ideas and finding practical ways to leverage them for the global Church. He serves as Pastor, Innovation Leader at Life.Church, a multi-site church based in Oklahoma. Meeting in 42 different physical locations and globally online, the church is devoted to helping people around the world become fully devoted followers of Christ. Gruenewald is also the founder and CEO of the YouVersion Bible App, which has been installed on more than 500 million devices. Working with Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel, Gruenewald has helped shape Life.Church’s missional approach to technology, reaching people in every country in the world through initiatives like Church Online, the YouVersion Bible App, and the Bible App for Kids. Rooted in a strong belief that churches can accomplish more working together, Life.Church has created a suite of free tools for church leaders including Open resources, an online library of sermons, ministry resources, and ideas. Prior to joining the Life.Church team in 2001, he started and sold two technology companies as well as served in advisory capacities for various startups and venture capital funds. He was also named to Fast Company’s list of the Most Creative People in Business. His focus now is completely on Life.Church and the incredible things God is doing in lives of people each day. Gruenewald and his wife, Melissa, live in Edmond, Oklahoma with their four children.

CeCe Winans

The best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, CeCe Winans has long since cemented her status as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in music history. It would be easy to look back and rest on such illustrious honors, but Winans has always had her eyes fixed firmly on the future and constantly evolving. Her latest chart-topping musical offering, Believe For It, is her first live recording featuring some of the biggest songs in Christian music today.

Winans’ melodic journey spans over 40 years recording and performing as both a solo artist and as a duo with her brother BeBe, she has influenced a generation of gospel and secular vocalists over the course of her astonishing career. Her mantel today holds a staggering 12 GRAMMY Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and 7 Stellar Awards. She’s been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame, in addition to being named a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI and garnering multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards, Essence Awards, and more. She’s sold in excess of 5 million albums in the US, topping the Gospel charts repeatedly while crossing over with smashes like “Count On Me,” her stunning duet with Whitney Houston from the multi-platinum ‘Waiting To Exhale’ soundtrack, which sold 2 million copies and cracked the Top 10 on the Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts. She touched millions more with inspirational performances everywhere from Oprah to The White House, including The American Music Awards and The Kennedy Center Honors paying tribute to the late legendary actress, Cicely Tyson.

Louie Giglio

Louie Giglio is Pastor of Passion City Church and the Original Visionary of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. Since 1997, Passion Conference has gathered collegiate-aged young people in events across the US and around the world. Most recently, Passion hosted over 700,000 people from over 150 countries online at Passion 2021. Louie is the national bestselling author of over a dozen books including his newest release, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, as well as Goliath Must Fall, Indescribable: 100 Devotions about God & Science, The Comeback, The Air I Breathe, I Am Not But I Know I Am, and others. Louie and Shelley make their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, an innovative multi-site church based in Edmond, Oklahoma. As one of the most respected leaders in the Church, Craig speaks frequently at leadership events and conferences worldwide, is a New York Times bestselling author, and serves as champion for the Global Leadership Summit. Through the top-ranking Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, he prompts innovative thinking in leaders at every level within any organization. Glassdoor has also named him in the top 10 CEOs in the U.S. (small and midsize companies) and named Life.Church as the #1 Place to Work under his leadership. Craig lives in the Edmond, Oklahoma area with his wife Amy and their six children. To learn more about Craig, visit www.craiggroeschel.com.