Speakers and Sessions New Speakers are confirmed daily. Please check back to see the latest additions to the ELS
program.
PATRICK LENCIONI Founder and President, The Table Group Healthy Organizations Win: How to Harness Your Organization's Maximum Potential
Addressing the model in his brand-new book, The Advantage, Pat makes the
overwhelming case that organizational health "will surpass all other
disciplines in business as the greatest opportunity for improvement and
competitive advantage.” While too many leaders are still limiting
their search for advantage to conventional and largely exhausted areas like
marketing, strategy and technology, Pat demonstrates that there is an untapped
gold mine sitting right beneath them. Instead of trying to become smarter, he
asserts that leaders and organizations need to shift their focus to becoming
healthier, allowing them to tap into the more-than-sufficient intelligence and
expertise they already have. He defines a healthy organization as one that
has minimal politics and confusion, high degrees of morale and productivity,
and very low turnover among good employees. Drawing on his experience
consulting to some of the world's leading teams and reaffirming many of the
themes cultivated in his other best-selling books, including the Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary
Executive, Pat will reveal the four actionable steps to achieving
long-term, sustainable success.
ATTENDEES WILL RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY COPY OF PAT'S NEW BOOK!
Patrick
Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to
providing organizations with ideas, products and services that improve
teamwork, clarity and employee engagement. The
wide-spread appeal of Lencioni’s leadership models have yielded a diverse base
of speaking and consulting clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies,
professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, schools and
churches. Lencioni
is the author of nine best-selling books with over three million copies sold. After
ten years in print, his book The Five
Dysfunctions of a Team continues to be a fixture on national best-seller
lists. His forthcoming book, The
Advantage: Why Organization Health Trumps Everything Else In Business, is
due out in March and has received favorable, early reviews. Recently named in Fortune magazine as one of the ‘ten new gurus
you should know,’ Pat and his work have been featured in USA TODAY, Bloomberg
Businessweek, and Harvard Business Review, to name a few. Prior
to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and
Bain & Company. Pat lives in the San Francisco
Bay Area with his wife and four sons. Thank you to Ingram | Spring Arbor for providing Pat's book to each attendee.
TOM ALLEN President, Association of American Publishers
Digital Changes (Almost) Everything How new technologies are changing advocacy for copyright protection and
publisher relationships in the creative ecosystem.
In
April 2009, former Congressman Tom Allen joined the Association of American
Publishers as its President and Chief Executive Officer. As President of the
AAP, Mr. Allen seeks to foster the association's ongoing mission of protecting
copyright in the ever-changing landscape of the digital world and help
publishers meet 21st-century challenges. In
1996 Mr. Allen was elected to Congress and served the people of the 1st
District of Maine from 1996-2008. As a Member of Congress, Mr. Allen served on
the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Budget Committee, the Armed Services
Committee, and Government Reform Committee. On the Energy and Commerce
Committee Mr. Allen worked on a range of issues, from health care to climate
change to telecommunications legislation. He also co-founded the House Oceans
Caucus, which was created to raise awareness on the need for a coordinated
global oceans resources policy. From
1974 until 1993, Mr. Allen practiced law at the firm Drummond Woodsum Plimpton
and MacMahon, where he was a partner and member of the Board of Directors.
During this time he also served on Portland City Council from 1989-1995 and as
Mayor of Portland. Mr.
Allen was born and raised in Portland, Maine. After graduating from Deering
High School, where he was co-captain of the Deering Football team as well as
senior Class President, Mr. Allen studied at Bowdoin College where he received
a B.A. in English. After graduating from Bowdoin, he received a Rhodes
Scholarship to the University of Oxford, from which he received a B.Phil in
Politics in 1970. He worked a year in Washington for U.S. Senator Ed Muskie and
then attended Harvard Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1974.
LEN VLAHOS Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group
The Book Industry Study Group is a national trade association with a
mission of creating a more informed, empowered, and efficient book
industry. Executive Director Len Vlahos will be on hand to discuss key
BISG projects that are of relevance to Christian
publishers, including a current study on Metadata, an ongoing survey on
Constumer Attitudes Toward E-book Reading, and BookStats, their annual
study on the size and scope of the book industry.
Len Vlahos is the executive director of the
Book Industry Study Group, a national not-for-profit trade association whose
mission is to create a more informed, efficient, and empowered supply chain.
Prior to joining BISG, Len spent nearly 20 years at the American Booksellers
Association, where served as ABA’s communications director, e-commerce
director, education director, and most recently, Chief Operating Officer. Len
has worked for Internet marketing pioneer Yoyodyne, and for Kratz & Co.
public relations. Prior to joining ABA, he worked in independent, chain, and
university bookstores.
DR. PHILIP JENKINS Distinguished Professor of History, Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion
New Categories in Religious Geography Scholars of Christianity have struggled to escape from the
traditional obsessions of the Euro-American churches, the world of the rich and
powerful, to acquaint themselves with the very different realities of poor
world, especially Africa. Now though, so many of the most important
developments are taking place in the rising economies outside Europe - what we
might call the world of the almost rich, almost powerful, and increasingly
Christian.
Philip
Jenkins was educated at Cambridge University, where he obtained his doctorate
in History. From 1980 through 2011, he taught at Penn State University, where
he held the rank of Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of the Humanities. In 2012, he
became a Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University, where he also
serves in the Institute for Studies of Religion. He has published 24 books,
including The Lost History of
Christianity (2008) and Jesus Wars
(2010). His most recent book is Laying
Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent Verses (HarperOne).
GARY HOPWOOD
China Director, David C Cook
Growing Around the Globe: CHINA God has taught different things to different parts of the worldwide Body
of Christ. The Church in Asia needs to learn from the West and the South.
The West and the South need to learn from the Church in Asia. We
have the privilege and the responsibility as publishers to build highly
effective ways to "make public" the Truth that is found
worldwide. However, the needs and the opportunities in China are so
different from the West, it is like moving between two different dimensions.
It is so important to come first as a "learner" and then
ask, "What do we have that will be of value?"
Gary Hopwood is
the China Director for David C Cook. During his eight years in China,
Gary and his Chinese team members have worked with a number of international
ministries to develop and implement publishing and marketing strategies for
both print and digital resources. Gary has also been deeply
involved in the startup and expansion of www.baojiayin.com. Beginning in 2008,
Baojiayin launched a "go-to” strategy to make Christian resources widely known
through direct mail catalogs, Taobao, email, Weibo, Search Engine
Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and other communication
channels. Before coming to China, Gary worked for 18 years with United
Parcel Service in international expansion, technology, marketing and strategic
planning. He graduated from Wheaton College majoring in Biblical Studies
and earned his Master’s in business from Northwestern University in Evanston,
IL.
MARK CARPENTER
Chairman and CEO, Mundo Cristão
Growing Around the Globe: BRAZIL
Mark Carpenter is
chairman and CEO of Mundo Cristão, one of Brazil's largest publishers of
Christian books. He also serves as chairman of SmartBook/Nexo, a publishing
house in Portugal, recently acquired by Mundo Cristão. Formerly an editor at
Tyndale House, Mark was founding president of the Brazilian Association of
Christian Publishers (ASEC). Mark also served as chairman of Media Associates
International (Wheaton, IL), which provides training for publishers in
developing countries, and has led workshops and seminars for writers and
publishers in many international settings. Mark holds a BA from Bethel College,
IN, and an MA from the Universidade de São Paulo. He has written children's
books for publishers in the US and Denmark, and a regular column on art and
culture for Ultimato magazine. Mark
is married with three grown children, and lives in São Paulo.
Founded in 1965, Mundo Cristão has nearly tripled its
annual revenue over the past three years, buoyed by Brazil's dynamic economy,
the growth of the national Evangelical church, and a strategy to distribute
outside of conventional channels for religious books. As part of its mission to
reach readers of Portuguese wherever in the world they might be, it has
recently acquired SmartBook/Nexo (Lisbon, Portugal), a well-regarded publisher
of business and self-help products now introducing a line of books written from
a Christian worldview. An ECPA member, Mundo Cristão is an independent,
nondenominational publisher, established as a not-for-profit organization under
Brazilian law, and publishes Bibles and trade books.
JOSHUA TALLENT Founder and President, eBook Architects
eBooks in Christian Publishing: Learning and Leading The
Christian eBook market is uniquely positioned to take a starring role in future
developments in the standard trade eBook space. In this session we will look at
a brief overview of the eBook market in the US, including the trends in eBook
formats, devices, apps, workflows, and other strategic issues. We will also
talk about the current state of the Christian eBook market, with an emphasis on
the unique opportunities Christian publishers have at their fingertips --
opportunities both to learn and to teach.
Joshua
Tallent is a well-known eBook expert and teacher, and is a vocal advocate for
beautiful, functional, accessible eBook files. eBook Architects, his eBook design
and consulting business, provides services to both publishers and authors,
specializing in complex projects and enhanced eBooks. Website: www.ebookarchitects.com;
Twitter: @jtallent.
ROB EAGAR
Founder, WildFire Marketing
What Readers Wish Publishers Knew About Marketing The process
of attracting readers to your books in a crowded marketplace can sometimes feel
like herding cats. For decades, publishers have sought to market their books in
a world of finicky, price-conscious, and even apathetic readers. However, there
is an internal motivation that drives every person during their book purchasing
decision. When publishers and authors look deeper into what readers are really
looking for, then their marketing efforts can yield much greater results. Rob
Eagar, author of the new book, "Sell Your Book Like Wildfire,” explains how
readers wish publishers took a different approach to appeal to them.
Rob Eagar is the founder of WildFire Marketing, a consulting
practice that helps individuals and organizations apply unique online and
offline marketing techniques to spread their message like wildfire. Rob has
worked with numerous ECPA publishers and trained over 300 authors at all
levels. His client list includes consulting projects for several New York Times
bestselling authors, such as Lysa TerKeurst, Wanda Brunstetter, and Dr. Gary
Chapman. For more information, call 1-800-267-2045 or visit: www.StartaWildFire.com
JOE WIKERT General
Manager & Publisher, O'Reilly Media, Inc.
The Evolution of Content and Distribution
The
rules are changing rapidly in the digital content world. In five years
we'll look back and cringe at how we tried to apply the solutions from
the print world to the digital one. In this session we'll talk about how
content acquisition and development needs to change, how the agile
model can be applied and why a direct sales channel is a must for every
publisher who wants to survive.
Joe Wikert is the General
Manager & Publisher at O'Reilly Media, Inc., where he manages the sales and
editorial groups. He is also the Chair of O'Reilly's Tools of Change for
Publishers conference (TOC). O'Reilly spreads the knowledge of innovators
through books, online services and conferences. Prior
to joining O'Reilly, Joe was Vice President and Executive Publisher at John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., in their P/T division.
JASON ILLIAN Founder and CEO, Bookshout.com
Digital Discoverability and Platforms: How Christian Publishers Can Control Their Own Future
As
one wise Christian publishing executive noted, "Most retailers don't
understand our space. They don't get our culture, our vision, or our
businesses so they can't adequately promote and sell our books."
Fortunately, the digital revolution is poised to change all of that.
New digital sales channels and the ability to build vertical
communities around brands and books will allow Christian publishers to
control their own future. For the first time, publishers will be able
to build direct relationships to the reader and receive valuable data
back on that reader and his/her reading habits. They will also be able
to empower readers to virally share their excitement about great books
and structure virtual reading communities.
Jason Illian is the founder and CEO of Bookshout.com,
a Christian group and social reading platform. Jason has over 10 years
of digital publishing and venture capital experience. Bookshout! has
partnerships with many Christian publishers and recently launched its
platform on Apple devices and the web, with Android on the way. The
innovative Bookshout! platform is a new digital sales channel that
allows publishers to creatively market and promote their books.
BOB PRITCHETT
President/CEO, Logos Bible Software
Be the
Platform: Own the Process from Content Creation to Consumption Customers
prefer "it just works” over everything else, including open standards. The move
to digital content is an opportunity for publishers to offer superior user
experience by taking ownership of more steps in the author-to-reader production
process. We’ll explore how Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Logos are doing this
today. Logos has been in the e-publishing business for nearly 20 years and is one of the most experienced publishers in the field. Bob will be able to share what really works and what doesn't in digital publishing.
Bob Pritchett has been programming computers since he was
eight years old. As a freshman in high-school he founded a software company and
developed and marketed programming tools used world-wide. He left high-school a
year early to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he majored in
Computer Science. After a second internship at Microsoft Corporation he left
Drexel early to accept a position as one of Microsoft's youngest program
managers.
In 1992 Bob co-founded Logos Research Systems, Inc. and
serves as President/CEO. Bob speaks regularly at industry conferences and to
academic groups on entrepreneurship, electronic publishing and digital
libraries. He is a 2005 winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the
Year award, and was included in the Puget Sound Business Journal's 40 Under 40.
Bob lives with his wife Audra and two teenage children (Jacob
&Kathleen) in Bellingham, Washington. Bob's first book, Fire
Someone Today, And Other Surprising Tactics for Making Your Business a Success,
was released in April, 2006. He blogs at the Logos Blog, BobPritchett.com,
and http://www.twitter.com/BobPritchett.
DAVID CAMPBELL
Senior Account Manager of Publishing Services, Bowker MARK KUYPER
President/CEO, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Everything You Ever Wanted to Know!
Bowker's David Campbell and ECPA President Mark Kuyper will use the
multiple Pubtrack data services to answer all your questions about the
industry in this session. ECPA will survey attendees prior to the event
to find out what publishers most want to know about industry and
consumer trends, and then present the findings during this program.
David
Campbell serves as Senior Account Manager of Publishing Services at Bowker. In
this role he consults with US publishers on implementation and use of a host of
Bowker business intelligence and supply chain products including PubTrack,
PubEasy, and Pubnet. Prior to joining Bowker, David worked in the corporate
merchandising offices of LifeWay Christian Stores. In that role he worked with
ECPA and CBA on development and implementation of industry initiatives
including research, technology, and supply chain management. David lives
in Nashville, TN.
Mark Kuyper is
the President and CEO of ECPA. He has nearly 30 years of experience in
the Christian resources industry. Previously he served as the VP of
Business Development and Marketing for CBA (the trade association for
Christian retailers). He also worked for NavPress for over 10 years
starting as a Customer Service Supervisor and completing his service as
Sales Director. During this time he also served on the Leadership and
Publishing teams for the organization. He began his career as a manager
for Family Christian Stores. Mark currently serves on the board of the
Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and Magazine Training International.
Mark is married to Vicki, an author of more than 50 books, and has two
grown children.
DEVOTIONAL SPEAKERS
RUTH HALEY BARTON, Founder, Transforming Center
Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity,
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center
(www.thetransformingcenter.org), a ministry dedicated to strengthening the
souls of clergy, Christian leaders and the congregations and organizations they
serve. A sought after speaker, retreat leader and trained spiritual director
(Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation), she is the author of numerous books
and resources on the spiritual life including Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for
Leadership Groups (June, 2012), Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, Invitation
to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence, and Longing for More. She is also the
author of "The Transforming Center," a column that appears regularly
in Conversations: A Forum for Authentic
Spiritual Transformation. Educated additionally at Loyola University
Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies, she has served on the pastoral staff of
several churches including Willow Creek Community Church and is Professor of
Spiritual Transformation at Northern Seminary.
MARK JOBE, Lead Pastor, New Life Community Church
Mark has been involved in transformational ministry in Chicago for over two
decades. Under his leadership New Life has grown from a hand full of people to
several thousand that meet at eleven campuses throughout Chicago. He and his
wife Dee have three great children and view themselves as a team in ministry. Mark enjoys a strong cup of coffee with Dee (his wife of over 20 years),
playing soccer with his boys, listening to his daughter play piano and tackling
"God size" visions with his team. He is currently working on his doctorate degree in Transformational Leadership.
Mark has been featured in numerous publications including Leadership Journal,
PBS, Chicago Tribune and several books; "A Heart for the city”, "Cultural
Change & Your Church”, "The Multi-Site Revolution” and "Amazing Faith”.
Pastor Mark can be heard on his daily radio program called Straight-Talk. www.straighttalkchicago.org
The Executive Leadership Summit
program will include the 2012 ECPA Awards Banquet on Monday evening, where
the 2012 Christian Book Awards, Christian Book of the Year, Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award, and Gold | Platinum | Diamond Sales Awards will be announced
and presented, with worship artists, All Sons & Daughters -- hailed by Worship Leader magazine as "the most enchanting sound emerging in the worship genre."
In addition, ECPA designated representatives are asked to attend the ECPA Annual Member Meeting to be held Tuesday afternoon.
We thank our sponsors for their support of the industry and of this event
BOB PRITCHETT
The Executive Leadership Summit
program will include the 
