Ike serves as Chief People Officer of Homebanc in Atlanta, Georgia where he is responsible for the recruitment, training, and organizational development of one of America’s Most Admired Companies. HomeBanc was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as “The Best Place To Work” in Atlanta while Fortune Magazine placed HomeBanc at #39 on their 2004 list of Best Companies to Work For.

Not only is Ike a successful businessman, but he’s also been instrumental as a pastor leading New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA to a membership of over 5,000. As Founding Pastor of Northstar Church in Kennesaw, GA, Ike built the denomination’s 2nd fastest growing church in America to a membership of over 2,000 in record time.

Ike earned both a Doctor of Ministry and Master’s of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary along with a Bachelor’s degree from Mercer University.  He is a published author of three inspirational books and a highly sought-after speaker for both church and business functions. He has been married for 20 years and is a loving father of two daughters.

Dwight Bain has guided executives, professional athletes and business leaders to new levels of success since 1979 with powerful programs that bring positive results.  He is an executive coach and crisis counselor specializing in successful change management and turning impossible situations around to bring positive results.  He is the author of the new book, “Destination Success” and brings excitement, inspiration and humor to every speaking event he delivers, over 100 each year.

Bain is a trusted professional with over 25 years of experience in solving problems.  Dwight’s purpose is to help you achieve maximum results in your personal and professional life.  He is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and Professional Communicator specializing in managing major change to move from stress to success.

He is a life-long resident of Orlando, Florida where he lives with his wife Sheila and their two children.  His goal is to make a positive difference in our culture by focusing on strategic change to achieve rapid results.

Wayne Huizenga is a man of distinction. He’s the only person in history to build three Fortune 1000 companies practically from scratch: Waste Management, Blockbuster Entertainment and AutoNation. He is the only person to have developed six NYSE-listed companies. He also owns the Miami Dolphins and is previous owner of the Florida Marlins baseball team and the Panthers hockey team, making him the only person ever to own three pro teams in a single market, two of which won national championships.

There is no arguing with Huizenga’s business success.  In 1992, he received the Horatio Alger Award, given to honor Americans who have overcome adversity to achieve great success.  He is also a five-time recipient of Financial World Magazine’s “CEO of the Year”.  He was named Ernst & Young’s 2004 U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year and 2005 World Entrepreneur of the Year. He’s at the top of his game and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

With all his success, Wayne Huizenga is a very devout Christian and knows that all he has is from God. He makes sure that even though he loves his work, he loves God more and remains committed to spending time in His Word. He says “You see I have found that when I dedicate time to allow God to invest in me I am better able to do His will. When I am in His will, He in turn blesses me, personally and professionally.” Wayne also makes sure he spends quantity and quality time with his wife and kids by specifically scheduling his life so he is home for sit-down family meals and weekends with them. He has balanced his life in a way to serve God and also be there for his business and his family, which is all God asks from us.

John Tyson, 55, is Chairman of Tyson, having held his current title since May 2006.  He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 until May 2006, as Chairman, President and CEO from 2000 to 2001, as Chairman from 1998 to 2000, and in other executive capacities prior to 1998.  Mr. Tyson has been a member of the Board since 1984.

After graduating from high school, Tyson enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, to study business administration.  When he received his bachelor’s degree in 1975, he returned to Springdale to take his place in the family business.

Away from the corporate offices Tyson managed to find time to serve on the board of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and was also involved with the Walden Woods Project, formed in 1990 to protect wooded areas surrounding Thoreau’s Walden Pond.  In 1994 Tyson was named Man of the Year by the Arkansas Poultry Federation.  In 2003 under his direction Tyson Foods was named by National Provisioner magazine as its first Poultry Processor of the Year.  Also in 2003 Fortune selected Tyson Foods as the most admired company in the food-production industry.

Tyson and his wife, Kimberly, live in northwestern Arkansas with their two children, John Randal and Olivia Laine.

John A. White returned to his alma mater in 1997 to do all he could to make a difference for the state which had done so much for him and his family.  With an ambitious agenda from the moment he was named chancellor, White’s main goal was to realize the university’s vision of becoming the nationally competitive, student-centered research university that Arkansas needed and deserved in the 21st century.  In reaching that goal he sought to enhance the university’s academic reputation nationally and ensure that the university was the economic and cultural engine for the state of Arkansas.

Under his leadership, the university grew and improved by almost every metric.  Scores on the ACT increased dramatically.  The number of National Merit scholars nearly doubled.  Research expenditures increased from $73.7 million to $113.8 million, and the university endowment grew more than sixfold upon his retirement.

Perhaps no achievement was more significant than the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, a billion-dollar capital campaign launched in 1997 and concluded in 2005. The centerpiece of this campaign was the largest single gift to a public university in the history of American philanthropy: the $300 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. This gift alone enabled the university to establish an entirely new Honors College, create an endowment for University Libraries and establish endowed fellowships across the campus.

Prior to returning to Arkansas, White was dean of engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served on the faculty for 22 years. His career in higher education and in management and engineering consulting carried him into the national ranks, including service as assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., from 1988 to 1991.

White earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1962, a master’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, and a doctorate from Ohio State University. He also holds honorary doctorates from Katholieke Universitiet of Leuven, Belgium, and George Washington University.

John White married Mary Elizabeth Quarles in 1963, and they have two children.

Chris Mortensen award-winning journalist and one of the most respected and accomplished reporters covering the National Football League, joined ESPN in 1991 and appears on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, SportsCenter and annual NFL Draft coverage.  He has also contributed to Outside the Lines.

Previously, Mortensen served as the NFL columnist for The Sporting News and was a contributing writer for Sport magazine.  He covered the NFL for The National (1989-90), where he was one of the first writers hired by editor Frank Deford.  He also worked as a consultant with CBS Sports’ NFL Today in 1990.

From 1983-89 Mortensen filed investigative reports and covered the Braves (1983-85), Falcons (1985-86) and the NFL (1985-89) for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In 1987 he was honored with the coveted George Polk Award for his reporting.  Since starting his career with the South Bay (Calif.) Daily Breeze in 1969, Mortensen has received 18 awards in journalism and been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes.  In 1978 he won the National Headliner Award for Investigative Reporting in all categories.

The author of Playing for Keeps: How One Man Stopped the Mob from Sinking its Hooks into Pro Football, Mortensen attended El Camino College, and then served two years in the Army during the Vietnam era before he was honorably discharged.

Mortensen has been married to his wife Micki for 25 years.  The couple has one son, Alex, and one daughter, Shannan DiSanto, son-in-law Joe DiSanto, and three grandchildren: Chelsea, Ava and Vincent.

Thomas S. Fortson, Jr. was named President and CEO of Promise Keepers on October 1, 2003, and served as Chief Operating Officer since 1996. Tom served as an administrator at General Motors Corporation and as the Vice President of Human Resources at Edwards Baking Company in Atlanta, Georgia; he has served as Dean at the Atlanta Center for Theological Studies and as President of Next Step Consultants, a Christian consulting group based in Atlanta.  He resigned from Promise Keepers in September, 2008.

Tom sits on the Board of Trustees for Moody Bible Institute and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Religious Broadcasters.  He and his wife, Toni, are speakers for Campus Crusade Family Life Seminars.  He holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Higher Education, and an honorary doctorate in Christian Ministries from Belhaven College.

Tom is also an author of A Spiritual Map to a Heart of Happiness, Manhood: Let the Truth be Told, and Seven Questions of a Promise Keeper.

He and Toni have three adult children.

Dr. Rebecca Paneitz became the second President of NorthWest Arkansas Community College on August 1, 2003. Her greatest strength is her honesty and vision for making the college the best it can possibly be. She was instrumental in developing the college’s five-year strategic plan in 2004. Her leadership has strengthened the college’s enrollment plans to ensure steady growth. In addition, Dr. Paneitz has established four learning centers in the college’s service area to address the needs of communities we serve.

Professional and Educational Background

Dr. Paneitz received her bachelor’s degree in office administration from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and her master’s in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She served as personnel administrator for the Arkansas Department of Corrections before becoming Dean of Technology and Trades and then Dean of Arts, Business and Communication at Pueblo Community College in Colorado. She then became Dean of Instruction at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where she was instrumental in the planning and development of their advanced technology center – a feat she had also accomplished at Pueblo. She completed her doctorate in vocational education from Colorado State University in 1997. In 1999, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and joined Central Piedmont Community College as Vice President for Instruction until her return to Arkansas.

Professional Affiliations

Dr. Paneitz is very active in the community and involved with the following: Arvest Bank Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer Forum, Northwest Arkansas Council, Bentonville/Bella Vista, Fayetteville, Rogers /Lowell, and Springdale Chambers of Commerce, Northwest Arkansas Regional Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges, Arkansas Association of Women in Two-year Colleges, Arkansas Capital Corporation Board of Directors, Arkansas Women’s Forum, American Association of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees, Association of Community College Trustees Advisory Committee of Presidents, Center for Occupation Research and Development Board, Cooperative for Advancement of Community Based Postsecondary Education (COMBASE), Global Corporate College Board, and the League for Innovation in the Community College.

Awards and Achievements

Since her arrival in northwest Arkansas, Dr. Paneitz has received the “Trailblazer” award from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; included in the 2005-2006 Empire Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals; selected to be a member of the Arkansas Women’s Forum; and selected to be the recipient of the 2005 Outstanding Alumni Award for Achievement and Merit from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. In 2007, Dr. Paneitz was honored by Just Communities with the Humanitarian of the Year award during the Fifth Annual Cultural Celebration. Just this year, Dr. Paneitz distinguished herself as a leader and was named Woman of Distinction by NOARK Girl Scouts. She was also chosen to participate in The Children’s Museum of NWA Dancing with the Stars to become a Celebrity Waitress for the event.

Personal

Dr. Paneitz is a native Arkansan from southeast Arkansas. She is married to husband, Dave. She has two daughters and three grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys golf, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Rollin oversees Wal-Mart’s global Information Systems Division.  He assumed this role in 2006.  Rollin’s previous position was as Executive Vice President of Logistics and Supply Chain, where he had operating responsibility for all general merchandise, fashion, grocery, SAM’S CLUB, import, and specialty distribution centers.  He also had operating responsibility for all domestic transportation and the supply chain.

Rollin joined Wal-Mart in 1983.  He has served as a member of the distribution and logistics team and has had the opportunity to manage every aspect of the supply chain.  He has served as Vice President of the Specialty Division and Transportation, Divisional Vice President of Grocery Logistics, Divisional Vice President of General Merchandise and Senior Vice President for Logistics before serving as the Executive Vice President of Logistics and Supply Chain.

Rollin is affiliated with numerous organizations, including Retail Industry Leaders Association.  He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the National Freight Transportation Association and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.  He also is a Board member of the St. Mary’s Hospital and a Board member of The Seiyu, Ltd.

Rollin graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration and systems analysis.

Neal Jeffrey was born on Thursday, July 23, 1953 in Fort Worth, TX.  He is a former All-American quarterback at Baylor University and NFL quarterback for the San Diego Chargers as well as one of the most sought after speakers and Bible teachers in America.  Neal travels the country speaking at churches, men’s groups, sports events, as well as at corporate conventions, conferences and training seminars.  He is known as a dynamic communicator and entertainer who inspires audiences to go “higher, swifter, stronger” in the critical areas of life!

As the quarterback who led the Baylor Bears to their first Southwest Conference Championship in 50 years, Neal brings a level of enthusiasm and passion to every presentation that is rarely seen anywhere.  Neal holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.  For the past several years, he has been the featured speaker for Prestonwood’s Friday morning Bible study that is attended regularly by 400 to 500 men.

Neal and his wife, Sheila, have three children.