Matt Bird

international speaker, author and broadcaster

Matt Bird is an international speaker, author and broadcaster. He has spoken in 30 countries to more than a million people, has written 11 books and writes for The Times newspaper.

He is the CEO/President of Cinnamon Network International whose vision is to see communities, cities and nations transformed by the life and love of Jesus.

He is also the founder of Relationology International through which he works as a keynote speaker helping clients increase performance and growth through the power of relationships.

He is a sought after communicator who helps leaders, teams and entire businesses create relational cultures that foster growth, innovation and opportunity.

Practising what he preaches, Matt runs a philanthropic foundation that ignites positive change in communities across the world. For this, Matt has received commendations from successive Prime Ministers and been invited to co-chair the 10 Downing Street ‘Community Advisory Group’.

He writes regularly for The Times and lives in London with his wife Esther and their three children.

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Matt Lesser

Chief Financial Officer | Community State Bank

Matt Lesser will serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Community State Bank. Prior to this role, Matt served as Senior Executive Manager of Ambassador Enterprises University (AEU) and Ambassador Solutions Institute from early 2017 until December 2018. AEU/ASI offered a variety of programming to codify learning and best practices and transfer that learning to others. Matt has had the privilege of training leaders and leadership teams on 6 different continents.

Prior to Ambassador Enterprises, Matt and his mother started and grew an organization in the petroleum industry for 15 years (wholesale distribution and retail service) serving IN, MI, and OH.

Matt currently chairs the Elder Board of Dayspring Community Church, LLC (Auburn, IN), serves as a board member for Crossover Communications Foundation (Columbia, SC), and as a board member for Wildman Business Group (Warsaw, IN). Matt’s recent board service (concluded December 2018) included chairing the Board of Directors of Ambassador Supply, LLC (Fort Wayne, IN), and serving as a board member for Elevate Ventures (Fort Wayne, IN), Correct Craft, Inc. (Orlando, FL), and USSL (Tanzania, Africa).

Matt treasures being a husband to his wife, Tiffani, since 1996 and they are enjoying watching their 3 children grow (Quentin, Danielle, and Blake) into their uniquely normal, God-given identities. Matt also enjoys traveling (particularly to Europe and Africa—he has been to 42 countries spanning 6 continents), biking, running, weight-lifting, writing, speaking, and reading.

LINKS

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Michaela O’Donnell Long

Strategist and Senior Fellow | Fuller’s De Pree Center

Michaela O’Donnell Long is a Strategist and Senior Fellow at Fuller’s De Pree Center, where she leads initiatives for entrepreneurs and women in leadership. She is also an Adjunct Instructor of Practical Theology and Leadership at Fuller Seminary. Michaela’s doctoral work focuses on how the church can support people in developing an entrepreneurial posture for a changing world of work. In addition to her academic work, Michaela is the Owner and Managing Director of Long Winter Media, a vibrant creative agency that helps brands make an impact through multi-media content. Long Winter Media’s roster of clients includes Google, YouTube, NBC Universal, University of Southern California, Presbyterian Church (USA), Fuller Seminary, and many more. Notably, the Oprah Winfrey Network picked up a short film she produced for Oprah’s show Super Soul Sundays. In her various roles, Michaela has coached many women and men in their entrepreneurial development.

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Mike Asem

entrepreneur, investor and startup advisor | M25

Mike Asem is a passionate entrepreneur, investor and startup advisor. Today he spends most of his time investing in startups as a part of M25, a Chicago-based venture capital firm focused on seed stage investments in tech startups headquartered in the Midwest.

Mike also serves as a Board Member with PicDiversity, a non-profit that exists to provide teachers with photos that mirror the diversity of their students.

Outside of his time with M25 and PicDiversity, Mike advises startup company founders, serves at Soul City Church, and mentors college student entrepreneurs at various universities including his alma mater, Purdue. 

Mike resides in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois with his wife, Erikka. They are active members of Soul City Church in Chicago.

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Mike Loomis

strategic partner

Mike Loomis helps people launch their dream projects and books. Since starting and selling two businesses, he’s a strategic partner to entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, non-profits, publishers as well as startups, and aspiring messengers. Mike is the author of Your Brand Is Calling – Build a Personal Brand to Reflect and Connect. He and his wife live in the mountains of Colorado with their pet moose.

I wear many hats. (Not only because I live in the Rocky Mountains)

I’m a strategic partner to businesses, bestselling authors, global nonprofits, & publishers. I also love coaching start-ups and aspiring messengers.

I’m a brand manager and marketing creative.

I’m a book developer, editor, ghostwriter, & literary agent.

I help turn ideas into reality and find a strategy for monetization. 

I’ve started and sold two businesses. But when I started helping others launch their ideas, things really started to click.

I help people who want to help people. We work together to articulate with excellence and reach as many people as possible.

My successes, and failures, help me serve clients who want to see their dream come to life.

My solar-powered wife and I live in Winter Park, Colorado – which is an amazing place to plan your strategy!

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN ENTREPRENEUR

Mike Sharrow

CEO | The C12 Group

Mike is the CEO for The C12 Group, a for-profit operator of peer advisory groups serving Christian CEO/Owners and their Key Players. C12 was founded in 1992 by Buck Jacobs and has grown to serve over 2,500+ members across the US with new chapters in Malaysia, China and Brazil.  C12 serves CEOs/Owners of businesses from $1M – $5B in gross revenue through full day peer advisory groups facilitated by full-time C12 Chairmen using proven best practices, performance enhancing tools/systems and MBA-level curriculum geared around helping the serious-minded entrepreneur build a “Great business for a GREATER purpose” with a “business AS ministry” mindset based upon Ephesians 2:10, Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.

Mike started his career in a start-up financial services small business in Lake Forest, IL focused on pension plans and wealth management then was part of a start-up subsidiary of the Walgreen Company focused on health plan strategies and pharmacy benefits.  It was while working at Walgreens that Mike first began the odyssey of an integrated missiology, reconciling the artificial but handicapping “sacred versus secular” mindset and pursuing a Great Commission and identity-based vocational mindset instead of a positional or contextual one.

After Walgreens, Mike joined the staff of his local church, Grace Point Church, as the associate pastor for 4 years.  It was in the latter time of pastoring that Mike launched a management consulting business, TQ Strategies, focused on serving the enterprise healthcare arena, served as a fractional strategy leader for Health By Design and first joined a C12 Group as a member in 2010. In 2011 Mike became a C12 Chair in San Antonio, then partnered up to buy a combined Austin & San Antonio region which grew to be the largest market for C12 from 2013-2016.  In 2016 there was a succession event for The C12 Group and Mike was selected to be the third CEO to lead the national organization, with the HQ operations eventually relocated from North Carolina to Texas. The mission of The C12 Group is to equip Christian CEOs & Owners to build great businesses for a greater purpose, towards a vision of changing the world by advancing the Gospel in the marketplace.

Life:

Mike exchanged his life for the life of Jesus in February 1989 at Glacier Valley Baptist Church in Juneau, Alaska, was captivated by the heart of the Father, became obsessed with His Word and has been on an apprenticeship adventure ever since.  Mike has been married to his bijou of a bride and best friend, Jacqui, since 2002. They have 2 daughters and live in San Antonio. They are active in their local church, Grace Point Church.  Mike is on the board for the South Texas Alliance for Orphans, Breakthrough Moments, the San Antonio Marriage Initiative and a missions foundation doing work in primarily Central America.  Mike grew up in Alaska, went to college in Chicago (Trinity, TEDS and Loyola), and has been residing in Texas since 2006.  Mike is also a dues-paying member of a C12 CEO peer advisory group in Austin, Texas because he passionately believes “every leader needs a group!”

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN ENTREPRENEUR