Michael Hyatt

is the Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S.
He began his publishing career at Word Publishing while a student at Baylor University. He worked at Word for a total of six years. In addition to serving as Vice President of Marketing at Thomas Nelson in the mid-80s, he also started his own publishing company, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, with partner Robert Wolgemuth in 1986. Word eventually acquired their company in 1992.

He was a successful literary agent from 1992 until early 1998. He has also written four books, one of which landed on the New York Times bestseller list where it stayed for seven months. He is currently working on two new books, which he plans to announce closer to publication.

He joined Thomas Nelson for the second time in 1998. Since that time he has worked in a variety of roles in both divisional and corporate management. He was promoted to President and COO in February 2004 and CEO in August 2005. He is also the former Chairman of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (2006–2010).

While he loves his work, it is not the most important thing in his life. That position belongs to his family. He has been married to his wife, Gail (follow her on Twitter @GailHyatt), for thirty-two years. They have five daughters, a grandson, and three granddaughters. They live outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

In his free time, He enjoys writing, reading, running, and golfing. He is a member of St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, Tennessee, where he has served as a deacon for twenty-three years.

Mike will be speaking about “The Business of Creativity: How to Monetize Your Art Without Selling Your Soul”

Follow Mike on Twitter: @michaelhyatt

Read his informative and invaluable blog: MichaelHyatt.com

Patsy Clairmont

Petite, profound, and playful. These words help to describe her size, her message, and her humor. She has a command of God’s word and with her quick wit and fast Patsy Clairmont paced humor she will keep everyone laughing. This light touch combined with scriptural knowledge makes Patsy an unusual package. You find yourself laughing God’s truths right into your heart.

Patsy comes from an uncommon background. Her years of suffering as a prisoner in her own home, a victim of agoraphobia, have given her a deep appreciation of God’s healing power. God has pulled together the emotionally fragmented pieces of her life. From her emotionally troubled background God has combined her humor and her knowledge of story to remind you that imperfect, “cracked” Christians are God’s specialty.

Patsy now travels throughout the U.S. providing humor for the heart and hope for the healing. Currently, she is a speaker with the Women of Faith conferences, speaking to tens of thousands of women each month. In her fourteen years with Women of Faith she has reached over 4 million women.

Patsy is also the million-selling author of the best-selling books “God Uses Cracked Pots”, “Normal is Just a Setting on Your Dryer”, “Under His Wings”, “Sportin’ a ‘Tude”, “Tea with Patsy Clairmont”, “It’s About Home; Creating a Place to Cherish”, “I Love Being a Woman” and “Stepping Stones; A Garden Path”, “Mending Your Heart in a Broken World, “The Hat Box”, “The Shoe Box”, ‘I Grew Up Little’ and ‘Pillow Prayers’, ‘All Cracked Up’, Dancing Bones, Living Lively in the Valley, I Second that Emotion and “Catching Fireflies”. She also has written her first book of fiction, “Stardust on My Pillow; Stories to Sleep on”. Her latest book is “Kaleidoscope“.

Patsy is excited to now be a children’s author! The ‘Tales from the Pantry’ series contains five children’s books ‘Meatball’, ‘Soccer’, ‘Stinky’, ‘Spud’ and “Basil and Parsley”.

Patsy has been married to Les for 43 years and they have two sons, Marty and Jason, daughter-in-law Danya, and grandsons, Justin and Noah.

She will be speaking about “Shaking Your Tree,” a guided discovery of the multi-layers and golden nuggets of our individual stories and how to more effectively communicate them.

Follow Patsy on Twitter: @patsyclairmont

Read her insightful and beautiful blog: PatsyClairmont.com

Ken Davis

Best-selling author, frequent radio and television guest, and one of the country’s most sought after inspirational and motivational speakers—Ken’s mixture of side-splitting humor and inspiration delights and enriches audiences of all ages. His books have received national critical acclaim, including the “Book of the Year” award and the Gold Medallion Award. The video and audio tapes of his live appearances are in constant demand.

Ken has been the keynote speaker for hundreds of major corporate events. He was a featured speaker for Promise Keepers and is a frequent guest on “Focus on the Family”. Ken has made thousands of personal appearances around the world. As president of Dynamic Communications International, he teaches speaking skills to ministry professionals and corporate executives. Ken’s daily radio show, Lighten Up!, is heard on over 1500 stations in the United States and around the world.

Ken was born and raised in Minnesota and is a graduate of Oak Hills Christian College. He and his wife, Diane, live in Tennessee and have two daughters. Traci, their oldest, is married to Brian and they have three daughters and a son. Taryn, is married to Scott Fowler of Legacy Five and they have two sons. The entire family is involved in Ken’s ministry, bringing much laughter and liberating truth to people around the world.

Ken has become a vital part of the cre:ate family. His cre:ate talk is called Fully Alive and will be a mixture of intensely serious challenges and side-splitting humor about the dimensions of our personal lives.

Follow Ken on Twitter: @liteNup

Read his hilarious yet poignant blog: KenDavis.com

Randy Elrod

Randy Elrod is described by his friends as a Renaissance man. A dreamer, artist, author, speaker and mentor, he enjoys a marriage of 30 years with his childhood sweetheart, Chris. They enjoy traveling the world, the sacraments of food and wine, the culinary arts, and hosting guests at their home “La Maison des Reves” in historic downtown Franklin, Tennessee. They have two daughters, a son-in-law & a maltese named Taffy.

He loves reading and favorite authors include Ayn Rand, Frederick Buechner, Madeline L’Engle and David McCullough.

He also enjoys painting nature and the female figure with watercolor,  and revels in the sensory overload of climbing America’s highest mountains. He navigated the Uganik River with only a tent and raft in grizzly country for a week in the wilderness of Kodiak Island, Alaska. He has completed nineteen full marathons (yes, 26.2 miles each).

A self-taught artist, Randy began painting in the winter of 2002 at the age of forty-two after his wife Chris gifted him with an easel and paints. A lifelong love affair with graphite sketching provides the foundation for the watercolors and anchors his distinctive style. Originals and limited edition prints can be purchased at his art gallery, SacramentalLife.org.

All profits from SacramentalLife.org benefit his charity, Kalein, a 2,000 acre non-profit Rustic Elegant Retreat for Creative Solitude that provides world-class master teachers and retreats for gifted artists, pastors, corporate executives and leaders.

Randy Elrod grew up in the poverty of the Appalachian mountains. The first person in his family ever to graduate high school, he recalls teaching his grandfather to read and write. Isolated and without television, he turned to the magic of used classic books that his mother would buy for a nickel. These books opened a world of dreams and possibilities, many which ultimately have come true.

For 16 weeks, his book Sex, Lies & Religion (Enjoying The Freedom of Unconditional Sexuality) remained on the Amazon.com bestseller list.* It is currently utilized as “an invaluable resource” by the director of a well-known Woman’s Institute for Sexual Health. Randy was cited as “writing with the pen of an artist, philosopher and poet, painting pictures that glisten with supernatural love, acceptance and eroticism.”

* Rose to #2 in Amazon Hot New Releases in Popular Culture, Sociology and Love & Romance Categories

Randy will be presenting a talk called The Messiah Gifts. A look at 5 invaluable yet often overlooked aspects of the effective leader’s life.

Follow Randy on Twitter: @RandyElrod

Read his sometimes controversial and always creative blog: RandyElrod.com

- Randy Elrod, founder cre:ate & author Sex, Lies & Religion, Why I Wrote Sex, Lies & Religion

- Stephen Mansfield, speaker & author The Faith of George W. Bush, The Arts Pastor & The Senior Pastor Relationship

- Dan Cathy, President & COO of Chick-fil-A, How To Create Raving Fans the Chick-fil-A way

- Luci Swindoll, author & Women of Faith speaker *Ms. Swindoll appears courtesy of Women of Faith), Why I Love Art

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