Born and raised in Vivian, Louisiana, Phil Robertson came from a large family with 7 children and little money. Because of the location of his family home in a rural setting near Shreveport, and the aforementioned scarcity of money, hunting became an important part of his formative years. Never satisfied with the duck calls on the market, Phil began to experiment with making a call that would produce the exact sound of a duck. A duck call for duck killers, not for, as Phil described, “world champion-style duck callers.” Phil stated, “No duck would even place in a duck calling contest.” In 1972, Phil Robertson gave up a coaching career for his love of duck hunting when he whittled a better duck call than any on the market, the first Duck Commander call. His first year, Robertson sold $8,000 worth of duck calls and his wife, Kay, somehow managed to feed four boys on that salary. The same year, he received a patent for this call and in 1973, formed the Duck Commander Company.

Nona Jones is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on building The Kingdom through social technology, motivating thousands of church leaders each year to reimagine social media as a strategic tool for ministry. She coined the term “Social Ministry” and helped build and lead Facebook’s global Faith-Based Partnerships strategy, coming alongside churches and pastors around the world to shift their thinking from church as “building” to church as “community.” She was licensed into the gospel ministry at the age of 17 and preaches the Gospel regularly around the world.

Founder of Sharis Berries, acclaimed inspirational speaker, and now author, Shari entertains audiences of all ages and backgrounds while sharing her down-to-earth, heartfelt business story. Appealing to anyone who has a dream, she’ll take your group on an emotional journey as she intertwines the successes in her life along with her mistakes. Shari’s book, “Berried in Chocolate,” points out the importance of family, faith and fearlessness while revealing how God became her best business partner and that faith and street smarts can be just as useful as a college degree.

"I'm not a Christian because it ‘works’ for me. I’m a Christian because it’s true." A retired cold case homicide detective, J. Warner Wallace was a vocal atheist for many years - until he applied his investigative training to the Gospels and determined that Christianity is demonstrably true. You may recognize him from NBC's Dateline, where he’s appeared more than any other detective in the country. 

A baseball legend, he was at the top of his MLB game in the 80s and 90s, winning a World Series with the New York Mets and three with with the New York Yankees. But life took a different turn after baseball. Drug abuse, house arrest, and rehab was just the beginning. Today Darryl is an ordained minister and Christian speaker. 

Charlie Ward, Jr. is a husband, father, mentor and coach who embodies the principles of integrity, hard work and faith in God. He inspires adults and youth alike in the way he carries himself and how he shows up in the world. Described as a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and a once-in-a-lifetime human being, Charlie’s character and his commitment to serve others are deeply respected in the sports community and far beyond. His calm demeanor and powerful leadership message of preparation, perseverance and patience set strong examples for business leaders, organizations, students and families.