We are excited to host the first-ever L.I.F.E. Teaching Conference on Faith & Entrepreneurship, happening virtually on November 7, 2024, from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (EST). This groundbreaking event is a must-attend for educators who are passionate about integrating faith and entrepreneurship into their teaching.
Agenda
Why Attend?
At this virtual conference, you’ll learn from leading educators from institutions like Yale, Duke, Princeton, and Belmont. They will share practical insights on how to teach faith and entrepreneurship in ways that inspire, challenge, and equip students for the pluralistic, faith-filled workplace.
Whether you’re already teaching in this space or exploring how faith and entrepreneurship can transform the student experience, this conference offers valuable takeaways and a chance to connect with a global network of educators who are committed to shaping the future of higher education.
Key Topics Covered:
- Supporting students connecting their own values with their sense of calling and vocation
- Faith as a driver for understanding social issues and creating sustainable and impactful solutions
- Securing classroom resources from experts in faith and entrepreneurship so that you don’t have to go it alone
- The need to embrace faith as a key diversity measure
Participating Institutions Include:
- Divinity Schools
- Duke University
- Yale University
- Faith-Based Undergrad Institutions
- Belmont University
- Biola University
- Cedarville University
- Tyndale University
- Wheaton College
- Private Institutions
- Princeton University
- Public Institutions
- University of Oklahoma
- Miami University
Event Details:
- *Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024
- *Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (EST)
- *Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Meet the Speakers:
We have an exciting lineup of speakers from prestigious universities, each bringing a unique perspective on faith and entrepreneurship in education. Here’s a sneak peek at a few of the thought leaders who will be sharing their insights:
* Keynote – L. Greg Jones – The President of Belmont University, Dr. Greg Jones is a celebrated speaker, author, educator, and business leader. He believes in supporting communities through hope-inspired leadership and instilling a sense of purpose and entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation. He is dedicated to collaborative bridge-building across diverse perspectives and seeks to leverage his work as a University President to form leaders of character who are committed to helping people and communities flourish.
Under Greg’s leadership, Belmont is furthering its efforts to become the leading Christ-centered University in the world, radically championing the pursuit of life abundant for all people.
Dr. Jones received his bachelor’s in speech communication and a masters of public administration from the University of Denver, and his masters of divinity and Ph.D. in theology from Duke University. He currently serves on the boards of the John Templeton Foundation, the McDonald Agape Foundation, and the India Collective.
*Michael Arena – Michael Arena, Ph.D., is the dean of the Crowell School of Business at Biola University. He is also the chief science officer and co-founder of the Connected Commons, a research consortium that brings together business and academic thought leaders to develop and apply organizational network solutions. Arena also continues to teach in Penn’s Masters in Organizational Dynamics program. Prior to joining Biola, he served as the vice president of talent and development at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he leveraged network analysis to enable employee growth, organizational culture and innovation. Arena was also the chief talent officer for General Motors Corporation where he helped to facilitate a business transformation, which is highlighted in his book Adaptive Space.
*Lowell Buzenitz – Dr. Lowell Buzenitz is the Michael F. Price Chair in Entrepreneurship and the Center for Entrepreneurship Academic Director at the University of Oklahoma. He teaches entrepreneurship courses at the undergraduate, masters and PhD student levels. He has coached and mentored many student and founding teams in their development of business plans for new startups. Dr. Busenitz’s research focuses on how entrepreneurs make decisions, the development of new venture opportunities, and the garnering of resources for new startups. He is among a select group of researchers who has an established reputation in the area of entrepreneurship and is one of the top 10 most cited entrepreneurship scholars. His research has appeared in the leading journals in management and entrepreneurship.
*Denise Daniels – Dr. Denise Daniels is the Hudson T. Harrison Professor of Entrepreneurship at Wheaton College. She earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Washington. Her scholarly interests include meaningful work, Sabbath, leadership, gender, and motivation. Denise is the co-Principal Investigator on a $1.5M research project funded by the Lilly Endowment examining how Christians in the United States understand and engage their faith at work.
*Hannah Lau – Hannah is a Redemptive Business Coach at the Centre for Redemptive Business at Tyndale University. She is passionate about living out her faith through entrepreneurship and has been running her own redemptive consulting business, Astera Asia, since 2015. She specializes in guiding small-medium-sized firms from startup to scale-up, applying a redemptive lens to every aspect. Hannah works collaboratively with founders to ensure their ventures have a strong foundation. She has worked with 170+ businesses and is a lecturer at the University of Waterloo for entrepreneurial marketing. Hannah is a perennial pioneer and is always ready to help build, fix, and change.
*Ryan McAnnally-Linz –Ryan McAnnally-Linz (PhD, Yale) is a systematic theologian and associate director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. He works at the intersection of theology, ethics, and cultural criticism. His interests include (but are by no means limited to) the theological ethics of humility, the place of eschatology in Christian thought and life, biblical theology, the philosophy of Charles Taylor, and understanding the work of his many teachers. Ryan co-authored Public Faith in Action (Brazos), a Publishers Weekly Best Book in Religion in 2016, with Miroslav Volf, and he co-edited The Joy of Humility (Baylor University Press, 2020) and Envisioning the Good Life (Cascade, 2017). His scholarly articles have appeared in Modern Theology, The Scottish Journal of Theology, and elsewhere.
*Kyle McManamy –As the Director of Strategic Projects in the Dean’s Office of Duke Divinity School, Kyle McManamy leads the design of work, including the Traditioned Innovation Project, strategic to the mission of the Divinity School. Over the last decade, his various roles in launching ministry start-ups, higher education, and branding have grown his love for the work of resourcing Christians for their public work and witness. McManamy has since written, designed, and taught on the undergraduate and graduate levels (Baylor, Duke, UNC, and Southeastern University) and created extensive resources around faith and work.
*David Miller –David W. Miller, Ph.D. David brings an unusual “bilingual” perspective to the classroom and the boardroom. He is on the faculty of Princeton University, serving as the Director of the Faith & Work Initiative (FWI), a Senior Professional Specialist, and a Lecturer. Before receiving his Ph.D. in ethics and joining the faculty at Princeton University in 2008, he was on the faculty at Yale Divinity School and Yale School of Management for five years. Prior to academia, he spent 16 years in senior executive positions in international business and finance, including eight years in London. At Princeton the nickname of his signature course is “Business Ethics: Succeeding without Selling Your Soul,” which provides the title for his forthcoming book.
*Christie Myers – Christie Myers serves as the Director of Partnership for Faith Driven Student – Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Christie contributes to the mission of empowering faith-driven entrepreneurs, specifically for the next generation. She also teaches Entrepreneurship at Spring Arbor University, her alma mater, sharing her knowledge and expertise with the next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs.
*Kary Oberbrunner – Dr. Kary Oberbrunner is the Berry Chair and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Cedarville University. Oberbrunner is also a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen books. As CEO of Igniting Souls and Blockchain Life, he helps authors, entrepreneurs, and influencers publish, protect, and promote their Intellectual Property and turn it into 18 streams of income. An award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and inventor, he’s been featured in Entrepreneur, CBS, Fox News, Yahoo, and many other major media outlets.
*Brett Smith – Brett R. Smith is the Cintas Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship, Founding Director, Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and Founding Director of the Center for L.I.F.E. (Leading the Integration of Faith & Entrepreneurship) at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His research interests focus on social and faith-based entrepreneurship. His research has been featured in leading academic journals including Academy of Management Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Venturing, Leadership Quarterly, and Long Range Planning. Smith serves as on the editorial board for the Journal of Business Venturing and as an Associate Editor, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship.
*Phillip Yan – Philip is the Director of the Centre for Redemptive Entrepreneurship at Tyndale University. Philip is the founder and chief experience designer of GenesisXD Inc. Before running his consultancy firm focusing on branding and marketing communications, Philip worked for award-winning studios as a senior designer and design director. His strategic consultation has proven success in many turnkey initiatives for financial and educational institutions, health care organizations, and not-for-profits.
These trailblazers will share practical strategies and innovative teaching practices that are shaping the future of faith and entrepreneurship education.
Don’t Miss Out – Register Today!
This is a rare opportunity to be part of a global conversation that’s pushing the boundaries of how we teach faith and entrepreneurship. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or simply interested in this emerging field, we’d love to have you join us.
If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out to Tara Hoppe at hoppetl@miamioh.edu or 513.490.4115.
We look forward to seeing you online on November 7 for a day of inspiration, collaboration, and practical takeaways!
