A fifth generation Texan, Governor Rick Perry has taken an extraordinary Texas journey, from a tenant farm on the rolling plains of West Texas to the governor’s office of our nation’s second largest state.

Gov. Perry embraces a style of servant leadership developed in a series of service-driven organizations, from the Boy Scouts to the Corps of Cadets to the U.S. Air Force and more than two decades in elected office.

As 47th governor and the first Texas A&M graduate to occupy the Governor’s Mansion, Gov Perry’s administration has focused on creating a Texas of unlimited opportunity and prosperity by improving education, securing the border and increasing economic development.

Under Gov. Perry’s leadership, Texas has consistently been ranked as one of the best places in the nation for economic development and expansion due to our low taxes, predictable regulatory structure and sensible legal system.

After multiple terms in the Texas House of Representatives, he was twice elected Commissioner of Agriculture before winning a close race for lieutenant governor.

Perry is an Eagle Scout and a lifetime member of American Legion Post #75. Perry and his wife, Anita, have two children.

His website is http://www.governor.state.tx.us/
You can follow him on twitter: @governorperry

Tommy Franks joined the United States Army and in 1967, as a distinguished graduate of the Artillery Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and sent to Viet Nam.  This assignment was the start of a long and distinguished career where he gained the knowledge and experience that would prepare him for the leadership role that would mark his place in the annals of American History.

In June 2000, he was promoted to four-star General and assigned as Commander-in-Chief, United States Central Command. It’s in this position that the world knows Tommy Franks best – the culmination of an almost four-decade military career that saw him lead American and Coalition troops in two strategically unprecedented campaigns in two years – Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

The General’s awards include five Distinguished Service Medals, four Legions of Merit, four Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts in addition to numerous foreign awards. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on May 25, 2004. And President George W. Bush awarded him the Nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom on December 14, 2004.

Since his retirement from the military in 2003, General Franks has traveled the world speaking on leadership, character and the value of Democracy. His autobiography, American Soldier debuted as Number #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list in August 2004.

President George W. Bush calls Franks, “a down to earth, no-nonsense guy.” His troops call him, “a soldier’s General,” and his associates call him, “an astute businessman.” His grandkids call him, “Pooh.”

His website is http://www.tommyfranks.com

Roy Spence is co-founder and chairman of GSD&M Idea City, a leading marketing communications and advertising company. He is also now co-founder and CEO of The Purpose Institute, a consulting firm whose purpose is to help people and organizations discover and live their purpose. Along with Haley Rushing, Roy co-authored the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business is Driven by Purpose

Under Roy’s leadership, his agency has helped grow some of the world’s most successful brands like Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart, DreamWorks, the PGA TOUR, BMW global, the U.S.  Air Force, Hallmark and the Clinton Global Initiative. Roy has been a trusted advisor to legendary leaders including Sam Walton and Southwest Airlines founder, Herb Kelleher. His council has also been sought by U.S. presidents and leaders in the State Department and Department of Defense.

Roy has been named Ad Man of the Year and Idea Man of the Century and has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report, Esquire, Fast Company, INC., Fortune and many cable news networks for his perspectives on marketing and finding and fulfilling an organization’s purpose.

Roy has been married 32 years and has three children. He is a member of the board of directors of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and is a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas. His first book, The Amazing Faith of Texas, was published in 2006.

Kem is a recovering corporate spin doctor and outspoken advocate for applying simple insights to the not-so-simple art of communication. Eight years ago she left her 15-year career in corporate communications to join the staff team at Granger Community Church. As Communications Director, Kem leads creative, information and technology teams to champion a clutter free, cohesive and unified experience across departments and campuses. While her faith and local church is primary in her life and what drives her to achieve more, she doesn't believe in huddling inside a bubble. She speaks, writes and blogs to help other churches, businesses, schools and not-for-profits find ways to get the word out and, simply, do better. Keep up with Kem at KemMeyer.com. Her book, Less Clutter. Less Noise., was released earlier this year.

You can follow her on twitter: @kemmeyer

Steven Furtick is the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

At age 16, he realized God's plan for him to start a life-changing church in a metropolitan city. This vision became a tangible reality when Elevation was founded on the faith of 8 families who risked everything.  That risk has resulted in a remarkable return of Elevation being one of the fastest growing churches in America.  Pastor Steven's message is revolutionary faith and how to approach every experience from a visionary perspective. As a leader under 30 years old, his unique passion is contagious and igniting a fire in his city and beyond. 

Pastor Steven attended North Greenville University, received a B.A. in communications and went on to complete a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He resides in the Charlotte area with his wife, Holly, and two sons Elijah and Graham.

Les T. Csorba is a Partner with Heidrick & Struggles and leads the Houston office.  He is a member of both the firm’s Industrial Practice and the Board of Directors/CEO Practice focusing on the Petroleum Industry. Previously, he served in the Energy Practice of A.T. Kearney Executive Search as Vice President for almost four years. Prior to his experience in the executive search business, Les served in the White House as a Special Assistant to the President of the United States for Presidential Personnel during the George H.W. Bush Administration.  As a member of the President's staff, Les had responsibility for personnel recommendations in the national security area including ambassadorships and senior-level presidential appointments at the Departments of Defense and State.

Les remains an active energy industry participant and is a member of the Houston Producers' Forum.  A frequent speaker and writer on leadership issues, he is the author of TRUST: The One Thing That Makes or Breaks a Leader (Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2004). His articles have appeared in Corporate Board Member Magazine, the Wall Street Journal's “National Employment Weekly”, the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Business Journal, the Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today and others.  His appearances have included CNBC, FOX NEWS and MSNBC.

Courtney Spence was born and raised in Austin, Texas.  She graduated from Duke University in December 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in History.  During her sophomore year at Duke, Courtney founded a student organization called Students Of the World (SOW).  The mission of SOW is to enable college students to tell and share stories of positive change around the world through producing documentary work, with the goal of inspiring others and garnering support for innovative non-profits who are improving the lives of millions.

SOW is now a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization with chapters at universities that include: The University of Texas, The University of Michigan, The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Brown University, and Columbia University.  In the past eight years, SOW has sent over 30 teams to countries all around the world; Courtney has traveled with thirteen of the SOW teams. For her work, Courtney received the International Youth Foundation’s Youth Action Net Fellowship in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also the executive producer of a SOW Pictures feature-length documentary, The Children’s War, a film depicting the 22 year-old conflict in Northern Uganda. Courtney is currently the CEO of Students Of the World, which is based out of Austin, Texas.

Her website is http://www.studentsoftheworld.org

Steve Price currently serves as vice president, Human Resources for Dell’s Global Consumer Business.  In this role, Mr. Price is responsible for the overall HR strategy and execution for World-Wide Sales and Marketing, Global Product Development and Engineering, and Consumer Customer Experience and Support organizations located across North America, Latin America, India, and the Philippines.

 
Most recently, Mr. Price served as vice president for Americas Human Resources where he was responsible for the overall HR strategy and implementation across Dell Americas units.  He also had overall HR responsibility for Dell’s Services business and for Dell’s Manufacturing/Logistics operations in Austin, Nashville, North Carolina, Ohio, and Brazil.
 
Prior to this role, Mr. Price led as vice president, Human Resources Operations and Corporate Services working closely with the Chairman and CEO in designing the Winning Culture strategy for the company.
 
Prior to joining Dell in 1997, Mr. Price spent 13 years with S C Johnson Wax, based in Racine, Wisconsin. His last position was vice president, Human Resources for their Canadian subsidiary company located outside Toronto, in Brandtford, Ontario.
 
Mr. Price serves on several Executive Advisory Boards including Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University and The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.   He holds a bachelor's degree in business from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and a MBA from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Mac Richard is the founding and Senior Pastor of Lake Hills Church in Austin, TX. Beginning with a group of fifteen people, Lake Hills has grown to more than 3,000 in regular weekend attendance. Mac’s passion is to reach people with Christ’s message of hope by creatively using today’s tools and technology. For more information about Mac or his resources, go online to www.lhc.org.
 
Mac and his wife Julie have been married for over seventeen years and they have two children.

Mac's website is http://www.macrichard.com
You can follow him on twitter: @Mac_Richard