Reverend Doctor Nicole Massie Martin serves as Chief Operating Officer at Christianity Today and is a leading voice in American evangelicalism today. Prior to accepting the position at CT, Martin was senior vice president at the American Bible Society and is the Founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministries. She also worked as a business analyst for Deloitte.
Dr. Martin has degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, where she won the John Alan Swink Award in Preaching, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she now serves as an adjunct professor. She filled senior leadership roles at The Park Church (Charlotte, NC) alongside Bishop Claude Alexander and St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church (Newark, NJ).
She is the author of three books, including Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender, Made to Lead: Empowering Women for Ministry, and Leaning In, Letting Go: A Lenten Devotional.
Session: EMBRACING THE “AND”
Tracey Gee is a certified leadership coach and consultant dedicated to guiding individuals toward transformative self-awareness and meaningful personal and professional growth. As the author of The Magic of Knowing What You Want: A Practical Guide to Unearthing the Wisdom of Your Desires, Tracey draws insight from her extensive experience across workshops, speaking engagements, and personalized coaching sessions. She is also a certified facilitator in four frameworks—Gallup CliftonStrengths, Working Genius, Enneagram, and Cultural Intelligence. Her diverse clientele includes the National Basketball Association, Coca-Cola, UC Berkeley, AltaMed, Nomi Network, Amazon, Fuller Seminary, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Miami Heat.
Session: PURPOSE & DESIRE
Like most women, Jess Basson wears many hats, but she has one mission in mind: to share life-transforming ideas. Jess has 18 years experience as a teaching pastor and speaker, including the famous TEDx red circle. She is the author of Empty Cages: Keys to Finding Freedom, and a certified life coach. Jess is a Ph.D candidate exploring the intersection of theology, philosophy and creative writing. When she’s not snowboarding or hiking with her family, she’s probably thrifting, reading fiction or procrasti-napping.
Session: TOO MUCH & NOT ENOUGH
Sharon Sampson is the Founder and CEO of Open Book Communications, a Minneapolis-based firm helping visionary organizations bring their stories to life through strategy, creativity, and heart. She believes storytelling isn’t just a way to communicate—it’s a way to catalyze real change, in both people and organizations. Before founding Open Book, Sharon worked in public relations and media strategy in New York, built an in-house communications team at a non-profit, and served as a chaplain at Princeton University, her alma mater. She’s a lover of theater and great views, and someone who’s deeply committed to helping people discover and connect what’s most true to what’s possible.
Session: EMBRACING THE “AND”
Sarah Evers is a Founding Partner at RKE Partners, a leadership development consultancy that works with market-facing companies to drive business growth through people strategy. With more than 25 years of experience in executive coaching, facilitation, and organizational development, Sarah has helped clients across finance, healthcare, tech, and private equity-backed firms build stronger leadership pipelines and aligned, high-performing teams. RKE’s team accelerators and executive coaching are designed to support measurable business outcomes within 90 days.
Sarah also serves as a Principal Consultant with VOCA Center, RKE’s sister firm dedicated to serving faith-aligned organizations and individuals. VOCA provides professional solutions to professional problems, anchored in biblical wisdom. Sarah partners with churches, mission agencies, and nonprofits to strengthen leadership, align executive teams, and provide outplacement support. She also guides job seekers in exploring what God might have for them next. Through all of this, Sarah helps clients integrate their faith and work with integrity and impact.
Session: TOO MUCH & NOT ENOUGH
Stephanie Summers is the CEO of the Center for Public Justice. Ms. Summers is a co-author with Washington Post columnist Michael J. Gerson and Katie Thompson of Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice (Falls City Press). A frequent speaker and moderator, recent topics include Christian activism in Reformed Public Theology (Baker Academic) and leadership in The Routledge Handbook of Religious Literacy, Pluralism, and Global Engagement (Routledge). Ms. Summers is a recipient of the inaugural Duke Divinity Reflective Leadership Award. She received her M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University.
Prior to her appointment at the Center for Public Justice, she spent 12 years with the CCO, where her roles included Vice President for the Eastern Region and Vice President for Organizational Development. Ms. Summers began her career in nonprofit administration as executive director of The Open Door, a church-based youth center in Pittsburgh, PA.
Session: ALREADY & NOT YET
Chantel Pagán became President and CEO of Deaf Bible Society in 2020, but her connection to the mission began long before. As a proud Latina and one of the organization's founding members, Chantel is driven by her experiences navigating diverse languages and communities. She has spent more than a decade advocating for Deaf communities worldwide to have access to the Bible in their heart sign language. Chantel and her husband, Joel, live in Midlothian, TX, with their two daughters, Zebadi and Keziah.
Session: TOO MUCH & NOT ENOUGH
Barb Wood began her professional journey working with college students through the campus ministry Cru in Ulan Ude, Siberia, Moscow, Russia, and later, in Northern Colorado. After pausing her career to raise four children, Barb made a midlife pivot and trained as a registered nurse. She specializes in women’s health with a focus on maternal and newborn nursing. Barb has cross-trained in multiple specialities and mentors younger nurses as a preceptor and relief charge nurse at St. Joseph Hospital.
Session: Embracing the “AND”
Cindy Chang Mahlberg is a strong believer in the power of business as a vehicle for influence and transformation. She currently combines her entrepreneurial passions with her varied legal and professional experiences to build and lead Colorado Center for Dermatology & Skin Surgery, a private dermatology practice focused on delivering excellent and personalized patient care and creating a compelling work environment for team members. She is a motivated and enthusiastic advocate who thrives in environments requiring vision, collaboration, clear communication, and tremendous attention to detail and organization. Cindy graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. For her undergraduate degree, she attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, as a Boettcher Scholar, and graduated summa cum laude.
Cindy’s professional experience ranges from serving as an Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to Corporate Attorney at both Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Credit Suisse Asset Management Division. She has launched several ventures, including Women in the Mix, a venture focused on inspiring and empowering women to thrive in work and life. Cindy also founded The Law Venture, a legal and consulting practice dedicated to elevating mission-focused service professionals.
Cindy completed the Gotham Fellowship and served on the Board for the Denver Institute for Faith & Work. Cindy’s own work-life mix is enriched by her husband and two sons, family and friends, a deep faith journey, and embracing all of life’s adventures both indoors and out.
Session: Already & Not Yet
Rochelle Hinskton is a devoted follower of Jesus, whose life and work are deeply rooted in her faith. With a natural gift for teaching, she has been involved in ministry since the age of 17, dedicating her life to guiding others on their spiritual journeys. As the Deputy Director of Mile High Workshop, Rochelle uses her talents to support individuals facing significant life challenges, helping them overcome barriers to employment and achieve a fulfilling life. Her work is driven by a profound belief that her purpose is to point people toward God, offering hope and guidance through her compassionate leadership and unwavering faith.
Session: Embracing the “AND”
Amy Williams Chief Revenue Officer at Marrow, a multi-company ecosystem where she’s spent the last several years building and leading businesses across industries—from recruiting and construction to software and brand and marketing. Formerly Marrow’s COO, she’s known for translating vision into action, partnering with leaders to scale without losing their soul (or their margin). Her work lives at the intersection of strategy, operations, leadership, and story—and she’s most at home building systems that actually work for the people they’re meant to serve.
Not lacking in “ands” herself, Amy spends most days debunking the myth of work-life balance and jumping feet-first into both personal and professional intensity. She’s a mom of four who loves playing outside with her kids, curling up with a good book, running fast, and breathing deep. She met her husband as a whitewater rafting guide, and they’ve been chasing adventure together ever since—at home, at work, and everywhere in between.
Session: Embracing the “AND”
Brian Gray is the VP of Formation here at DIFW and also leads our 5280 Fellowship program. Prior to landing at DIFW, he served in pastoral ministry for thirteen years and at Denver Seminary for four years. His vocation includes moving ideas out into life through relationships and conversation – whether that applies to God, work, the Church, good beer, or Liverpool Football Club. He married way out of his league, and spends most of his free-time being parented by his two daughters.
Session: Purpose & Desire
Abby Worland serves as the VP of Operations & Finance where she spends her energy making sure things run smoothly and effectively. Before coming to Denver Institute, she spent more than a decade working in public education in Mississippi and Colorado as a teacher, administrator, and human resources leader. Abby is an alum of the 5280 Fellowship, and she is passionate about the Denver restaurant scene–ask her for recommendations.
Joanna Meyer serves as Director of Public Engagement, hosts the Faith & Work Podcast, and founded Women, Work, & Calling. Prior to coming to the Institute, Joanna worked in global telecom, nonprofit consulting, and campus ministry with Cru. She has an MA in Social Entrepreneurship from Bakke Graduate University and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is the author of Women, Work, & Calling: Step Into Your Place in God's World (IVP, Fall 2023).
