Conference Details

Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author, Proverbs 31 Ministries Speaker, contributing writer for Encouragement for Today online devotions and a teacher in the First 5 Bible study app, which has over two million daily users.

She has written 18 books and Bible studies including "Keep It Shut: What to Say, How To Say It, and When To Say Nothing at All" and the 2020 ECPA devotional book of the year, "Settle My Soul: 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus."

Karen has been featured on TODAY Parenting, Redbook.com, FoxNews.com, Crosswalk.com, YouVersion.com, and is a monthly columnist for HomeLife Magazine. Her passion is to help women live their priorities as they reflect the gospel to a watching world.

A social science major, Karen graduated cum laude from Spring Arbor University. She is married to her college sweetheart, Todd, and is the mother of five children--three biological and two in-laws by marriage--although she forgets which ones are which. Karen enjoys collecting vintage Pyrex kitchenware, cheering for the Detroit Tigers, and spending her days feeding the many people who gather around her mid-century dining table to process life and enjoy her county fair blue-ribbon winning cooking.

Karen Richard has owned the Jackson, MI Culver's restaurant since opening it in August 2006. Believing that it's important to invest in the community, she has been actively involved in the Jackson area since 2006. Culver’s is a 16-year member of the Jackson Chamber.

Karen is currently on the Jackson Chamber Board of Directors and the recent Board Chair. She is also on the Executive Board for the Chamber, Board of Directors for TRUE (CP Federal) Credit Union and on the Grants Committee for the Jackson Community Foundation. She sits on the ISD Culinary Board, and Jackson Chamber MLK Diversity Committee, delivering the annual MLK Breakfast and the Jackson Middle School Challenge Day project. Karen was the 2018 recipient of the Jackson Susan B. Anthony Award and the 2010 Nike Award recipient.

Her other Jackson activities include RW Mercer Junior Golf Sponsor, 100 Women Who Care, J-Dart Team, Jackson Business and Professional Women's Association, monthly Red Cross Blood draws for 13 years and numerous partnerships/sponsorships with Spring Arbor University, Jackson College, numerous local non-profit organizations, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools and Jackson area clubs.

Karen works to mentor her employees for Culver’s ownership. She owned the Culver’s restaurant in Ann Arbor for 12 years. Her mentorship resulted in her mentee at this site becoming an approved Culver’s operator. Currently, Karen working with mentee, Kira Hurley, at the Jackson Culver's who is interested in ownership as well.

Karen has been in the restaurant business for over 40 years. Prior to owning the Culver's restaurant, she worked in the McDonald's Michigan Regional office covering Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. At McDonald's, she won numerous leadership awards and was recognized nationally.

SOAR Café & Farms is a non-profit in Jackson, Michigan. SOAR exists to provide healing, housing, and employment for women survivors of human trafficking, sexual abuse, and trauma. We are following the model of Thistle Farms as a sister organization in the Thistle National Network.

Heather Castle is an SAU alumna (2005) and ordained pastor in the Free Methodist Church who has been in ministry for 13 years serving in various capacities. She is in love with Jesus, passionate about spiritual development, and potentially addicted to coffee. Married for 16 years to her college crush, Steve, she resides in Spring Arbor where they are raising their incredibly adorable and sassy 2-year-old daughter, Amiya.

Spend a little time shopping in the vendor area, enjoy catching up with a friend over a cup of coffee, or network with other conference attendees.

A lifelong resident of Jackson and graduate of Jackson High School, Tonia understands her community and the people in it which perfect for her role as Chief Employee Experience Officer at American 1 Credit Union. She may be the middle child in her family, but she's really the boss, which explains her more than 30 years of management experience.

Tonia is very active in the greater Jackson community, serving on the Downtown Development Board and she enjoys volunteering at the Salvation Army and Martin Luther King Center.

Most importantly, Tonia enjoys spending time with her husband of 24 years, Deshon, and their son Christopher, sipping tea, watching a good murder mystery, or cheering on the Wolverines. Go Blue!

Christie Myers, named one of the 2019 Fierce Females, has spent the duration of her career focused on collective impact and community-building, providing a voice for communities that have been neglected for decades. She has worked across several sectors, developing relationships with state and local leaders, businesses, civic organizations and neighborhood advocates, realigning their focuses to create synergy in both their missions and visions. Christie served as the General Manager for the Dallas Mayor, Mike Rawlings, Neighbor Up Dallas Organization, focused on growth and development of both the Education Corridor and ALLinD10.

Throughout her work, Christie has been focused on moving the needle in areas including transportation, education, infrastructure, development and community engagement. At the top of her list, she remains focused on providing equitable transportation options for the working poor to move to and from work and advocating for community health strategies to be deployed in disinvested neighborhoods. This has included advocating for policy changes from the Dallas-area transit agency, leading grassroots efforts for LBJ East Expansion and convening ten health partners in the development of EdCor Health Initiatives, delivering quality health care in Southern Dallas. Christie remains committed to serving alongside neighborhood leaders and has built life-long relationships in communities because of her willingness to be genuine and build trust through empowerment.