Links: 

• LinkedIn

FOUNDER & CEO | CLOUDFACTORY

Mark Sears is the Founder & CEO of CloudFactory and is passionate about using his blend of technology and business experience towards the vision of connecting one million people to online work. Mark started his career as a software developer with Sun Microsystems before spending 10 years in different technology and product roles at startups around North America.

He helped a five-person tech startup grow to 130 employees after raising $48M in capital, then ran his own company for six years. He and his wife lived in Nepal for 6 years where their two kids and CloudFactory were born. Mark then lived in Raleigh/Durham, NC to help build out sales and marketing before moving to Reading, UK to open a CloudFactory Global HQ.

A proud Canadian, Mark grew up in Alberta then studied computer science and business at the University of Alberta.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR

 Links:

• LinkedIn

Bio:

Mark Washington supports over a dozen MBA staff and multiple national and international projects, including the Believers in Business Conference as advisor. Additionally, he has served as campus staff for nine years at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. Formerly, he was an Associate Dean at North Park Theological Seminary. He is ordained in The Evangelical Covenant Church. At North Park, Mark earned a special dual degree: MA in Theological Studies and MBA.

Prior to graduate studies, Mark was a counselor to severely emotionally disturbed teenage gang boys. During graduate school, he founded a microenterprise organization in Gary, IN, before he knew that the term “microenterprise” existed. He enjoys travel, cultures, ping pong, and board games (and doesn’t mind losing Settlers of Catan to his children). Mark is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics and Vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR

 Links:

• EverSource

CEO | EverSource

Bio:

As CEO of EverSource Wealth Advisors and CEO of BMSS Wesson Wealth Solutions, Mark envisioned and spearheaded the launch of these new initiatives in 2016. He leads enterprising teams in fulfilling the multi-faceted vision of both ventures.

Mark’s career of 28+ years has been dedicated to consulting with wealthy individuals, families, and owners of privately-held businesses on a variety of business, financial, values-based, gifting, and investment topics. Most recently, he created the Wealth Services Division of Cadence Bank as EVP Wealth Services with full responsibility for the private banking, trust, brokerage, and RIA lines of business with $6.2B in loans, deposits, and assets under management. Prior to this, he held the titles of SVP and regional managing director of Private Banking at Wells Fargo Bank, SVP and regional managing director of Wealth Management for Wachovia Bank, and director of Wealth Management for SouthTrust Bank. As VP of Institutional Accounts at Highland Capital, Mark advised over two hundred wealth advisors and over forty wealth management teams in fourteen states.

Mark has traveled extensively, consulting with and personally investing in business-as-missions companies globally.  He and his wife, Missi, are parents of four children and have recently celebrated the arrival of their first grandchild. When he’s not establishing new businesses, following investment trends, or analyzing spreadsheets, you are likely to find Mark fishing at his family lake house, welcoming local international students to Birmingham, or cheering for the Crimson Tide.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR

Links: 

• A Quest to Eliminate Bible Poverty

• illumiNations

• The 5 Conditions of Collective Success

Ministry Investment Officer | Hobby Lobby

Mart Green began his retail career as a youth in the home of his parents. With a $600 loan his family started Hobby Lobby, now a chain of more than 900 arts and crafts stores across the U.S. As the Ministry Investment Officer for the Green family businesses, Mart also serves as Hobby Lobby’s Board Chair.

In 1981, Mart founded Mardel Christian and Educational Supply, a chain of Christian education stores.

He also served as the producer for the film End of the Spear and the companion documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor.

In 2010, Mart began a journey to “Eradicate Bible Poverty”.  An alliance of ministry and resource partners called illumiNations was birthed. Their goal is that by 2033, all 6000 plus vital languages will have Scripture in their heart language. It is Mart’s belief that by 2033, 95% of the world will have a complete Bible, 99.96% of the world will have a New Testament, and 100% will have at least 25 chapters.

A native Oklahoman, Mart and his wife, Diana, have four married children and eleven grandchildren. 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR

 Links:

• LinkedIn

Investor and Strategic Advisor | Realm Resources

Bio:

Kurt is an innovative business leader and “impact investor” passionate about his calling to help equip and encourage entrepreneurs to make a positive difference in the world.

Kurt is the former CEO of Research Now.  During his twelve years there, Kurt helped start-up and scale the world’s leading digital data-collection company serving the market research industry. Today, the company executes over 75,000 projects a year and generates over half-a-billion dollars of annual revenue. 

Early in his career Kurt spent a decade as a management consultant working for Booz Allen Hamilton and Accenture specializing in business strategy and improvement for Fortune 500 clients. 

Kurt earned his MBA from Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck Graduate School of Business and was an Honors Program graduate at Baylor University where he holds a BBA in Management.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR

Links: 

• LinkedIn

• truemoringa.com

• MoringaConnect on Forbes

Co-founder & CEO at MoringaConnect

Kwami Williams received a degree in Aerospace Engineering and a concentration in Global Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2012. He is passionate about designing technologies with people in the developing world that will equip them to tackle the challenges they face daily and improve the quality of their lives. Kwami is from Ghana, enjoys eating, playing sports, singing when no one can hear, dancing, spending quality with people, and enjoys hearing people’s perspectives on God, faith, and life.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FAITH DRIVEN INVESTOR