SunRiver

Confirmed Speakers

• Michelle Orton
  Michelle first and foremost is a loving mother of 4 and is happily married for 22 years to her husband. This is the arena in which she has learned the most in life as the challenges have been many, including her oldest daughter having autism, her only son having to fight life-threatening cancer twice, her oldest adopted daughter having Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), and her youngest adopted daughter having incredibly curly hair. Because of her personal experience with adoption she became the chairman of the Heart Gallery in Southern Utah. This is an organization that finds loving families for permanent placement of children in foster care. She headed that organization for 3 years in an effort to “give back” for the blessings of receiving her own adopted children. Michelle has also served on the board of the Wade Family Foundation that serves and helps the local community where she lives. Michelle’s focus was working with the homeless and the women’s battered shelter center (DOVE CENTER). She has a very personal connection to those that have suffered and are currently suffering from abuse. Michelle was abused as a child from the age of 3 to 18 and later in her life was viciously attacked and raped. These experiences were challenging to say the least but she does not feel like she just “survived” them. “Victim to Victorious” is her mantra and with that attitude she uses those experiences to reach out to others in a very personal way. Michelle currently serves as the Chief Motivational Officer for the School of Life Foundation. She trains, motivates, and inspires teens and adults to live to their fullest potential by teaching them how to school their toughest opponent. Through the foundation she has the opportunity to speak and teach a wide array of people from all walks of life. Michelle is also a passionate, personal motivational speaker. She loves using her personal experiences to move her audiences to believe in themselves and do something different to make a difference in their own lives. Her current focus is on Life Coaching and she has built a very successful business coaching, with a focus on relationships. She is currently working as the life coach at La Via Medical Spa where she loves to take on the many difficult challenges people are facing on a daily basis. In 2011, Michelle was named "Woman Entrepreneur of the Year" in the Women of Achievement Category by the Utah Business Women’s Association. Michelle is the sum of her real life experiences. She enjoys using those experiences to change people’s lives for the better.
• Jack Rolfe
  Mr. Rolfe is the founder and President of the School of Life Foundation. This 501(c)3 nonprofit organization has a mission to teach, train, motivate and inspire youth to “Achieve Straight A’s in the School of Life.” The foundation is impacting thousands of youth across the world while teaming up with hundreds of schools and other youth organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The character building curriculum taught by the School of Life Foundation is contained in Mr. Rolfe’s book Learn to “School” Your Toughest Opponent. Mr. Rolfe is also the co-facilitator and co-founder of GO-Mentor which is a National Initiative to assist youth aging out of foster care. This entity’s collaborating partners are the School of Life Foundation, the National Crime Prevention Council, the Youth Mentor Project, the Create A Miracle Project, the Michigan Education Trust, MENTOR and SkyWest Airlines. Mr. Rolfe serves on the nonprofit Board of Directors for Tees-4-Tots and the Stephen Wade Family Foundation. He is also on the Advisory Board for the Dixie Care & Share Homeless Shelter. He is in the process of completing his Masters Degree of Nonprofit Administration at the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Rolfe is a past President of the Nevada State Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association and also past President of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador group the Dixie Sunshiners. Mr. Rolfe is currently co-authoring two additional books titled NEXT! and Life Choices – It is Never Too Late! This past year Mr. Rolfe was invited to speak at the First Annual National Mentoring Summit held at the Library of Congress and speaks regularly at Colleges and Universities. Mr. Rolfe is a former high school girls basketball coach. He and his wife, Lexie, have five children and six grandchildren and currently reside in St. George, Utah.
• Aros A. Mackey
  After 10 years of chasing corporate dreams, Aros Mackey realized he is happiest when he is fixing things. He always had a natural mechanical ability, so decided to put personal ambitions aside to do what he is good at; being a mechanic. Aros became a self proclaimed mechanic by day and political superhero by night, working hard behind the scenes to help preserve the freedoms we hold dear. With ambition overflowing, Aros decided to put it to good use and began volunteering in his community, founding Adaptive Policy (specializing in Public Relation and Political Advocacy). He became a 2nd Lt. in the Civil Air Patrol US Air Force Auxiliary and is currently the Chairman of The Dixie Legacy Celebration, 2010 Chairman of The Celebration of Liberty, 2009-2010 Co-Chairman of the Idaho International Dance and Music Festival, Republican National Committee (RNC) Presidential Deployment Campaigner, Washington County UT Delegate. Known for his reliability, undeniable drive and passion for self-improvement, Aros is described by many as being internally driven by his passion for self improvement and service to his country. Chad Reiser, Founding member and Activist - Action First, and a former co-worker to Aros says this: "At the time I worked with Aros, I served as the Squadron Commander, Aros reported directly to me. Aros was a talented and knowledgeable officer. As the Finance Officer, Aros was responsible for managing the unit’s accounts including daily and emergency operations covering the entire Eastern Idaho area. As the Public Affairs Officer, Aros initiated a comprehensive public awareness program with local media outlets, community programs, and local governmental officials. This action solidified unit relations with various agencies and enhanced his assignment as the Recruiting and Retention Officer. Aros was responsible for the recruitment of both officers and cadets while supporting multiple community events. Aros is skilled at multitasking, initiating and completing projects, and is a skilled communicator. He is keen to the needs of others and has a visionary approach to everything he with which he is involved. He thinks outside the box. Aros repeatedly demonstrated a selfless service and commitment to others and the mission at hand. Aros holds a degree from BYUI focusing on Organizational Communications, Public Relations and Political Science. Through The Civil Air Patrol Aros holds FEMA Certificates in IS-100 Incident Command System, IS-200, IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS), IS-800.b ational Response Framework, IS-15.bSpecial Events Contingency Planning for Public Safety, IS-890.a Introduction to the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Being forced to start over in life after losing a family home while very young, due to a devastating fire; losing his father and step father and having careers crumble from underneath him, has not stopped Aros from reaching his true goals in life - serving God, being with his family and being a proper citizen. Aros never hesitates to share an important message for all of us. “The world is in bad shape and nobody knows if their job is next to go, but we are not alone, we are all in this together and should it happen to you, then start again, just do not quit.”
• Cheryl Arnold Moseley
  Cheryl Arnold Moseley’s adventures rival any blockbuster movie script. The 65-year-old Billings nurse and photographer served the sick and dying alongside Mother Teresa took Tibetan Buddhism classes from the Dalai Lama and met celebrities from around the world. Yet it was the ordinary people she photographed in remote areas of the globe that most touched her heart. Cheryl has had a passion for exploring exotic and diverse niches of the world that has inspired her to visit over 80 countries since the mid-1960's, including most notably Alaska, Mongolia, most of Asia and South America, and some places in Africa and much of Europe. After becoming an RN in 1969 she started traveling frequently and extensively, mostly to Asia at first, where she lived, at times, for up to 2 years before returning to her home in Venice, California, and later in Alaska. In addition to volunteering with nursing and health education in villages in Afghanistan and Himalayan mountain villages in Nepal and India, she also worked with Mother Teresa on several occasions beginning in 1973. The challenges were the greatest before she won the Nobel Peace Prize because she was virtually unknown to most of the world and therefore had very little assistance. Cheryl says working with the dying, destitute, and large number of lepers and orphaned children gave her a tremendous feeling of compassion and appreciation for every moment we have here on earth. In addition to nursing, Cheryl also took part in several high altitude mountain climbing expeditions in the Himalayas, up to 23,000 feet, and Alaska, as well as climbing the Matterhorn in the Alps and Aconcagua in the Andes, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere, with her husband, John. She has worked in various fields of nursing, including intensive care, air ambulance, obstetrics, holistic health, and mostly in the operating room where, in 1979, she met her husband, Dr. John Moseley, a neurosurgeon. They moved to Billings, Montana in 1993, where she worked exclusively with him as an RN Surgical Assistant, until recently. She is now writing her book of memoirs. Cheryl's extended interactions with people have allowed her to gain their trust and consequently, many photographs with connections of the heart and spirit. Her artistic vision began forming long before she ever thought of taking photos. Her father was blind from birth, and she became his eyes at an early age, relaying the beauty of the world she saw. “I wouldn’t just say to him, ‘I see a bird.’ I would describe the color the bird had on its wings, what its bill looked like, how it perched on a branch. All the details helped my dad picture the bird.” That same focus helped her see the world through photographic lenses. What started out as a yearning to capture the moment transformed into a desire to understand different perspectives. For Cheryl, photography became symbolic of the world she discovered as a traveler. The more places she visited, the more she understood that the world’s diverse cultures and religions provided different perspectives for the people she met. She has found that although countries around the world all have differences in beliefs, religion, and culture, when one individual connects with another with a smiling heart and no expressions of judgment, people of most cultures open their heart, arms, and homes. One village high in the Himalaya, near the southern mountainous border of Tibet, had never heard of the United States in 1972! Cheryl especially enjoys photos of people, nature, and sacred places in the world, some being mountains, temples, sculptures, and various natural or manmade forms where all people are searching for or praying to their Divine God.
• Paul Draper
  A great understanding of people combined with a rich performance background has led Paul Draper to a multi-faceted career as an anthropologist, mentalist, and organizational improvement expert. His warmth and interest in his audiences forms a strong component of his training seminars and shows. As a former faculty member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and lecturer at Westminster College and Weber State University, Paul has honed his research and training to improve business and organizational processes. He draws heavily on his Anthropology and Communication studies in his workshops to empower attendees to develop healthy communities. Paul Draper has appeared with David Copperfield, Lance Burton, and Teller as an expert on the History Channel. He has performed for HBO Comedy Fest at Caesar's Palace, on Criss Angel’s Mindfreak on A&E, and on documentaries accompanying Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist. In addition to his corporate shows and lectures, Paul Draper is frequently called upon as an expert in fields ranging from magical history to human consciousness.
• J. Robert Rhodes, MD., F.A.C.S.
  Dr. Rhodes attended medical school at the University of Utah, where he graduated with honors. He completed his internship in Salt Lake City, Utah. He then traveled to Tucson, Arizona, New Orleans, Louisiana, and finally Honolulu, Hawaii to complete a three-year residency in general surgery. He completed his Plastic Surgery Fellowship in Washington D.C. and earned the opportunity to serve as the Visiting Chief Resident at Massachusetts General Hospital through Harvard Plastic Surgery Service. He has had many teaching opportunities at various universities and has volunteered internationally in numerous countries, including: Honduras, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. He settled in St. George, Utah and established The Center for Advanced Plastic Surgery in 1985. In 2000, he added a satellite clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Rhodes finds pride in bringing excellent health care to St. George, Las Vegas, and surrounding areas. Dr. Rhodes also finds another great source of pride in his family, made up of a beautiful wife, eight wonderful daughters and their husbands, and 23 lively and entertaining grandchildren.
• Kelita Haverland
  Kelita opens a window to your soul. Her lyrics resonate with your hurts, empathize with your pain and offer a gentle, healing nudge back to embracing and loving life. Much of what Kelita writes and sings about is gleaned from her own life experience. From tragedy to triumph, the lessons are shared with a transparency and honesty that engages and inspires. Her ability to touch and penetrate the hearts of audiences is what drives her success, with a message that rings true in her own soul and pours out through the words with which she shares her innermost thoughts. Even in the world of celebrities, few people have enough recognition to be known by just one name, but a diminutive Canadian singer-songwriter known simply as Kelita is one of those people. It may be because her name is so unusual, or it may be related to the fact that she has been plying her trade from early childhood. From her imaginary stage in the hayloft of the big barn of her parent’s Claresholm, Alberta ranch where she began to sing at the age of four, to the yard light that was her first "spotlight”, her love of music and performing were Kelita’s escapes from significant traumatic experiences and abuse during her early childhood and teen years. In fact those escapes fine-tuned a dream that she would one day be a star – a reality that continues to expand after decades of performance. And performance is what attracts the following that Kelita has gathered. From comic sketches delivered by a host of unique characters, boot kicking country, to melodies that stir inner most emotions with lyrics that will swell tears, Kelita’s versatility and diversity allows her to captivate the hearts of her listeners and open their minds to messages with universal appeal. She has become a superstar with a mission. Some of Kelita’s past successes include: • Five Juno Award Nominations ( Canada’s equivalent of the Grammy) • CCMA’s Entertainer of the Year Nomination • CCMA’s Vista Rising Star of the Year Award • Leading Parts in "Godspell", performed at Toronto’s Bayview Playhouse and Bathurst Street Theatre and "Gypsy" at the Port Dover Lighthouse Festival • Appearances on Tommy Hunter Show, Nashville Now, CMT and Much Music • She has shared stages with such notables as k.d. Lang, Reba McEntire and Jim Carrey. • She gave a break to an aspiring 19-year-old from Timmins Ontario named Eileen Twain who sang back up on Kelita’s hit Song “Too Hot to Handle”. It was before the young lady renamed herself “Shania Twain” and went on to superstar status. After years of climbing to the top of her field, a near fatal automobile accident saw Kelita’s personal life and music career take a dramatic turn. Combine a pending recording contract with Capital Records, Nashville, lost as a result of Capital’s corporate restructuring; with dissolving a thirteen-year relationship with her husband/manager which you would think would be enough to crush anyone’s dreams. It was a time of great soul-searching for Kelita and out of the ashes, a stronger, more resilient and transparent singer-songwriter emerged. The songs she now wrote were honest, open-hearted and reflective. This new resonance with the heart attracted collaboration with recording artists Michael Burgess and Susan Aglukark. Kelita helped Susan write “Breaking Down” and “Kathy I” for her Triple Platinum Album “This Child." Dividing her time between writing, recording, doing concerts and speaking engagements, Kelita is also a wife and mother. She and her husband Gord make their home in Vancouver Canada and they have one son in university. Musically, their first project garnered them the hit country song “The Strong One”. Together they have created and produced all of Kelita’s award winning Inspirational music CDs including “Naked Soul”, for the 2000 Juno nomination for Gospel Album of the Year; “Because of Love”, winner of the 2003 CGMA’s. Inspirational Album of the Year, “Spirit & Truth’s” nominations for Inspirational Album and song of the year in 2004 and more recently in 2008 when Kelita was nominated for Female Vocalist and her Christmas CD “Heavenly Night”, nominated for two more CGMA awards. Kelita’s Inspirational music has taken her to many countries and allowed her to impact more people than she could ever have imagined. Continually being led and inspired by her faith, Kelita’s special musical advocacy project “Heavenly Night”,was a fundraising initiative which she founded and directed from 2006 until 2012.The sole purpose of "Heavenly Night" was to bring awareness and financial aid to young children in Cambodia who had been rescued from the sex trade. A Christmas CD and DVD were produced, by the same name, along with fundraising concerts and more than $250,000 was sent over to Cambodia to help restore exploited children. Visit www.ratanak.org for more information. Her newest music reflects a connection with emotional scars left in so many people today. It speaks to acknowledgement, empathy and the struggle of overcoming adversity. It has become commonplace for her audience to bestow virtues on Kelita for her music helping them through hardships, illness or seemingly insurmountable life challenges. As one of her fans proclaims; “Kelita’s music is good medicine.” Kelita sees her mission of healing as only beginning and released “Heart of a Woman” her album project that she describes as her “dream come true.” It promises to touch the soul, give hope and inspiration to the wounded and calm the fears and tears of audiences around the globe.
• Denise Lasswell Webster
  Denise Webster is a creative, empathetic, entrepreneur. Her heart’s dream is to help others see their true potential and create the life they were meant to have. Being the proud mother of 7, she is extremely busy with her family, as well as her businesses. She loves to create anything; from theme parties, to cooking, to scrapbooking and crafts. Her drive to create has helped her author a family cookbook, start a successful salsa business, write a song that has sold well over 4,000 copies, and chair Grad Night at her kids’ high school. Besides always working on one or two home-based businesses, she also enjoys helping in her local community – by being on various PTA boards and serving on the local Swiss Days committee. Denise’s drive to have a successful life led her to learn about the principles of prosperity. She loves to teach classes on these principles (stickman), and has taught classes at community centers and to local businesses. Blogging and sharing her funny family stories, recipes, and principles of prosperity insights has brought her a great amount of joy, and helped her to better understand and live the principles. Denise feels that being a mom is the best and helping others rise to the greatness within them runs a close second. She loves her busy life – creating an income from home, helping her husband in his business, serving in her church, and watching her kids play ball or perform. She loves her life and desires to help others see the joy and beauty in becoming who they were meant to become-- to have joy in their journey.
• Jeff Sherman
  Excellence, the cure for rabid mediocrity, is attainable. Seek it. Find in others what they were born to do and help them seize it. The results are staggering. Jeff Sherman believes that empowerment and the freedom to rise above past mistakes guides individuals through discovery to the excellence within them. Often, that excellence is hidden even from themselves. Within each of us exists the drive to perform exceptionally. We call it passion. In the playground of life, excellence is what causes us to jump to our feet, wave our arms, and shout “Its my turn!” Jeff, a thoughtful husband and father, was born to teach and speak. Much of his career has centered in education. Believing that we live in an ever changing world full of opportunity, Jeff enjoys the growth that education fosters. “While it is true that problems exist,” he says, “it is also true that solutions appear and reappear so frequently that oft times we fail to recognize them.” Jeff suggests that a solution-centered outlook begins with the very words with which one chooses to communicate. Choose enlightening words. Give others the benefit of the doubt, and seek kindness. Indeed, reward kindness. Like all worthwhile endeavors, seeing the emergence of a great self concept is very satisfying. Nurture kindness. Serve others. Listen.
• Kent Barney
  Education, art, and leadership is where Kent Barney found his talents and passions. Kent has been able to experience cultures worldwide and continues to strive to do so. He loves to communicate through design and photography. He loves to inspire and lead people to make a difference. Kent began a business teaching English online as he continues his studies at Southern Utah University. He loves to laugh and enjoy the world, considering himself to be an "adventure seeker." Kent feels his greatest assets are his God and his wife, as both drives him to become better every day. Kent wants to share his experiences and lessons with the world. He is passionate about personal beliefs; believing people have the ability to change the course of their lives through decision making. He believes in art as a powerful form of communication. Kent's "idea worth spreading" involves 'Acceptance vs. Tolerance,' a favorite topic of his. Kent believes education should be tailored to specific needs and not out of textbooks only. He believes in a reformed academic goal. He believes language is a major key in uniting the world and breaking down false barriers. He believes in the power of humans to change their minds thus changing the course of their lives. Having been born in a small town, Kent feels as he learned from a very narrow perspective. Traveling, teaching, sharing, and learning changed his mind completely about the world. He began desiring to use his talents as a leader, artist, and speaker, to serve others and make a difference wherever possible. Kent developed a strong foundation in Christianity with background in very in-depth doctrinal study. He taught as an LDS missionary in Taiwan and has since been back for work purposes. Kent married his best friend, Nikki and has not been able to keep his feet in one place for too long. He studies art at Southern Utah University, loves to travel and share ideas. Kent's great hope is to make a difference in the education systems of China and Asia in general.
• Jinks Dabney
  Jinks Dabney has persuasive communication skills and the ability and desire to teach those skills to others. As a child and young adult, Jinks struggled socially due to a speech impediment - stuttering. He eventually overcame his speech defect and fear of public speaking and went on to build a career that would allow him to "fight for the little guy." He became a trial attorney, started a successful law practice and organized eight Toastmaster International Clubs while mentoring many attorneys and aspiring public speakers. Jinks received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Utah Law School. Jinks currently practices Workers Compensation and Social Security Disability Law. He has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years, and plans to continue practicing law "until it ceases to be fun". He is also a faithful Yankees fan and loves to "talk baseball". A large portion of Jinks' energy has always been focused on helping others develop communication skills and overcome their fear of public speaking. As a professional speaker, Jinks is a member of the National Speakers Association Las Vegas chapter, and has been a member of Toastmasters International for over 25 years. He is a Distinguished Toastmaster and has received the Presidential Citation from the President of Toastmasters International for his accomplishments in helping others in the public speaking arena. Jinks is actively involved in his community as a member of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce, the St. George Exchange Club, and NAACP Salt Lake Branch, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission's Utah Advisory Committee. He continually seeks for ways to contribute to and improve organizations throughout his community. Jinks has valuable insights and expertise as a negotiator, speaker, business owner, and father of four children - and he wants to share these insights. He loves people, and whether speaking to an individual or a large audience, he is determined to reach and inspire every one so they too can achieve their personal goals through powerful and effective communication.
• Austin Hodges
  Austin Hodges is an ambitious and courageous sixteen year-old. Austin has insomnia and enjoys every minute of it. He owns his own business, AC||Technologies, and works for many people around St. George fixing and tuning their computers. He attended a public school from kindergarten though 10th grade and has recently started homeschooling. He teaches himself through reading, (lots and lots of reading,) the Internet, experimenting, taking things apart and putting them back together, crashing things, breaking things, blowing things up, hacking, and for the most part, trial and error. He’s written three books, including Andy Cope and the Keeper of Keys, and Santa Hibernates.? He’s a poet using the pen name of Andy Cope and enjoys constructing free write and free verse poetry. Austin loves music, it’s his passion. He plays he piano and has been for seven years. He took lessons from his grandmother and Jamie Stucki, until about six months ago, when he chose to venture on his own. He now writes, composes, and arranges his own original music for the piano and the voice. Because of his passion for singing, he became part of the Dixie High Madrigals (a hard choir to get into,) and loves traveling and singing with them. Austin loves acting. He has participated in more than his share of plays at Dixie High School, including Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Les Miserables, and his most recent and famous one, playing the role of the Gangster in ' The Drowsy Chaperone.' He thought he should say that despite his musical and acting talents, he can NOT dance to save his life. Contradicting Austin’s artistic and creative side, he’s a ‘techy’. His technological side gets the better of him. He spends more time running his computer business than anything else in his life. He programs, designs and creates websites and logos, is (legally) skilled in the art, (yes art,) of hacking, creates professional looking presentations, documents, and templates. He’s a photo and movie editor, being a pro at Photo Shop. He runs light, video, and sound boards, works with mics and speakers, and lights, enhances audio, runs visual effects, and does pretty much any aspect of behind the scenes in any studio or production. Austin cooks and displays food--he loves to eat it too. He’s a proud Latter-Day Saint (a Mormon) and is strong in his faith and religion. Without God, he feels as he would be nowhere in life. He loves the temple and is going there someday. He plans to be married there to a beautiful blond girl (no one in particular, and he has no plans with anyone yet) and to have three kids. (Looking towards the future never hurt anybody.) Austin also suffers from a chronic illness called day-dreaming. (Nothing serious, unless you call imagining yourself as a super-hero, or a secret FBI agent serious.) He’s a YFF Fanatic; he loves his freedom and the constitution. Recently he started to pick up motivational speaking, (this interest arose from a day-dream he had about motivating a group of people to stand up for the constitution.) Austin has spoken at St. George elementary schools and in scouting activities. He loves making people smile and laugh, and loves motivating and inspiring people to be and do their very best. Above all, he loves his family. His mom and dad push him and raise him up to be his very best, and help him reach his dreams and more. His mother is above all, the best. What she does is next to impossible and beyond amazing. Her inspiration and encouragements are everything Austin could ever ask for. His father is his biggest hero and example; a hard-working man, providing for his family and helping to make his son’s dreams a reality.
• Rob DuBois
  Go on a journey, through a Navy SEAL’s eyes, as he embraces the greatest distinctions between necessary evils, truths, peace, and the power of human nature. Rob Dubois believes, it is in our decisions that destiny is shaped. Nowhere is the cost of failure higher than in the life-and-death struggle of armed conflict. In Powerful Peace; A Navy SEAL’s Lessons on Peace from a Lifetime at War, author J. Robert DuBois harnesses that real world sense of wartime urgency to guide our search for solutions to the most challenging problems. He takes on a crucial and unprecedented mission for a retired Navy SEAL: the relentless pursuit of interpersonal and international peacemaking as an imperative for global security. A treatise for policy makers and warriors, mediators and educators, Powerful Peace is also a compelling and practical guide to problem solving for every engaged citizen. This game-changing message is equally relevant in the boardroom, the bedroom, and the battlefield.
• Corinne Van Meter
  Your power of choice can open the door to all possibility. This is one mother's amazing life journey with her daughter into expanded awareness.
• Catherine Darnell
  Catherine Darnell is a powerful advocate for sexual abuse victims. In her early childhood, she experienced the trauma of abuse within a faith community that was supposed to be safe. After decades of living with ambiguity in her life and faith, Catherine sought answers for the meaning of her life. Through renewed faith she discovered the pain of her abuse could bring unexpected purpose to her life. Catherine has found her voice and has become a powerful advocate for those who have not yet found their own. She receives referrals from pastors, counselors and healthcare professionals to provide support to individuals deeply wounded by severe abuse. One on one mentoring is her hearts passion, as she has witnessed women who have lost all hope, find the courage to walk with her on their personal healing journey. Her soft-spoken demeanor belies her passionate strength and tenacity to see that every voice is heard. Catherine is most at home in front of her computer where she utilizes her vast skills at networking to establish relationships with amazing results. Catherine has been able to tap into the marvel of social networking to align advocates and survivors together for projects that are having a global impact. Whether it is providing individual support in private groups, garnering support for children trafficked into the sex trade, or finding venues for authors, musicians or speakers, Catherine is the woman to make it happen. Catherine is much sought after by ministries and organizations that see she is passionately aware of the needs of abuse survivors in faith-based environments and gifted at drawing out the talents and skills of others. She has a passion to see faith communities rise to their God-given responsibility to acknowledge and care for the needs of those wounded. Catherine has had a profound influence on pastors who want to help the abused but have no idea where to start. Catherine is a ministry partner with her friend, musician and survior, Kelita, on the Releasing The Deep Dark Secret project. It is their desire to see the healing music of ‘Heart of a Woman’ reach those who need its message of hope. Catherine is also a board member for Speaking Truth in Love Ministries, which provides guidance to churches and colleges on the issue of abuse and domestic violance in the church. Recently Catherine was honored to have been selected by Michael Hyatt to join the pre-launch team for his new book “Platform.” Michael is the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishing, and focuses his attention on teaching others to live and lead purposefully. Through Michael’s guidance and inspiration, Catherine is about to launch her new platform, ‘Hope’s Tapestry.’ It is her desire to inspire others to be part of the change, by sharing amazing stories of courage and hope from around the globe. She is seeing individual life threads being woven into a beautiful tapestry of strength, courage and hope. Catherine lives in Canada with her husband, and best friend of 34 years. They are the proud parents of three amazing young people, and have two adorable grandchildren. Catherine is also proud to be an adoptive mother figure, and sister to her growing global family of survivors.
• Bryan Hyde
  Bryan Hyde is a Salt Lake City native who has lived in Southern Utah for the past 16 years. He is a husband, father, disciple, teacher, and a fearless seeker of truth. He and his wife Becky are proud parents to 3 girls and 3 boys ranging in age from 18 down to 3 years old. Bryan is a veteran broadcaster with more than 27 years behind the microphone. His early aspirations to become the next Kasey Kasem took a detour when he temporarily filled in for a talk show host and found talk radio to his liking. 18 years later his Perspectives program continues to challenge, enlighten, and inform radio listeners throughout Southern Utah. He also does professional voice work nationwide. Bryan is a freelance writer, blogger and commentator. He has traveled throughout the U.S. as a professional speaker on leadership education and is currently a mentor and the director of online studies for Monticello College. Bryan is passionate about promoting the indispensable value of independent thought. He constantly challenges his listeners and his readers to step outside of the boundaries of conventional wisdom and to take ownership of their opinions. Bryan loves time spent outdoors with his family. He lives to camp, to fish, to cook with cast iron and to use his smoker. Laughter is his second language.