PRAXIS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Founder of Mission Squared
Amy Black is the founder of Mission Squared, which supports mission-driven organizations to overcome the strategic, cultural, financial, and scaling challenges teams face in times of change or growth. Prior to launching Mission Squared in 2018, Amy led the growth strategy of the Teach For All network as it expanded from two to 45 countries. Her previous experiences includes serving as the executive director of Teach For America in Washington, DC, and a Teach For America corps member in Baltimore City. Amy also worked as a Presidential Management Fellow at the US State Department on the team that launched the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Amy is passionate about supporting social entrepreneurs to strengthen and scale their work to be able to serve more people.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Theology & Culture
As Partner for Theology & Culture, Andy Crouch serves as a teacher, mentor, and framework builder for our team, fellows, and community. He is the author of The Life We're Looking For (2022), The Tech-Wise Family (2017), Strong and Weak (2016), Playing God (2013), and Culture Making (2008). Andy was executive editor of Christianity Today from 2012 to 2016. His work and writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Time-and, most importantly, he received a shout-out in Lecrae's 2014 single "Non-Fiction." Andy studied classics at Cornell University and received an MDiv from Boston University School of Theology. He lives in Swarthmore, PA.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- CEO of Generous Giving
April Chapman is the CEO of Generous Giving, which is growing a movement of believers who demonstrate God's love through extravagant generosity. She previously worked in the tech industry for 20 years, including a tenure at Microsoft, where she built consumer websites and managed key partnerships. April invests in Christian-led organizations locally, nationally, and internationally to maximize their economic, social, and spiritual impact. She serves on the Praxis and NCF Northwest boards, as well as several other boards, and was Co-Chair of the World Vision Innovation Fund. April holds an Oxford Diploma in Strategy and Innovation and a BS in computer science from University of California, Irvine.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Venture Programs
Ariel Eide knew she loved the startup world but found her passion in the space when it collided with social impact and infused her faith in action. She is a process and systems thinker with experience in project management and client engagement. Prior to joining Praxis, she worked for a software company and helped them with process optimization, as well as with Samaritan's Purse in partner relations and event execution. Ariel obtained an MBA in global, social, and sustainable enterprise from Colorado State University, and her BS in business from Colorado Christian University, where she met her husband. In her free time, you can find her doing some outdoor activity with him.
Bart is a technology, product, and hospitality leader with a passion for building Kingdom-reflecting experiences. He has co-founded numerous redemptive ventures including mobile wellness platform, Fig.com, Christian prayer app Abide, and social impact cruise line, Fathom. His current venture, KingdomHaus, is a global network of hospitality properties, for leaders and guests to immerse in God-led culture and community. Bart is a founding member of rēp, a non-profit organization transforming developing societies through Kingdom business, including South Africa, Israel, and India. He holds an MBA from Stanford, a Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering degree from Princeton, and is a graduate of Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry. Bart is a native Texan, currently residing in San Jose, CA with wife Jess, 2 sons Wils & Quin, and 2 daughters Ziva & Aren. Bart joined the Praxis community as a Fellow in class #1, and is excited to advise and support however God leads.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Business Portfolio
Ben Bohannon loves building ventures. He has worked with hardware and software startups, built mobile communication apps, and most recently, led Sseko Designs. Sseko is a pioneering fashion brand that connects consumers to producers and creates opportunity by providing college scholarships and living wage jobs, while pursuing sustainable production practices. Ben cares deeply about the founder's journey and is passionate about building community for leaders. He lives in an intentional community in Portland, OR, where he seeks to live a life rooted in proximity and express the love of Jesus to his neighbors. Ben is married to Liz (co-founder of Sseko) and father to Theo, Will, and Jack.
Brittany Merrill Underwood has made an extraordinary impact through her dedication over the past 14 years to transform the lives of impoverished women and families through Akola, a nonprofitsocial business designed to empower women in disadvantaged communities through training, employment and holistic care. Currently, Akola provides work opportunities to over 500 women in Uganda and Dallas so they can transform the lives of over 4,000 children in their communities. The non-profit has developed holistic programs in 12 development categories, drilled 23 clean water wells, and has built three training centers throughout Uganda. In 2017, Brittany was named among the World's Top 10 CEOs in Inc Magazine and listed as one of Town and Country Magazine's 50 Modern Swans. She was named the ‘Best Person in the World" by Yahoo in 2014 and was honored by clothing manufacturer Levi as one of 50 women around the globe who have changed the political, cultural, and spiritual shape of the future. She was awarded the Emerging Leader Award from SMU in 2013, the Young Leader Award from the Dallas Women's Foundation in 2014, and was awarded a silver medal from the Business & Interfaith Peace Award given by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation in Rio. Brittany has been featured on the likes of the Katie Couric Show, CNN's Young People who Rock, Fox Business and Modern Luxury. In 2014, she joined the mentoring class for the Laura Bush Women's Initiative and began teaching a course on Social Innovation at Southern Methodist University as an adjunct professor. Brittany continues to devote her life to creating a brand that empowers women both economically and holistically as Founder and Chairman of the Akola Project.
Pinkston is a Washington, D.C.-based integrated marketing and communications firm serving business, nonprofit, and government clients. Brooke Hempell oversees all research and analytics functions, including strategy and planning for campaigns. Brooke previously led research for Barna Group, helping churches, ministries, and nonprofits understand and navigate trends in culture and faith. Before that, she was a research and marketing strategy consultant for Fortune 100 companies for nearly 15 years. Brooke lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children, and she is involved in racial reconciliation and justice ministries, church planting, education, and life transformation work.
Job Titles:
- Global Operations Executive
- Partner, Operations
Carlos Arnero is a global operations executive with expertise building and leading international, multi-site, cross-functional teams that drive growth and profitability through operational excellence. Prior to joining Pangea, Arnero served in multiple CEO/COO roles in which he drove global operations in the design and delivery of technology solutions in support of a $500M IDIQ contract with the US DOD; founded and led a systems integration company responsible for providing over $20M in tactical surveillance platforms to the US Army, and spearheaded new product designs for next-gen communications platforms that resulted in a $53M contract for federal law enforcement. His specific business area expertise includes driving startup operations, scalable operational process design, cost containment, strategic planning, and the execution of core business strategies.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Founder and CEO of Every Mother 's Advocate
Charlee Tchividjian is the Founder and CEO of Every Mother's Advocate (ĒMA), a nonprofit she started at 20-years-old out of her college dorm room. With a rich background spanning over a decade in nonprofit leadership and family preservation, her leadership has been instrumental in spearheading initiatives that have empowered over 5,000 mothers and children facing crisis situations. Charlee is deeply convicted by the generational effects of the foster care crisis and is committed to seeing the preventable causes of family separation eradicated in her lifetime. Next to being a wife and mother, she considers it her greatest honor to lead the efforts of Every Mother's Advocate.
Dan Reed is animated by the power of generous, risk-forward capital to transform culture. At Praxis, he helps cultivate a community of funders committed to activating capital toward redemptive purposes. Previously, Dan served in leadership roles at National Right Work Committee, Denver Public Schools Foundation, and Morris Animal Foundation. In 2015, he founded Seed, a training and coaching company designed to help social entrepreneurs fundraise for scale. He loves the work of building new things and people that put their hands to the task. Dan lives in Beaver, PA, with his wife, Melissa, two kids, and dog, Norma the Newfie.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Cofounder and CEO of Cloverleaf
Darrin Murriner is the Cofounder and CEO of Cloverleaf.me-a technology platform that is bringing automated team coaching to the entire enterprise through real-time, customized coaching in the tools employees use everyday (calendar, email & Slack/Teams). The result is better collaboration, improved employee relationships, and a more engaged workforce. Prior to starting Cloverleaf, Darrin had a 15 year corporate career that spanned Munich Re, Arthur Andersen and Fifth Third Bank. Darrin is also the author of Corporate Bravery, a book focused on helping leaders avoid fear-based decision making.
Dave Blanchard is the Co-Founder & CEO of Praxis, a venture-building ecosystem advancing redemptive entrepreneurship. Praxis has supported over 200 global ventures through their Business and Nonprofit Accelerators, while also organizing a broader community of founders, funders, and innovators working on the major issues of our time. Previously, Dave was a Principal Designer at IDEO and founded two companies in music and technology. He is a co-author of _From Concept to Scale_ and a contributor to Praxis's various publications. He has a BA from Babson College, in Massachusetts, and an MBA and MEM from Northwestern University, in Illinois, and he lives in New York City, where Praxis is headquartered.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, Life Design Lab / Venture Partner / Stanford
Dave Evans joined the Stanford Design Program in 2007, where he co-founded the Stanford Life Design Lab, which teaches the popular Designing Your Life courses. His passion is helping people apply design thinking to the wicked problem of designing their lives. Dave is actively pursuing that mission on three fronts: higher education, the marketplace, and the Church. He holds a BS and an MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in Northern California and a diploma in contemplative spirituality from San Francisco Theological Seminary. His _New York Times_ number one bestseller, Designing Your Life, was released in fall 2016. Dave has been a Mentor with Praxis since 2014.
Debra McCoy collaborates with leaders of investment firms, privately held companies, and public corporations to advance strategic decisions. Her roles in asset management (public markets), asset allocation (private markets), banking, academia, and strategy brought her around the world-from Delhi and Dubai to Johannesburg, New York, Washington, DC, and Houston. Debra graduated from Howard University (BA) and Harvard (MBA). She also served as a nonpartisan, presidentially appointed White House Fellow at the US Department of State.
Emily Heger is currently serving as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and AT&T's Equal Justice Works Fellow at Human Rights Initiative. Her project combats violence against women and girls worldwide " both by representing those seeking asylum in the United States and also by broadening U.S. asylum law for survivors of gender-based persecution. Prior, she served as the Chief Operating Office of Akola Project. Heger holds a J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Emily Oberlin is motivated by the relational and memorable experiences generated through personalized service and excellent hospitality. Before Praxis, she worked in private city club management in New York City where she developed skills in concierge services, vendor relations, event and facilities management, and executing capital projects. Her professional and personal cross-cultural experiences have influenced her desire to shift from the lifestyle and leisure industry to a missional organization with lasting impact. Emily lives in New Haven, CT.
Eric Stumberg, an entrepreneur versed in services and wireless tech, focuses on empowering saints for Kingdom work in the marketplace. Founder of TengoInternet in 2002, offering WiFi services to outdoor lodging, he previously worked at Dell Corporation and H.B. Zachry Company. Eric, a devoted husband and father, serves at Christ Church Austin, sits on the board of the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture, and manages a ranch in Kerrville. Currently pursuing a Certificate of Diaconal Studies, he holds an MBA and BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
Haleigh Ly cares deeply about fostering meaningful relationships and intentional community. In her previous position in refugee resettlement, she pursued her passion of empowering the vulnerable among us. Haleigh earned a degree in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Messiah University. She first connected with Praxis as a participant of Praxis Academy while developing her own social enterprise, a handcrafted coffee mug company that supported a cooperative of self-employed women artisans in Acámbaro, Mexico. In her free time, Haleigh loves grabbing coffee with friends, trying fun restaurants with her husband, and training with the Central Park Running Club.
Job Titles:
- Founder of FiveStone
- Partner, VP of Strategy
Jason Locy is the Founder of FiveStone, a design agency he started in 2001. FiveStone partners with global nonprofits and social enterprises to deliver strategy, branding, and awareness campaigns. Jason is the author of two spiritual living books published by HarperCollins, as well as his latest book, Culture Bending Narratives: Moving Beyond Story to Create Meaningful Brands.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Principal
- Four Corners Exploration
- Venture Partner With
Jeff Dykstra is a Venture Partner with Praxis and Co-Founder & Principal of Four Corners Exploration, an initiative that guides leaders into beautiful, wild places to pause, reflect, and focus on what truly matters. For 16 years, Jeff served as Co-Founder & CEO of Partners in Food Solutions, where he led collaborations among international food companies, emerging food enterprises in Africa, the US government, private donors, NGOs, and impact investors. Together, they worked to enhance food security, nutrition, and economic development across Africa. Jeff is passionate about taking meaningful risks to advance the greater good.
Jena spent 7 years as Partner for the Nonprofit Portfolio at Praxis, and served as a primary coach for 100+ Fellows from 6 cohorts. As a co-author of the Redemptive Nonprofit Playbook, Jena is a passionate advocate for a redemptive rethinking in the nonprofit sector. At the start of her career, Jena served as co-founder and Executive Director of Blood:Water, which she founded alongside the band, Jars of Clay. She cares deeply for vulnerable populations around the globe and for the organizations dedicated to serving them. Over the years, Jena has led from multiple seats of the nonprofit and philanthropic tables and finds synergy at the intersection of both. She and her husband, James, have two children and live in Boston. In August, they will be relocating for 2 years to Accra, Ghana to be closer to James' team at Last Mile Health. Jena is currently freelance consulting, managing an international move, and staying open and curious as she discerns her next vocational steps.
Jo co-founded London-based non-profit Resurgo in 2003 and stepped down as CEO at the end of 2023. Jo authored and delivered the Spear Programme at Resurgo, a coaching programme for unemployed young people facing multiple barriers to employment, now considered the most effective employability programme in the UK serving 1000+ young people each year. She also built Resurgo's consulting arm which supports organisations (churches and businesses) to build strong organisational culture and meaningful social impact programmes. The Sunday Times recently listed Resurgo amongst its ‘Best Places to Work'. Jo is currently consulting for a number of organisations across sectors, supporting CEOs seeking to define and embed both their mission and culture with greater focus. She is an International Coaching Federation accredited executive coach and also serves as a Non-Exec Director for London based asset management firm, Findlay Park and Trustee for IJM UK.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Ecosystems & Partnerships
Jon loves seeing transformation unfold in the deepest parts of our beings and organizations. At Praxis, where he has served for over a decade, he creates experiences and builds partnerships to advance redemptive entrepreneurship. His background includes helping launch a new brand at a Fortune 100 company, designing and teaching a college-level entrepreneurship class, serving as a founding advisor at QuarterZero, and executive producing a feature film. Jon is a founding board member of 100cameras, a nonprofit that empowers youth through photography. His most cherished roles are son, husband, and dad.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Praxis Capital
Jono Eshleman is a relationally-motivated problem solver who optimizes processes to build community. As a Senior Associate, Jono project manages Praxis Capital programs, communication, and content. After graduating from Taylor University, in Indiana, with a BA in film and media production, Jono gained professional experience in the film, nonprofit, and hospitality industries. He was introduced to the Praxis community as a host team member in 2022 and has been eager to advance redemptive entrepreneurship ever since.
Jordan Terranova loves working with community-building innovators and the upcoming generation of entrepreneurs. She gets excited by deep conversations, new ideas, and crafting strategy. Jordan holds a BS in Business Administration, Management, from Biola University and a Master's Degree in Social Entrepreneurship from USC's Marshall School of Business. Previously, she served as the Director of the Office of Innovation at Biola University, building entrepreneurship programs for undergraduate and graduate students. She lives in LA with her husband.
Job Titles:
- Engineer
- Department of Engineering / Harvey Mudd College
Josh Brake is an engineer, educator, and writer. His background is in electrical engineering, with specific expertise in developing optical tools for microscopy and biomedical applications. He completed a B.S. and M.S. in engineering with an electrical concentration from LeTourneau University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Josh is now an assistant professor at Harvey Mudd College, where he cultivates undergraduate students through teaching and research. In addition to his academic work, he writes a weekly Substack newsletter on technology, education, and human flourishing where he seeks to outline and pursue redemptive quests.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Cofounder
Kirsten is the cofounder of Cloverleaf.me-a B2B SaaS platform that provides Automated Coaching™ to over 20,000 teams in the biggest brands across the globe-where she oversees all things Product and Brand. She often speaks on the power of diversity of thought and psychologically safe cultures, including her TEDx talk; a podcast called "People are Complicated"; LinkedIn Live events with talent, learning, and Development Leaders; and her upcoming book, _Thrive: A Manifesto for a New Era of Collaboration_. While building Cloverleaf, Kirsten has also been building her young family in Cincinnati, OH, where she lives with her husband and two young kids.
Job Titles:
- General Partner
- General Partner at Elementum Ventures
Kurt Keilhacker, a General Partner at Elementum Ventures in Menlo Park, CA, has been a Co-Founder & CEO of several Silicon Valley companies. Before co-founding Elementum, he invested in over 50 US and European startups with TechFund Capital and TechFund Europe. Alongside his corporate board commitments, Kurt serves as the Board Chair at Praxis, a Trustee at Wheaton College in Illinois, and a member of the Dean's Council at Harvard Divinity School. He also teaches graduate courses in strategy, analytics, and entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco. A Wheaton College graduate, Kurt earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MLA from Stanford, and an MTS from Harvard.
Job Titles:
- CEO / Sprout
- Founder of CloudFactory
As the Founder of CloudFactory, Mark Sears scaled the company into a leader in AI data labeling with a global team of 7,000. After 15 years at the helm, he recently transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman and is now channeling his expertise into a new endeavor: a redemptive AI venture studio. The studio is looking to co-build with other redemptive entrepreneurs to leverage AI to address the major issues of our times. Residing in Durham, NC, this proud Canadian continues his aim to inspire and lead in the ever-evolving world of technology and AI.
Job Titles:
- Partner, Global Community
Job Titles:
- Associate, Venture Programs
Job Titles:
- Director, Summit and Community
Job Titles:
- Principal, Praxis Capital
Job Titles:
- Associate, Community Programs
Job Titles:
- Partner, Nonprofit Portfolio
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Finance & Operations