Dr. Pierre Cannings is the Dean of DTS-Houston and the Executive Assistant Pastor at Living Word Fellowship Church in Houston, Texas. Pierre has a BA in Communication from Austin College, a Master’s in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University. Pierre has been married to his high school sweetheart, Monica, since 2006. They have three children: Natalia, Pierre II, and Carter.

Dr. Harry Chapman is a founding member of Chapman Schewe Benefits Consulting, which merged with Higginbotham in 2013. He continues to steer the direction of the firm’s Houston practice. As a broker and consultant, his primary role is contract negotiation and due diligence analysis of potential and suitable vendors for customers. In addition, he works with all of the joint venture partnerships that represent the firm across the United States. He occasionally consults with provider organizations that deliver medical services, such as HMOs, insurance companies and PPOs, to assist them in developing and operating managed care strategies. He has also presented at entrepreneurial, managed care and employee benefit seminars.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Prior to opening Chapman Schewe in 1992, Dr. Chapman served as a corporate senior vice president and managed care officer for CIGNA’s South Central Region with responsibilities for HMO and PPO plans in several states. He also served as a senior vice president for EQUICOR, regional vice president for Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and regional manager for Lincoln National’s Employee Benefit Office in Houston. An entrepreneur, Dr. Chapman has started and sold many ventures that include mini-shopping centers, a grocery store chain, a pharmaceutical benefits management company, a third party administrator and an internet wellness company.

AFFILIATIONS Dr. Chapman serves or has served on several non‐profit boards, including Desire Street Ministries, Wind River Ministries, YMCA, Arc of Katy, Bear Creek United Methodist Church and St. Peter’s United Methodist Church. His public and private board participation includes two Fortune 500 medical management companies and a New York Stock Exchange company. He was elected as City Councilor, School Committee Board Chairman and Mayor of Northampton, MA.

EDUCATION Dr. Chapman received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts at Amherst College. He earned a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) and a Doctorate in Business Management (Ph.D.) from the University of Massachusetts.

Deborah became a solo practitioner in 2020 after serving corporate clients for over a decade as in-house counsel.

Deborah’s practice now focuses on helping nonprofits and small businesses with their corporate and transactional needs, using her business acumen she developed helping successful entrepreneurs with their multiple and varied businesses.

Prior to 2020, Deborah served as a general counsel for both publicly traded and private energy companies where she completed numerous business transactions including the sale of $6B shale subsidiary.

After realizing the lack of legal services for the working poor, Deborah founded Community Christian Legal Aid in 2018, a legal nonprofit focusing on legal justice for less advantaged neighbors. Deborah currently serves as President and Director of CCLA. She also serves on the administrative board of The Woodlands Methodist Church

Deborah is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and is admitted to practice in the State of Texas and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Elizabeth Killinger brings nearly 30 years of domestic and international experience in the energy and services industries. She currently works as a Section 16 Officer and Executive Vice President of NRG, which includes serving as President of NRG Retail and Reliant. In her role, Elizabeth is responsible for directing all aspects of the retail division, a $6 billion competitive energy company which includes the largest national competitive electricity business in the country and in Texas as well as the leading portable solar and power business in the U.S. 

Elizabeth’s other community service highlights include serving the University of Houston on the Energy Advisory Board and Bauer College of Business Board of Directors, serving the Greater Houston Partnership on the Executive Committee, serving the Lutheran Education Association of Houston as Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of Directors, serving on the Advisory Board of the credit union, TDECU.  And, in 2017, she was honored to serve the Super Bowl LI Houston Host Committee as Volunteer Chair.

Elizabeth attended Houston Baptist University and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. She is also a homemaker, passionate about her role as wife and mother and enjoys spending time with her husband of nearly 25 years and three children who attend Rice University, Lutheran High North and Epiphany Lutheran School.

Mark H. Maxwell is an entertainment lawyer and music business veteran with over three decades of experience. Throughout his career, he has been committed to counseling and connecting creatives who shape culture. Mark is unique in the entertainment law world. He is a passionate advocate and lover of the arts, music and film. He is dependable and easy to trust. As a former record label executive, his approach to legal counsel and deal-making is informed by his eleven years serving recording artists as an avant-garde A&R director and marketing innovator. As a solo law practitioner, he is able to selectively curate clients; offer flexible and generous pricing; and provide clients with individualized care, focused attention and efficient results. As a follower of Christ, Mark has a recognized history of integrity, excellence and professional service to the creative community that is marked by his personal humility and impeccable ethics.

Mark’s passion for music began as a high school student managing the “records and tapes” department of a national retailer and later performing as a free-form morning DJ personality at his college radio station. He entered the music industry as National Director of Radio Promotions for Word Records where he implemented the campaign for several gold and platinum-selling records including Amy Grant’s multi-platinum album, Unguarded – her first general market release with A&M Records. At age 25, Mark was promoted by Word to become the youngest “A&R” executive in his industry where he served as Executive Producer on numerous albums and videos of “Christian Music” legends while discovering, signing and creatively developing the record label’s debut hard rock, dance, punk, new wave, alternative and hip-hop bands – many of whom received Grammy, Billboard and Dove awards and nominations. He also solicited and acquired Word’s distribution and marketing agreement launching TobyMac’s Gotee Records and Johnny Cash’s recorded performance on a punk rock album.

As an entertainment attorney, Mark represents a diverse roster of celebrities, record labels, music publishers, artists, bands, worship leaders, entrepreneurs, authors, songwriters, artist managers, record producers, churches, technology companies and entertainment executives concerning their intellectual property, business affairs and creative assets. He discovered and solicited the debut recording agreement for multi-platinum artist, MercyMe and their award-winning, cross-over radio single, “I Can Only Imagine” – #5 on the pop radio charts and the first and only Christian single to sell platinum – and now at over 2 million digital downloads. He is an expert at solving complex and sophisticated legal and business issues relating to contracts, copyrights and trademarks. With his background in both the law and the music business, he brings a broad perspective to problem-solving and business plan strategies. He also has an extraordinary ability to speak to the hearts of creatives while helping them discover their voice and clarify their creative dreams and assignments.

As a professor, Mark recently began his tenth year teaching in Belmont University’s prestigious music business and songwriting program, the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. His role as a professor has been a natural extension of his core value to mentor the next generation of creatives and business professionals by instilling moral purpose, passionate creativity, independent thinking and risk-taking in and outside the classroom.

As an author, Mark recently completed his first book, Networking Kills: Success Through Serving.

Mark is family-oriented and committed to Christian community. He has been married to professional makeup artist and stylist, Carol Maxwell, for 34 years and they are the proud and dedicated parents of Sophia (25) and Harrison (22).

Joe Paulo has been President & Chief Executive Officer of Hope Media Group since 2018.  With an extensive background in media and leadership, he began at KSBJ as Vice-President of Operations in 2017 after serving at Educational Media Foundation (K-LOVE/Air1) as the Director of Donor Stewardship and Communications.  He led a division of Columbia International University as Director of Broadcasting until 2014, overseeing the growth of successful radio stations in Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC.  Joe has also provided volunteer leadership at the board of director level for other nonprofits such as Youth Commission International and Christian Music Broadcasters.  He earned a Master’s Degree in Business with honors from Liberty University in 2014.  In addition to speaking on leadership, fundraising and media, Joe and his wife, Kelly, have hosted or spoken at numerous marriage and parenting events to share their passion for marriage, parenting and adoption.  Joe and Kelly have been married for 30 years and have three daughters and two sons.

Heather Puca thrives on guiding an organization through the development of vision and crafting strategy to support that direction.  Her long career at JPMorgan Chase in corporate finance fueled that passion and provides a solid framework for her to challenge teams to stretch into uncharted territories while balancing financial implications.  A Baylor graduate, she and her husband love living life with their sixteen and eighteen year old sons.  Her husband’s career took them to The Netherlands where their family enjoyed living for a year and a half in a unique culture rich in heritage.  Seeking to serve her community, in addition to functioning as treasurer for KSBJ SETS, Heather also invests in home educating her boys, serving on the board of directors for a private education ministry and in her church through the youth and music outreaches. 

Brendan Wovchko is Chief Technology Officer at Ramsey Solutions. He brings 25 years of entrepreneurial experience to building digital products that empower people to change their lives. Brendan has played a pivotal role in redefining how Ramsey builds digital products and is a passionate advocate for better collaboration. He is also a member of the Ramsey operating board and oversees leadership development company-wide.