CONTRIBUTORS

Al Gordon leads SAINT, a fast-growing and thriving church on a mission to bring hope to the heart of East London. Al has a vision to build cathedrals of creativity across the globe through Renaissance, a new school of creativity. The creativity of Al’s ministry is both intriguing and inspiring to any entrepreneurial leader. Whether it involves hosting concerts in their church building, opening a brewery like monks of old, or keeping bees as a prophetic reminder of the crucial role the church is to play in the ecosystem of human interactions. He is married to Olivia, an architect, and they have three children. Al is a trustee of Alpha International.

Ale Siekmeier is a motivational speaker and life & relationship coach based in New York City. With a passion for the transformation and healing of the soul, Ale inspires audiences through her engaging presentations at podcasts, church events, and various courses throughout the year. Originally from Guatemala, she has spent the last 19 years dedicated to ministry, having mentored hundreds of women and men to encourage them to live whole and integrated lives. Ale has been happily married to her best friend, Ben, for 13 years (and counting!)

Tyler Staton is the Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife Kirsten, and their sons Hank, Simon, and Amos. He is passionate about living prayerfully and relationally. Tyler is the author of three books: The Familiar Stranger, Praying Like Monks, Living like Fools, and Searching for Enough.

Eniola Abioye is a creative voice who helps people experience the nearness of Jesus through story, song, and honest conversations. She creates spaces online and in person, where creatives can find home in God’s presence.

As worship leaders and songwriters, Joel & Elyssa are known for a worship expression that invites authentic encounter. Their ministry is a marked by poetic lyricism, prophetic insight, and a commitment to creating sacred spaces where hearts are tender before Jesus. Elyssa Figueroa is recognised for writing the song ‘Fight my Battles’. Born and raised in Borger, Texas, she moved to Dallas in 2010. Her debut solo album, Wearing a Blindfold and Running, explores themes of hope, faith and trust in God.

Joel Figueroa is a worship leader and songwriter, known for his ability to lead others into deeper intimacy with God. Joel & Elyssa have been serving in the prayer room at Upper Room for the past decade. Whether leading in intimate settings or before thousands, their heart remains the same - to honour Jesus and make room for His presence.

Amanda Jane Cooper is an artist on stage and screen who lives right here in New York. As an actor she is most known for playing Glinda in Wicked on Broadway for the show’s 15th Anniversary as one of the show’s longest running actors to play the role, and as the face of the Glinda in Wicked’s commercials in Times Square and beyond. Prior to her Broadway debut, she had the honor of playing Glinda on both the 1st and 2nd National Tours, bubbling up for millions of people across the country. On screen she’s played characters on Glee, Disney’s Jessie, ABC’s Selfie, Bones, CSI, SVU, HBO’s Hello Ladies and more, as well roles on Hallmark and Lifetime. Films include Sarah Jessica Parker’s Smart People, the tennis comedy First One In and more. This past summer Amanda was blessed to be part of the original cast of the Pre-Broadway world premiere of the new musical The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth, with music and lyrics by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. Her podcast A Time to Live explores the stories of creatives & exists to be a breath of fresh air for listeners across the globe. Jesus has rescued her from so much (she’ll tell ya more about that). He is good and she’s delighted to be at Renaissance NYC!

Ashley LaLonde is a professional actor, singer, and dancer based in New York City. She was recently seen in the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, where she covered all three Schuyler Sisters (Eliza, Angelica, and Peggy/Maria) on the national tour. In addition to Hamilton, Ashley’s performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the American Repertory Theatre. She recently debuted her hit solo concert to a sold-out audience in Times Square. She’s a two-time published playwright and is dramaturg and editor of the new musical, When We Get There. This year, Ashley’s making her TV debut in a highly-anticipated new Netflix series. She made history as the first ever Black woman to star in the Hasty Pudding Show at Harvard University, where she graduated early with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a minor in Theater, Dance, and Media, a certificate in Spanish, and an award for Artistic Excellence. In addition to her artistic career, Ashley is a researcher with the Barna Group and writes on the intersection of faith, spirituality, and culture. She’s worked in consulting, ministry, and the nonprofit sector. Ashley hosted the National Alpha Conference in 2021, has served as an Alpha Coach for New York churches, and has led several Alpha courses at Church of the City, her home church, over the last 5 years. As a Native New Yorker and long-time believer, Ashley is deeply passionate about evangelism, building bridges, and sharing the radical love of Christ with everyone around her. Ashley is married to her college sweetheart and partner in all things, Noah.

Chidi is Chief Product Officer of Huge - a design and technology company based in New York at the forefront of creating digital products for iconic brands such as Google, Youtube, Nike, Gucci, McDonalds, Verizon, Hublot and On Running. Chidi is passionate about leveraging the power of strategy, design and emerging technologies such as AI to create highly innovative experiences that improve people’s lives. Prior to Huge, Chidi served as President of Brain AI, a venture-backed company on a mission to democratize AI and enable anyone to build AI products. Previously, Chidi was Chief Brand Officer at Stash, the fintech pioneer empowering millions of everyday Americans to invest and build wealth. Chidi has also advised multiple startups building groundbreaking AI technologies. For the past 3 years, Chidi has sat on the board of charity:water; a tech-enabled non-profit that has raised and deployed over $1 Billion to supply clean water to communities around the world.

With years of experience in design, flowers and event planning, Lewis moved to New York to work in one of the city’s top floral shops, launching his own company: LMD New York, Lewis Miller Design in March 2002, quickly becoming one of the premiere floral design houses in New York City. Miller’s clients include the world’s leading industry professionals in fashion, design, photography, art direction and architecture. With stand-out projects including designing the 2024 iconic 30 Rock Channel Gardens and writing his first book published by Rizzoli New York, titled Styling Nature: A Masterful Approach to Floral Arrangement and more recently his book Flower Flash published by Monacelli. Miller is also the creator of The Flower Flash, street art installations made of fresh-cut flowers. Miller repurposes flowers from events when he can to create pop-up street installations. These floral works of art are created under 30 minutes and typically made before dawn. Miller’s business focuses on flowers and fantasy, transforming key life moments in his client’s lives into magical, everlasting memories. The impetus for the Flower Flashes was to recreate just a sliver of that sentiment and offer it to everyday New Yorkers and the tourists that visit this great city. His main vision and goal are to create an emotional response through flowers. To brighten and beautify someone’s day and to make them smile, the way one smiles when they witness a random act of kindness. Miller continues to flash New Yorkers with flowers and has flashed in Los Angeles, Miami, Charlottesville, and Nashville. His goal is to continue this work and bring joy and surprise to urban neighbourhoods and their city dwellers! To date, Lewis has created over 100 Flower Flashes for New York City.

Rachel Snyder is a host, chef, and modern-day salonniere. In 2019, she left a corporate career in public relations for chefs and restaurants to start pop-ups centered around meaningful conversation. Since then, her work has taken the form of private cheffing, party planning, and pop up gatherings to create spaces of connection for New York’s ever-transient crowd. She’s had the opportunity to cook for people all over the world, including celebrity judges on Chopped and writes a Substack to inspire approachable hospitality called Anyone Can Host. Rachel has called New York City home for the past nine years.

Anthony is the embodiment of the creative spirit, seamlessly blending music, fashion, and photography into a singular, unforgettable experience. As one of New York City's most in-demand DJs and a celebrated fashion photographer, he possesses a rare ability to make people feel beautiful - whether they're in front of his lens or on his dance floor. With 14 years of experience spinning at the city's hottest nightclubs and high-profile events, Anthony has developed a masterful instinct for reading the crowd, crafting seamless audio narratives that keep everyone on their toes, eagerly awaiting the next track. Whether he's energising A-list celebrities like Maggie Rogers and Taylor Swift at Mulberry, setting the mood for a chic YSL launch event, or creating an unforgettable atmosphere as the sun sets at The Surf Lodge, Anthony's signature style leaves an indelible mark on every moment. His ability to captivate and connect ensures that everyone who experiences his work walks away with a memory that lasts forever.

Jonathan Girma is a multidisciplinary poet and storyteller, born to Ethiopian immigrant parents, raised in Canada, and now based in New York. Driven by a desire to share honest, raw narratives, his work highlights the overlooked and under-appreciated, often moving through the tensions between doubt and faith, sorrow and joy, asking uncomfortable questions through story. At this year’s conference, Jonathan will host a music and poetry pop-up featuring artists from diverse backgrounds, each presenting in their own unique style. Expect an experience that invites the presence of God through embodied art, artists filled with the Spirit, sharing from their own lens, and inviting the audience into that encounter.

Kaiti Yoo is a content creator and filmmaker who launched her YouTube channel during the pandemic as a creative outlet—and turned it into a career. With over 850K followers and 100M+ views across the Internet, she’s collaborated with brands like Nike, Google, and Adobe to craft meaningful, narrative-driven campaigns. In 2024, she founded KTU Studios and created Two Good People, a scripted web series that has since garnered over 8.6 million views. She’s currently developing her next scripted series and is passionate about telling stories that meet people in their ache and lift them toward wonder.

Quinn Davis, is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor based in New York City. “As a person of faith, I believe we’re called to lead by example in every area of life including our health. Just as we care for our souls, we should also care for our bodies as a form of stewardship and worship. That conviction led me to launch Kingdom Strength in the summer of 2024, a group fitness class created specifically for believers in NYC. The mission of Kingdom Strength is simple: to strengthen our bodies while building meaningful community along the way.”

Mike Guaglione is a strategist, founder, and nonprofit leader based in New York City. He runs SocialScience, an ad agency specializing in paid media and growth. He also helps lead Water Is Basic, a nonprofit bringing clean water to South Sudan by training local women to repair broken wells. He speaks, writes, and (admittedly) talks too much but usually about ideas that move people and make the world better.

Ashwood is a Los Angeles–based community for Spirit‑led worship, blending high praise with high art. Through worship nights, writing camps, and their digital platforms, Ashwood is committed to developing artists and creating spaces for honest connection, emotional health, and transformation. Ashwood fosters a culture of safety, honor, and belonging—where artists, musicians, and spiritually open individuals can encounter God.

Bethany Allen joined Bridgetown Church staff in 2012. Originally from Florida, she made her way to the Pacific Northwest in 2011. Bethany carries a deep passion to see men and women live into the fullness of their design and to know the friendship, power and presence of God in their lives. Bethany oversees Spiritual Formation and Leadership Development at Bridgetown and is also an active part of the teaching team.

Benjamin Murray is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer with a diverse creative background spanning productions of all scales. His portfolio includes directing and filming award-winning shorts, features, and commercials, with premieres at Cannes, Tribeca Film Festival, Woodstock, and the Toronto International to name a few. As Co-Founder of the acclaimed New York-based production company Incline Productions Inc., Ben is currently in the midst of his next venture: building a studio focused on making films that are rich in craft, soul, and meaning. To create the kind of stories that remind people what it means to be human, give hope, and inspire adventure.

Kiana Cole is a documentary and television producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She has produced several shows for Netflix, including the Emmy-nominated series, “Hilter and the Nazis: Evil on Trial,” and Season 4 of “Conversations with a Killer.” Her most recent work includes an upcoming investigative documentary about Boeing, directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy. Whether she’s producing historical documentaries or current-affairs shows, the throughline of Kiana's work is a drive to pursue truth and hold power to account. She was previously a producer for The New York Times’ Opinion video team, and has worked on several shows covering U.S. politics, including “The Circus” on Showtime, and “Power Trip,” George Stephanopoulos’s weekly series on Hulu about the midterm elections. At the heart of Kiana’s passion for production are the wildly talented people she gets to work with, from cinematographers and editors to composers and designers. She believes that, by cheering every colleague on in their unique giftings, producers have a profound opportunity to create Kingdom environments of encouragement here on earth, and demonstrate the love of Christ through kindness.

Grant is a founder and VC investor focused on AI. Grant was a founding member of the media business Morning Brew, which was later sold to Business Insider. As a VC, he's invested in consumer software businesses leveraging AI, including faith-focused businesses such as Hallow. In addition to investing, he's also led AI strategy and incubations for VC firms, and most recently founded his own AI-enabled Venture Studio, Our Appologies (ourappologies.com). He's a frequent contributor at AI conferences and 'FaithTech' conferences, including a recent AI strategy development conference at the Vatican. He earned his MBA at Harvard Business School, is married to Sarah, and is an active member of Church of the City NY.

Natasha Duursma is a London based cinematographer who has contributed to a diverse range of projects, from commercials to music videos to narrative based projects. She is dedicated to capturing images collaborating alongside directors that leave a lasting impression on the audience. As best demonstrated on music videos for Jungle, Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C., Little Simz & Confidence Man. As well as advertising campaigns for Nike, Hugo Boss, Dr Martens, Google Pixel, Adidas & Meta.