2024 Speakers
Julie Wilson
For the past 25 years Julie has been an organizational leader and communication specialist. After graduating with a degree in journalism from Boston University, she landed the highly competitive job as an NBC Page in New York City, the same year she became of follower of Christ through the ministry of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. She spent 13 years as a startup team builder with Priority Associates, a ministry of CRU and helped launch Revolve, a national tour and conference for teenage girls, which attracted over 38,000 attendees in its first season. In her role as President of Women Doing Well, she gets to engage her passion for women and leadership with her purpose “cultivating change.” Julie lives with her husband, Gary and daughter, Ella in Richmond, Virginia.
Connie Hougland
Connie Hougland serves as VP, Charity Experience and Market Strategy for National Christian Foundation (NCF). Connie has been part of the NCF family since 2000. She is passionate about the cause of generosity and works to help NCF support charities in serving givers and unlocking unique giving opportunities.
She is the author of What If God’s Got This: 6 Key Pillars for Sustainable Ministry. Connie was blessed to be married to her high school sweetheart, Blaine, for 37 years until the Lord called him home in the Spring of 2022 after a long battle with cancer. She continues to reside in the Kansas City area where she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her four grandsons Hudson, Sawyer, Mason and Miles.
Daniel Hicks
Daniel K. Hicks serves as a charitable gift and estate-planning attorney with the National Christian Foundation (NCF). He works with generous families and business owners to create giving strategies for minimizing income and estate tax liabilities to better impact charitable causes.
Prior to joining NCF in early 2019, Daniel was a partner with Ingersoll & Hicks, PLLC in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina offices and prior to that, an estate-planning attorney with Nexsen Pruet in its North and South Carolina offices. His principal areas of practice are Estate Planning, Tax, Charitable Planning and Tax-Exempt Organizations. He is a member of the North Carolina and South Carolina Bars and is a member of the Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Section of the North Carolina Bar and the Estate Planning Section of the South Carolina Bar. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Bob Jones University and his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law in 1997. He is a frequent speaker on stewardship, estate planning and complex charitable planning techniques.
Brandon Davis
Brandon Davis serves as the President for NCF Carolinas, an affiliate of the National Christian Foundation. Brandon has over 18 years of finance, insurance and wealth management experience. He served as a Wealth Advisor with Rinehart Wealth & Investment Advisory, providing clients with comprehensive financial planning. He also served as Principal and Vice President of The Morehead Group.
Originally from Hickory, North Carolina, Brandon graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After graduation, he spent 4 years at Wachovia Capital Markets as a corporate financial analyst and as an associate in the bank’s institutional investor management group. He is a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional.
Brandon was the Past President of the Financial Planning Association of Charlotte and is a member of the Charlotte Estate Planning Council as well as the Society of Financial Service Professionals. He is an active member of Uptown Church where he also serves as a Finance Deacon.
Richard Newton
Richard Newton, CTFA (Certified Trust and Financial Advisor), has worked in the Trust and Family Office Business for over 35 years. He served in a variety of positions in the Trust and Wealth Management Division of a large national bank for 20 years prior to pursuing a different vocational calling in the creation of Richard Newton & Associates, A Trust and Family Office Consulting Firm.
Since 2013 Richard has also been affiliated with the National Christian Foundation (NCF) as a part-time Senior Gift Advisor. In late 2016 Richard became the Regional Director of the Raleigh Affiliate of NCF. At NCF, Richard serves people interested in giving with the goal to mentor on stewardship and generosity, build long lasting relationships, and fully identify, explain and facilitate complicated giving solutions and services.
Richard is a graduate of Campbell University’s Undergraduate Trust Major, the Southeastern Trust School and the National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University. Richard holds the Designation of Certified Trust and Financial Advisor and was the first successful candidate to pass the CTFA examination in 1991. Richard is a faculty member at the Southeastern Trust School and a Board Member of the Trust Education Foundation at Campbell University. He also is a guest lecturer in Campbell University’s Trust Program, Wealth Managers Forum and the Trust Advisors Forum.
Jay Mink
Jay split his formative years between Los Angeles and Toronto, Canada. By God’s grace, he moved South to the Queen City in 1997 to finish his undergraduate degree at UNCC. He and his wife Ashley met as volunteer leaders with Charlotte Young Life and married in 2001. They now have three teenage children with their oldest attending Samford University. Jay launched a marketing and advertising agency in 2002 and spent 15 years leading the company in service to a diverse group of for-profit and nonprofit clients. Of those, the most personally rewarding were churches, ministries, and missions agencies. Jay transitioned to spend the last 3 years with an international mergers and acquisitions firm as Senior Director helping advise business owners in growth strategies and exit planning. Joining NCF, Jay brings his kingdom-minded motivation and business background to bear in supporting fellow believers in maximizing their charitable planning for God’s glory.