Barb Allen

Regional Service Director Southeast Region
Boys & Girls Club

Allen began her youth development affiliation in 1998 by joining the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manhattan, in Manhattan, KS.  In 2003, she joined the North Little Rock (AR) Boys & Girls Club as Resource Development Director.  In that role, she attained financial support and resources to ensure organizational initiatives for $1.1 million annual budget serving four Units and 5,000 youth.  She provided advice, support and technical assistance to the Board of Directors to achieve strategic goals.  Allen joined Boys & Girls Clubs of America in July 2004 as Regional Service Director / Development.  In January 2007, she transitioned to Regional Service Director in the Southeast Region, currently providing technical consultation services to Clubs in Mississippi, North Carolina, and the United States Virgin Islands.  In this role, she is responsible for initiating and providing on-site consultation to assigned Boys & Girls Club board and executive leadership to provide stronger organizations that provide impact with strategic growth, ensure public trust, assist Clubs to expand services beyond their walls, and interpreting and delivering the strategic initiatives and goals of BGCA.

Major C. Mark Brown is the Community Relations & Development Secretary for The Salvation Army’s U.S.A. Southern Territory. In this position, he is the chief development officer overseeing a range of fundraising initiatives, including major gifts, online giving, capital campaigns, direct marketing, and planned giving. He is also responsible for communications, public relations, Website development, emergency disaster services, advisory organization development, and volunteer development. Major Brown’s passion is film and video production. From 1992 to 2001, he was director of The Salvation Army’s Office of Media Ministries where he produced award-winning television, film, and video programs for The Salvation Army and other non-profit and for-profit clients in over 50 countries.

Salvation Army Corps Officer
Lakeland, Florida

After receiving an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Birmingham-Southern College, Stan attended seminary at Emory University in Atlanta. His Master’s Degree is from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.   During his tenure of 14 years on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Stan also worked as director of music for several 'main stream' denomination churches, as well as Musical Director or musician for many regional or national professional music companies. He was the contract keyboardist for all touring Broadway shows in Charlotte and Greenville and has had the opportunity to work with notables such as Dave Brubeck, Mickey Rooney, Robert Goulet and Aretha Franklin.  In 1998, Stan and his wife received a dramatic and specific calling into full-time ministry. After their ordination into the ministry and commissioning as Officers in the Salvation Army, they have served in four appointments in North & South Carolina, and are delighted to now serve in the great state of Florida.

Owner/Trainer/Big Wheel

Michelle Cummings M.S. is the Big Wheel and founder of Training Wheels, a known leader in the Team Development industry.  She is an accomplished author and is a sought-after speaker and consultant on leadership, teambuilding, and experiential learning. Michelle has created a wide variety of facilitation, debriefing and teambuilding activities that have collectively changed the way trainers and educators work. Michelle has delivered innovative leadership programs for hundreds of non-profit and for profit organizations.  Michelle works with professional associations, corporations, universities, and non-profit organizations throughout the world.  She is currently working with Stephen M.R. Covey and his associates at Covey Link on developing experiential activities for Stephen’s most recent book, The Speed of Trust.

Jeffrey Leiken has helped train over 15,000 professionals in the youth development, recreation, counseling and education fields. He has specifically helped train the counselors and leaders from hundreds of summer camps across North America, and been a featured presenter and keynote speaker at major camp conferences over the last 12 years.  He has over 23 years of work with youth, in schools, after school programs summer camps and private practice. He holds a Masters Degree in Educational Counseling, is a Master Practitioner of NLP and is the only licensed and certified Master Trainer of the MythoSelf Process. He’s served as adjunct faculty at the University of San Francisco Graduate School of Education, and guest lectured at Stanford University.  

Joseph Mole began his career with The Salvation Army in 2001 at Territorial Headquarters in the Central Territory. In his role as Program Consultant - Child/Adult Safety Coordinator for the Central, Mr. Mole was responsible for the territory-wide implementation of "Safe From Harm," a comprehensive child safety and abuse prevention program developed specifically for The Salvation Army. In this role, Mr. Mole developed a wide array of training resources and territorial policy relating to child safety and abuse prevention and oversaw the training of more than 7,000 officers, employees and volunteers in the Safe From Harm program. Joseph is approaching his 2-year anniversary with the Southern Territory, where he is coordinating the territory-wide implementation of Safe From Harm in the southern 15 states. Joseph is a licensed social worker with an extensive background working with children at risk for sexual abuse in a variety of settings, including faith-based and youth-serving organizations.

Senior Vice President for Program & Youth Development Services
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Atlanta, Georgia

Nick Simmons-Smith is a fifth generation Salvationist originally from the UK.  He is currently the Territorial Music and Creative Arts Secretary after stints at Divisional Headquarters, Area Command, and as Music Publications & Marketing Specialist at THQ.    He has been a Corps Songster leader and Bandmaster, as well as working for many years with youth music groups.   After 5 years of work initially as a DMD in Texas, Nick returned to the UK to become a High School music teacher in the public school system.   Upon his return to the States (2004) he developed and managed 5 performing arts schools in the Dallas area. Nick has one son, Jonah (1 year old) and a beautiful wife, Roberta.

Born in Edmonton, AB but raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Roberta is a fifth generation Salvationist. Growing up in a heavily programmed corps, her parents made sure she was involved in everything!! It was at the St. John’s Citadel Corps that she found, and developed her passion for the Creative Arts. First through singing, then acting, then movement and musical theatre – she was hooked and knew it was her calling to pursue it professionally. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Drama from University of Alberta, she then found a comfortable place in the Spirit of Newfoundland Theatre Company. She was able to perform professionally in 7 shows before heading off to Sheridan College in Ontario to study in their Musical Theatre Program. In 2003 Roberta moved to Texas to establish the Divisional Creative Arts Director position.  In five years, she was able to develop a program which included 3 divisional arts groups, regional arts groups, a full time conservatory creative arts track, and develop leaders to carry on the ministry. As of April 1, 2008, Roberta is now the Territorial Creative Arts Director for the Southern Territory, and is thrilled with all the amazing things God has already allowed her to do through her ministry on a Territorial Level.