2025 CCBA THRIVE Conference

Humanizing Work

in an AI World

Friday, September 26, 2025
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

The Cable Center
2000 Buchtel Blvd, Denver, CO 80210
Interstate 25 and University Boulevard

Join us in person!

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”

Proverbs 18:15

God has both enabled and equipped each one of us with the need and desire to thrive.

Learning about AI in business is crucial because it allows businesses to leverage technology for increased efficiency, date-driven decision-making, and competitive advantage. AI can automate tasks, analyze large datasets, and personalize customer experiences, ultimately leading to improved productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Register now and learn how you can grow and thrive successfully with others right here in Colorado!

***Register now to take advantage of early bird pricing!***

Conference Speakers

Dr. Daniel Doriani, Keynote Speaker

Future of Work in the AI World

Dan Doriani (MDiv, PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary; STM, Yale Divinity School; research fellow, Yale University, 1981, 1995) is professor of theology at Covenant Theological Seminary; interim senior pastor at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama; and a Board member of The Gospel Coalition. He is the founder and president of the Center for Faith and Work, St. Louis. He has written 18 books on exegesis and biblical ethics, most recently Romans and Matthew in the Reformed Expository Commentary series, Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible, and Work That Makes a Difference. He has three children and five grandchildren.

Dr. Michael J. Paulus, Keynote Speaker

AI, Faith, and the Future

Michael Paulus leads the University Libraries at Creighton University. Before coming to Creighton, Dr. Paulus was Dean of the Library, Assistant Provost for Educational Technology, and Associate Professor of Information Studies at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington. Other previous roles include directing the archives and special collections program at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and supervising technical services for special collections at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

Dr. Paulus’s administrative and research interests focus on AI ethics and the integration of AI into libraries and institutions of higher education. He is the author of Artificial Intelligence and the Apocalyptic Imagination: Artificial Agency and Human Hope (Cascade, 2023) and co-editor of AI, Faith, and the Future: An Interdisciplinary Approach (Pickwick, 2022). His current book project, Hope in the Library: Shaping Our Future with Artificial Intelligence, argues for the importance of libraries in an age increasingly shaped by AI.

Niki McIntosh, Keynote Speaker

The Art of Socializing at Work

After finishing her degree in Psychology and building a career in nonprofit fundraising and community relations, Niki spent nearly a decade studying how to network, socialize, and build authentic relationships in life and business. She’s combined that experience with two Bible degrees and a passion for Jesus, people, and personal growth to create The Art of Socializing – a proven framework for connection that transforms lives from the inside out.

Dan Churchwell, Keynote Speaker

Technology, Abundance, and the Common Good

Dan currently serves as the director of programs and education for the Acton Institute, where he manages external relationships with foundations, higher education institutions, businesses, and NGOs. During his tenure, his team has designed and executed over 100 educational conferences, ranging from small collegiate seminars to Acton’s flagship annual conference, Acton University, which consistently draws over 1000 people from 80+ countries.

Prior to his work at Acton, Dan spent 10 years in higher education as a lecturer and administrator in the Pacific Northwest. He is interdisciplinary in his interests and has taught and lectured widely on issues related to the intersection of philosophy, theology, and economics. His research and writing focus on media ecology, technological ethics, and the future of work.

Kerry Conner

Conference Music

Kerry Conner was born in Colorado. He was raised in Colorado. He raised his beautiful family in Colorado. Guitars and songs and planes and buses and vans have carried him far away but he has always come back home to Colorado. Way back in high school, he started to hang out with a scruffy bunch of rock and rollers who led a Bible study and spent a lot of time singing love songs to Jesus. That’s when it all went off the rails. Since then, Kerry has been active as a worship leader, a songwriter, a studio musician, recording engineer, and producer. He has recorded, toured, and written with Grammy winners and Grammy nominees. Kerry worked on a television show for 2 seasons where he played guitars and mandolin in the house band, accompanying a host of country music legends. He taught Mass Media and Culture part time at Metropolitan State University for 15 years while he served as Worship Pastor at several area churches. These days you can find him loving his family, slinging a guitar, still singing love songs to his Creator, still here in Colorado.

Parker Samelson

Emcee

Parker Samelson is the founder of Ivywild Capital, a boutique real estate private equity investment firm that focuses in storage investments in Colorado. He also helps run the young adults ministry at his church in Colorado Springs. Previously, Parker worked for a family office that focuses on real estate development and commodity trading after getting a double major in Business and Bible from Wheaton College. In his free time, Parker enjoys climbing mountains, traveling internationally, and reading classic literature.