Founders

Stephen Skelton, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, established his first publishing company in 1999. At that time, Stephen began publishing Bible studies for churches, which were distributed through LifeWay, Cokesbury, and Christianbook.com. In addition, he published booklets about the influence of faith on the foundation of our nation. In 2018, Stephen founded The American Bible Project. Today, he publishes both Bible studies for churches and Bibles for schools. Stephen actively supports the Gideons International and the 917 Society. He has been married to his wife Ashlee for 25 years. They have three children and two dogs.

• The Freedom Foundation publishes booklets on faith and the Founding Fathers. These books are distributed by churches at patriotic holidays, such as Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans Day. Through these works, the Freedom Foundation promotes historic preservation through education.

As a teenager, Dr. Ming Wang fought valiantly to escape China’s Cultural Revolution – during which millions of innocent youth were deported to remote areas to face a life sentence of hard labor and poverty. He came to America with only $50 and earned two doctorate degrees, one in laser physics and one in medicine. Dr. Wang graduated with the highest honors from Harvard Medical School and MIT.

• Common Ground Network is a non-profit organization co-founded by Dr. Ming Wang. It is dedicated to his lifelong mission to help people find common ground.

•  The Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration has helped patients from over 40 states in the U.S. and 55 countries, with all sight restoration surgeries performed free-of-charge. Dr. Wang was named the Kiwanis Nashvillian of the Year for his lifelong dedication to help blind orphaned children from around the world.

Dr. David Black served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1966-70) and in combat in Vietnam (1968-69). In 1990, he founded Aegis Sciences Corporation where he served as Chairman and CEO until October of 2016. Among other endeavors, Dr. Black has founded both Ebon-Falcon, LLC (1996) and 2ndVote (2012; see below). Personal interests include church, Rotary International, and Guatemala Medical/Dental/Vision Mission Trips. He lives in Gallatin, TN with his wife former US Congressman Diane Black (TN 6th District) and they have three children and six grandchildren.

• Ebon-Falcon, LLC is a commercial real estate company operated by Dr. Black. He currently serves as President of the organization.

• 2ndVote is a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping companies and organizations from funding the attack on traditional American values.

Lee Beaman, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, is the Chairman and CEO of Beaman Automotive Group (see below). He currently serves on the boards of Belmont University, Men of Valor, and the Beaman Foundation. He is the past chairman of the Nashville Symphony and Boy Scouts. In addition, he has served on the boards of the Nashville Area Red Cross, Montgomery Bell Academy, the Nashville Zoo, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, and the Salvation Army. Beaman is a former member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission State Advisory Council and has received numerous awards, including the American Business Ethics Award. He passionately supports conservative candidates and numerous faith-based organizations. Lee lives in Nashville, has three children and two grandsons, and attends Grace Chapel Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

• Beaman Automotive Group is a network of car dealerships in Nashville, TN. They are proud to serve the drivers of Nashville and the surrounding communities with exceptional service and quality vehicles. Beaman Auto Group treats the needs of each individual customer with paramount concern. As a car dealer, they look forward to meeting and exceeding your expectations.

Diane Canada has enjoyed parallel careers in business consulting and professional songwriting. Diane has owned a staffing firm and two of her own consulting firms. In addition, she used her distinctive talents to originate a successful live show centered around Nashville's masterful songwriters. This American live show turned into a popular television show that aired in three other countries. Diane has served on the Mayor’s Minority Business Advisory Council and as the Political Advocate on the Nashville Board of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Diane also teaches an entrepreneurial curriculum as a part of the B.E.S.T. program in the Tennessee Maximum Security Prison for Women. Diane is married to Brian; she has one adult son, a Havanese and a Bischon.

• Lady Up and Don't Quit - Recently, Diane authored a biographical book in which she shares jaw-dropping stories and how they have led her to a life of immovable faith. Diane speaks professionally on her title and signature message, "Lady Up and Don’t Quit." For speaking inquiries, contact: diane@ladylikeleaders.com or visit www.ladylikeleaders.com.

Dr. Arlin Smith has over 25 years of ministry and leadership experience. He is an advisor to those in business, church, and political realms. He has traveled to Kenya on missions trips, hosted pilgrimage trips to Israel, and for the past 14 years he has led the congregation of Purpose Life Church in Springfield, TN. As an author, speaker, advisor, pastor, teacher, mentor, and world traveler, Dr. Smith is a man who holds a practical, Biblical perspective in all he does. The Bible is his moral compass and his relationship with Jesus Christ is what drives his passion for helping others become everything that God has planned and proposed for them to be.

• Purpose Life Church is a thriving congregation in Springfield TN which serves its community in multiple ways, including large food giveaways where hundreds of homes are blessed with food.

Ben Davis has been involved in the Senior industry for over 20 years with the last 8+ as the Director of Outreach at Select Pointe, LLC. Ben graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a business degree and has been in ‘helping’ sales since. In his work with non-profits, Ben is the program chair for SeniorLink ministry, and he serves on the board of both the Nashville Sports Council and Hillsboro-Brentwood Exchange Club. In addition, Ben serves as a Deacon at Brentwood Baptist Church. He has lived for the last 35 years in the middle Tennessee area. He has been married to Beth for 25 years and they have 9 grandchildren.

• Select Pointe, LLC is an independent brokerage firm specializing in Healthcare Insurance, Medicare options, Long Term Care plans, and Social Security strategies.

After attending the University of Alabama, Robert Stringfellow began working in the printing, publishing and advertising industries. For the past 11 years, he has served as the owner and publisher of the Nashville Christian Family Magazine (see below). Robert is very active with the TN Christian Chamber of Commerce, having served as a Board Member twice, as Director of Membership Sales, and currently as Chairman of the Speakers Committee. Residing in Spring Hill, TN, Robert and his wife are active in their church serving as Greeters, on the Nurture Team, and in other areas as needed and when called upon.

• Nashville Christian Family Magazine is a monthly publication. It exists to provide Christians with ways to strengthen and grow in their faith within the Christian family and business community. The publication consistently provides content designed to promote positive Christian living for people of all ages - sharing the good news of Christ.

Conn Hamlett received his BA from Lipscomb University and his MA from Peabody/Vanderbilt, located in Nashville. He taught at Goodpasture Christian School for a total of 34 years. During that time, he profoundly influenced many students and, in many instances, the children of former students. Several years prior to his retirement, Mr. Hamlett became a national radio personality as one of the personalities on WLAC 1510 AM popular sports-talk series Primetime Sports. Currently, he authors the John Lee Johnson Western Series (see below). When Mr. Hamlett is not traveling the world, he lives in Joelton, TN.

• The John Lee Johnson Western Series is filled with action, adventure, and a colorful cast of characters. Each installment in the series immerses the reader in the Wild West as our hero finds out if his luck has finally run out or if this giant of a man will live to fight - and fire his guns - another day.

Joni Bryan has a background in social work, teaching, and non-profit organizations. Through these endeavors, she has seen how one person can serve to inspire others. When asked by a retired lawyer if she had read her Constitution, Joni realized she had not read it all. She soon discovered that most of her fellow citizens had not read the entire Constitution either. Thus began her mission to empower our youth with a sense of ownership of our Constitution. Joni founded the 917 Society to distribute pocket Constitutions to 8th graders across American (see below). Joni is the mother of two adult daughters. She lives on the river in Ashland City, Tennessee.

• The 917 Society is in the process of distributing 200,000 pocket Constitutions across Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Dakota. The 917 Society has plans to reach 5 million 8th graders annually within the next three years.

A West Point graduate, Dean Wegner served 7 years as a helicopter pilot and Army Ranger and holds an MBA in Finance from Cal State. A majority of his business career was spent in business development, marketing, and strategy with Mars Inc. and Procter & Gamble. More recently, Dean became the Founder & CEO of Authentically American, a Veteran owned, American made premium apparel brand (see below). Dean is happily married to his bride of 25 years and they have 4 children, with the youngest being adopted from Ethiopia. Dean is active in his church and has served on the board of several for-profit and non-profit companies and organizations.

• Authentically American is an American made premium apparel company that celebrates patriotism, believes in the American worker, and honors our American heroes by intentionally donating 10% of profits to Veteran and First Responder charities.