About
Who We Are | Mission | Team | History | Contact Us
At the GLN we believe that everyone wins when leadership gets better. When we say, Lead Where You Are, we hope you can leverage your influence in the setting that you are in to be a catalyst for positive change.
Who We Are
The Global Leadership Network is a nonprofit that is raising up leaders around the world. We want to see leaders inspired and equipped, so they can lead transformation in their communities and around the world.
Our signature event is The Global Leadership Summit, an annual gathering that brings ministry and marketplace expertise together. Dynamic speakers and key topics challenge you to grow and become a catalyst for change. And our mission goes beyond events with resources available year-round, and programs that inspire, equip, and connect pastors, church and business leaders, the next generation, the marginalized, and community leaders all over the world.
Since its inception, the GLS has been translated into as many as 60+ languages, reaching almost 130 countries and impacting more than one million people around the world, making it the longest-running, greatest-reaching leadership event of its kind!
Leadership With a Higher Purpose
When you see the possibilities for something bigger than yourself. When you understand your place in making a better world… when you get the tools and guidance you need to grow… when you’re encouraged and energized to take that next step in your journey.
You be ready to embrace the call to be a true leader. You’ll show the way forward and bring others along with you. And you’ll create moments and movements that make. tangible, meaningful differences in the lives around you.
That’s leadership with a higher purpose. That’s our vision — what’s yours?
Our Mission is
To inspire and equip world-class leadership that ignites transformation. The Global Leadership Network is a global organization that is committed to coming alongside, empowering, catalyzing, equipping, and inspiring others to live out their purpose and change the world.
Team
International Leadership Team
Overseen by the Board of the Global Leadership Network and led by its President and CEO, this team is responsible for strategic oversight of all international partners, collaborators and initiatives.
Overseen by the Board of the Global Leadership Network and led by its President and CEO, this team is responsible for strategic oversight of all international partners, collaborators and initiatives.
David Ashcraft
CEO & President
David Ashcraft serves as the President and CEO of the Global Leadership Network (GLN), an organization at the forefront of global leadership development and in pursuit to serve more pastors, equip more churches, and inspire more leaders. Previously, David served as the Pastor of LCBC (Lives Changed By Christ) Church in Manheim, Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, LCBC grew from one location with a weekly attendance of 150 people to 19 locations across the state of Pennsylvania with a combined average weekly attendance of over 22,000. Additionally, David is the Founder and President of The Advantage, a leadership collaborative whose purpose is to mentor and encourage pastors across the country. He is the author of “What Was I Thinking?” a book designed to help us make better decisions. David also serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Leadership Network and the National Association of Evangelicals.
Chris Ordway
Executive Vice-President
As executive vice-president of the international division of the Global Leadership Network, Chris Ordway is a firm believer in the transformative power of great leadership. He has worked for three Fortune 500 firms and launched two non-profit initiatives, in sustainable agriculture and energy respectively. His experience working and living in many parts of the world, including the United States, Asia, Europe, and Africa, gives him a unique understanding of the complexities associated with operating in diverse environments. Most notably, Chris lead the Consumer Products Business Unit at Motorola and grew its revenue from $5 million to over $100 million in three years, before relocating to London to manage operations throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. Chris welcomed the opportunity to join the GLN in his current capacity in 2021, apart from also serving on several boards.
JanHendrik IJtsma
Vice-President
JanHendrik IJtsma was born in the Netherlands. With a background in business administration and innovation, Jan Hendrik has a strong affinity for the latest developments in technology and their impact on society, and is known for his passion for creativity, entrepreneurship, and the local church. JanHendrik has built his career as an arts and technical director in a mega church in the Netherlands, working on various ground breaking projects. His ability to solve complex problems and come up with innovative solutions, as well as his belief in the powerful combination of technology and creativity, has allowed him to be successful in his field. JanHendrik has been part of the Global Leadership Summit as a producer since 2005. He has now joined the International Executive team and is overseeing global operations.
International Operational Team
Aiming to serve and support international stakeholders, the operational team endeavours to enable partners to host experiences and offer products that would inspire more pastors, serve more churches and equip kingdom-minded leaders to ignite transformational impact wherever they are.
Aiming to serve and support international stakeholders, the operational team endeavours to enable partners to host experiences and offer products that would inspire more pastors, serve more churches and equip kingdom-minded leaders to ignite transformational impact wherever they are.
Ettienne Booysen
Director: Creative & Content Development
Ettienne Booysen boasts a diverse career spanning churches, marketing agencies, and production companies (theatre and television). This exposed him to different spaces and environments that are conducive to change, and the power of developmental initiatives, education, and inspired communication.
Ettienne was first introduced to the work of the Global Leadership Network in 1999, and managed one of the 19 inaugural sites of the GLS in 2005, in South Africa. Since then, he has progressed from being a country producer, to regional producer, to global producer, and most recently, was invited to lead global marketing and experiences.
A published author, Ettienne recently obtained a PhD in Organizational Behaviour where he investigated social support at work. He strives to create meaningful experiences to inspire change and growth, using tools from the creative and performing arts, insights from academia, and an interest in personal development to pursue this. He is passionate about making the world a better place – achieved through people who are hope-filled, growth-minded, and intentionally engaged with their own lives and the lives of others.
Jen Garman
Lead: Projects & Licensing Relations
Born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (PA), Jen Garman worked in admissions and events in higher education for numerous years. After taking some time out to spend with her four children, she spent more than 9 years on the central staff at LCBC, creating meaningful events and conferences. One such event was hosting the GLS as a multi-site partnering church, growing from 1 to 11 sites across PA.
Her love of the GLS and the GLN staff led her to join the GLN in 2021 as part of the International Team.
Jen currently serves in Operations, Projects, and Events for the GLN International Team and the Women Leaders Network, where she enjoys creating experiences where people feel seen – spaces that are distraction free, where people can focus on what God wants to teach them.
Benjamin Feenstra
Lead: Ministry Intelligence
Benjamin Feenstra combines his background in architecture and small-scale real estate development with a passion for creativity, technology, and innovation. He began his journey with the Global Leadership Network in 2007 as a volunteer, and quickly rose through the ranks to become the Regional Producer for Europe. His dedication and leadership have been instrumental in driving the success of the GLS in the Netherlands and across Europe. Since joining the GLNi Operations team in 2024, Benjamin has brought his expertise to the role of Business Intelligence Lead, where he continues to make impactful contributions. He also led the creativity and production department of a large church in the Netherlands. Benjamin’s commitment to the mission of empowering leaders is unwavering, and his innovative approach is a testament to his vision for the future of the Global Leadership Network.
Ashlyn S. Ochoa
Lead: Ministry Development
Ashlyn Slamans Ochoa is devoted to fostering genuine connections through speaking, writing, and serving the local church. With a passion for ministry, she joined the Global Leadership Network team in 2016 as a producer, spearheading year-round events, producing and hosting The Global Leadership podcast, and supporting both U.S. and international Summits. Beyond her professional endeavors, Ashlyn is a dedicated mother to Mateo and Serena, and has been a supportive youth pastor’s wife to Jake for over a decade. She finds joy in travel, adventure, family time, and artistic expression. As Global Ministry Development Lead her expertise and passion will undoubtedly drive our mission forward.
Cadu Polito
Lead: Ministry Product Support
Cadu Polito is a seasoned communicator with a rich career in media and leadership training. Starting as an office assistant with Willow Creek Association Brazil, he quickly start to play a meaningful row in the expansion of the Global Leadership Summit in the country. After earning his degree in Communication with an emphasis on radio and television, Cadu honed his skills at a television channel and later at Crash Films, producing content for major brands and Summit events. Since 2017, he has been the regional producer for the Summit in Brazil, led by Envisionar. In 2023, he officially joined the GLNi team, focusing on international content production. Cadu, married to his childhood sweetheart, Samara, with three daughters (Roberta, Laura and Helena), is passionate about his family, sports, reading, and serving his local church.
Chris Torres
Lead: Platforms and Translations
Chris Torres has made a living out of music, video, and audio creation since 1992. He has worked as a video director, producer, and live and studio recording engineer. For 12 years, he worked full-time at his local church. He also worked as a technical/production lead for a local live production company that brings in concert performances by globally popular Christian groups.
Chris joined the GLS in 2007 when the GLS Philippines was established, serving as the country’s technical coordinator. In 2014, he became the regional producer for Asia. He still currently holds that role, as well as serving as GLN’s Global Translation & Technology Lead. He is passionate about serving diverse groups of people and helping them to create more moments that will impact and improve lives through the GLN.
A devoted husband, father and grandfather, he dabbles in freelance AV consulting work in his free time.
Regional and National Directors
The almost 130 countries in which the Global Leadership Network has a presence are supported by the guidance and oversight of several regional and national directors. Passionate about making a meaningful difference and bringing about positive change, these directors collaborate with local partners to grow integrity-infused leadership worldwide.
The almost 130 countries in which the Global Leadership Network has a presence are supported by the guidance and oversight of several regional and national directors. Passionate about making a meaningful difference and bringing about positive change, these directors collaborate with local partners to grow integrity-infused leadership worldwide.
Josué Campanhā
National Director: Brazil
Josué Campanho is an author, entrepreneur, pastor and speaker. Graduating in theology, business and with a masters in leadership, he is the founder and director of Envisionar, an organization dedicated to envisioning and equipping leaders in Brazil. With his wife, Raquel, he has served for the last 40 years in pastoral teams, as director of christian organizations, strategic consultant and partner on innovation projects. Josué has been involved with GLS since their beginning in Brazil, back in 2005.
Steve & Angie Campbell
National Directors: United Kingdom & Ireland
For nearly 30 years, Steve and Angie have been the Senior Pastors of The C3 Church, a multisite church based in Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester and online. They first started attending GLS in 2010, making frequent visits to Chicago as well as some of the UK locations, and started GLS Cambridge in 2016. They joined as the National Directors UK in April 2022. Steve works closely with several different streams and churches, teaching and advising on his greatest passion, the local church, and constantly striving to change people’s perceptions of what church should be. Angie has many years of experience teaching in a variety of different contexts. She is a qualified LifeThrive Professional, a system that has helped shape many people in recent years. They both also have a deep conviction that “people really matter”, which fuels everything they do.
Gerry & Janine Couchman
Regional Directors: Southern Africa
Gerry and Janine have led GLN SA for 20 years, establishing the GLS in South Africa in 2005 with 4 sites and expanding it to 28 sites by 2023. Gerry’s extensive career in the marketplace equipped him with valuable skills in industrial chemistry, production, sales, marketing, and new product development. However, he felt a calling from God that led him to become the CEO of GLN in 2003. Janine joined GLN SA in 2004 as the event manager, accumulating 20 years of experience in this role. She is passionate about seeing the local church thrive and empowering women to reach their full potential. She also has experience in hosting visiting missions teams and coordinating compassion ministry and funding for local projects and churches from US-based churches. Currently, Gerry provides leadership and oversight to the country leaders of 13 Southern African countries that host the GLS, a position he has held for 13 years.
Patrick Foo
Regional Director: Asia (Chinese Language Lead)
Patrick Foo has been associated with GLS since 2006, joining when the inaugural GLS was established in Singapore 17 years ago. Over time, GLS has expanded its presence to 18 countries in Asia, and currently, Patrick serves as the Regional Director of Asia. With 35 years of ministry experience, Patrick is an ordained minister who has also managed a family business. In addition to being the senior pastor of Enjoy Church in Singapore, he is the founder of a mission organization called ‘Myanmar Vision International’, an organization dedicated to serving orphanages, churches, and Bible Schools. Patrick’s passion and vision lies in fervently serving God and people. Within GLS, Patrick’s primary focus is on serving leaders and pastors in Asia and across the globe. With both Kingdom and marketplace experience, his love for working with people and teams is evident as he dedicates himself to expanding the Kingdom of God.
Thomas Fremdt
National Director: Germany
Thomas Fremdt serves as CEO of Willow Creek Germany – an affiliate of GLN. As a business economist, he has worked for over 20 years as CEO of non-profit organizations and in the Lutheran regional church. His passion is to actively live discipleship in a professional context and what innovations from the leadership field can be successfully transformed into the cultural context of the local church to inspire, empower and connect people to lead effectively. He dreams of more impactful churches that live out the mission of Jesus Christ and firmly believes that the local church is still the hope of the world.
Luis Mellado
Regional Director: Mexico, Central America & US Hispanic
Luis Mellado has been in ministry for over 35 years, serving in the music ministry, youth ministry, as a missionary and as a pastor before becoming involved with the WCA/GLN in March of 2004. He was appointed first as the Affiliate Director of WCA Mexico, and later as Director of GLS Initiatives for Latin America and as Regional Director for the GLS in Mexico. Currently, he serves as the Regional Director for Latin America & Caribbean. Besides the responsibilities associated with this position, Luis also oversees the Spanish translation of everything needed to bring the GLS to the Spanish speaking world.
Francis Olubambi
Regional Director: West & Central Africa
Francis Olubambi holds a Master’s Degree in Christian Religious Studies. He is an astute Minister and Leadership Coach who has for over 3 decades been dedicated to serving the Church and faith-based organizations. He has a burning passion for Leadership Development and Church Empowerment. 23 years ago, his passion led him to establish an organization that is intently focused on raising the bar of excellence in leadership in West & Central Africa. 17 years ago, he came across The Global Leadership Summit. Seeing that it was a catalyst to his vision, he blazed the trail by bringing it to his home country – Nigeria. Within 5 years, with his incredible team of leaders, Francis moved the GLS to 19 countries in West & Central Africa. Today, there are over 155 sites in this region where about 60,000+ leaders are trained each year in different languages (English, French, Spanish & Portuguese) and they, in turn, go to train hundreds of thousands.
Ulf Osterlund
Regional Director: Europe
Ulf Osterlund believes that communication is meant to create clarity in what we do and what we aim for, whether it’s leadership principles, the gospel or how we come across relationally. During and after seminary he was involved in the arts, followed by a number of years in the marketplace, mainly in sales. Later, Ulf joined one of the Baptist denominations, first as Head of Communication and later as Producer/Event Manager for larger events. Parallel to this, he was part of a church plant very much influenced by the seeker sensitive church services that emerged in the 90’s. At the beginning of 2001 he produced GLN events in Scandinavia, and since 2007 he has been the Regional Director for Europe (except Germany and the UK).
Fady Eldeiry
Regional Director: Middle East (Arabic Language Lead)
Fady Eldeiry is a co-founder of Living Stones Group. This technology company takes clients on a journey from vision to efficiency, using leadership and coaching methods to care for clients and their clients. He is passionate about leading and coaching the next generation and uses this to recruit and coach his team. Fady lives with his wife, Lili, in California, and together, they form an ethnically diverse family spanning three continents: Swedish, American, and Egyptian.
Robb & Lois Warren
National Directors: Canada
Robb and Lois Warren have served as the Executive Directors of GLN Canada since 2013. Before joining GLN, they ran a chain of retail stores and served in their local church. Their journey with the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) began over two decades ago when they attended with their company’s management team . Drawn by the exceptional leadership training it offered, it proved to be a profound and enriching experience. They proceeded to contribute as volunteers at their local host site for almost ten years before assuming the leadership of GLN Canada. The transformative power of this ministry has not only shaped their lives but has also left an indelible mark on numerous others, creating a legacy of leadership, service, and positive impact within the GLN community.
John Robertson
National Director: Australia & New Zealand
John serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Global Leadership Network Australia and New Zealand. With nearly three decades of experience in senior leadership and organizational management, John brings a deep and comprehensive understanding of the strategic, operational, and cultural imperatives required to drive organizational success and transformation. Before coming on board with GLN this year, John most recently served as the Senior Pastor at a church of several thousand in Brisbane, Australia. John is a proactive and solutions-oriented leader, with a strong focus on the development of both people and processes and is passionate about ensuring leaders continue to grow.
Alberty Reyes
Regional Director: South America & Caribbean
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Alberty Reyes became a Christian in 1996. After graduating as a Software Engineer, he attended a Church Leadership Conference at WCCC and felt called to help local churches. He interned for two years in programming and production before leading services at Iglesia Comunitaria Cristiana. He has taught creative evangelism and helped churches use art for outreach in various countries. In 2006, he joined GLS as a regional producer for Latin America and became the Regional Director for the Caribbean in 2019. He currently serves as South American and Caribbean Director, and Global Director for the Caribbean at Capitol Ministries, which focuses on discipling political leaders.
Other Initiative Leads
Three targeted initiatives are offered by the GLN to support the continuous leadership development of certain groups. Working with country leaders, ways are continually explored in how to expand the reach of contextualized and relevant leadership content.
Three targeted initiatives are offered by the GLN to support the continuous leadership development of certain groups. Working with country leaders, ways are continually explored in how to expand the reach of contextualized and relevant leadership content.
Keith Cote
Leader: GLS Next Gen
Keith is a coach, speaker, and Next Gen Summit Lead with the Global Leadership Network, where he served as the Executive Director of Student Ministries for many years. With over 40 years of experience, Keith coaches and trains leaders and students around the world how to build high-performing and healthy teams. He is the author of Beyond the Game, Dirty Feet, and co-author of Vision Moments. Keith was an All-American football player in college and continues his passion for sports with his involvement with Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Melanie F. Griffin
Leader: Prisons
Melanie leads the effort in offering the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) in prisons throughout the United States and abroad. In addition, Melanie oversees a supportive initiative, called Ministry Connect. This program offers the GLS to 501(c)(3) organizations that serve at-risk populations. Both initiatives provide leadership development to individuals who are often overlooked and under resourced. Melanie has served this population for 25+ years and is passionate about being an advocate for at-risk populations. Currently, the GLS is in 200+ prisons within the US including prisons in Brazil, UK and Africa. And 60+ non-profit organizations shared the GLS with their clients. The bible says in Romans 12:2 that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind and this is very impact Melanie is witnessing in prisons. Each year she watches the Summit alongside the residents and observes how it disarms guarded hearts and grabs the attention of the distracted. Every year after the GLS, Melanie receives letters from various prisons sharing how the summit restored hope and a sense of purpose. The Global Leadership Summit is training incarcerated men and women to lead where they are!
Karen Wilson
Leader: Women Leaders Network
Karen is the Founder and Executive Director of the Women Leaders Network, a ministry initiative of the Global Leadership Network. She is a Board Director for the Global Leadership Network Australia and New Zealand and volunteers in a global role as President of Baptist World Alliance Women. Karen has a passion to see Kingdom leadership flourish – where women and men stand alongside and lead well together. She is passionate about seeing leaders live out their full potential and in a way that strengthens the Kingdom.

Over 30 Years of Leadership Influence
Since our founding in 1992, the Global Leadership Network has reached across continents and countries, across business and not-for-profit sectors to those who are well developed and those who are underdeveloped, to those with great resources and those with little. From humble beginnings in small ways, we now have global reach and exclusively focus on leadership development.
Today we exist to serve across all sectors of society to impact the world.
History
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Our organization was founded.
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The first Leadership Summit was held in the suburbs of Chicago.
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Educational credit was offered for the first time.
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The Summit expanded to three locations (two satellite sites).
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Two sites in Canada were added.
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GLS expanded into nine new countries.
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GLS was hosted in four prisons.
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GLS Next Gen launched.
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The board begins conversations around a name change of the organization.
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On February 19, our name was officially changed to Global Leadership Network.
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Women Leaders Network launched in four countries.
Contact Us
Have questions or queries? We’re here to provide answers & support.