Panel Bios:

Brad McCoy
VP of Flippen Sports, Successful husband, father, and coach
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David Cassidy
Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Austin, Texas
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Karen Markham
Karen Markham has been fulfilling her personal journey of service and hospitality for all of her adult life. The first half was spent in the hospitality industry. Karen’s career began as a hostess in the coffee shop of the Dallas Hilton. This first job led her through a variety of opportunities and successes in convention and visitors bureaus, associations and hotels. Some of the highlights of her career was becoming the first female CEO of the Dallas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the first female CEO of the International Association of Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus, in Washington, DC.

Karen’s heart for service continues in the second half of her life. After several years of working in the non-profit world as a volunteer, she recently felt called to go back into a full time job of service.....this time totally for HIM. Karen begins her position as a Serving Network Leader for Gateway Church in July. This step of faith was based on her belief that God did not put us on this earth to be comfortable, to relax, to retire, he placed us here to serve HIM. She now looks forward to taking the foundation of secular success and service to serving HIM as a staff member working outside the walls of the church in Central Austin. The chance to be Jesus in skin to others. The chance to serve HIM by serving others.

Karen is blessed to have an amazing partner in life and husband Steve. Steve and Karen have four daughter, two son-in-laws and five grandchildren. Karen loves the outdoors and recently returned for a Mountain trek in Colorado where she combined her passions of hiking, Colorado mountains and giving. The trek of 10 women that she was with raised over $60,000 for Food for the Hungry.

Carlye Birdwell
Carlye was born in College Station, Texas while her father, a second-generation Aggie, finished up his undergraduate degree. After being told: “you can attend school anywhere you want, but your tuition is paid at A&M" Carlye happily packed her bags and headed east. While at A&M she earned a BBA in Finance and Management Information Systems. She also met her future husband and best friend – Grant Birdwell.

Upon graduation Carlye went to work in the information technology space. From programmer to manager, Carlye filled many roles until she felt lead to leave IT and join the staff of a crisis pregnancy center where she and Grant had been volunteering. After Grant’s job took the Birdwells from Dallas to the New York area, Carlye helped launch a software company that provides recording and reporting software for crisis pregnancy centers across North America.

After the birth of her son in 2005, Carlye left the pregnancy center ministry and focused full-time on her ministry at home as wife and mother. The Birdwells have two sons and live in Dripping Springs.