Mike grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. His father was a local politician, business owner and taught Sunday School for over 40 years. His mom played the piano and sang in the church choir. Mike grew up steeped in the life of the local church.

He graduated from Samford University in 1978 and then went on to Southern Seminary receiving both his M.Div. and D.Min. He began his ministry at the First Baptist Church of Edgefield in 1981 and moved to First Baptist Church of Mauldin in 1985.

Mike was then called to be the senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church. He led that church for the next 32 years.

Highlights of his ministry there include:

• Establishing 9 campuses

• Relocating BBC to its current location at 7777 Concord Road. (The church is debt free).

• Establishing the Ingram Center for the Deaf which includes the Church for the Deaf, the Deaf Theological Training Center, and the Deaf Go Bible (a translation for the deaf)

• Building the Rowen Glenn Center for Special Needs

• Developed Kairos, a ministry for young adults

• He has written four books

 When he stepped down from his leadership role at Brentwood Baptist Church, Mike established the Engage Church Network to work with pastors and churches in Middle Tennessee.

Mike married Jeannie in 1980. They have twin sons, Chris and Craig and four grandchildren, who take all his time and money.

Margie Quin was sworn in as the Commissioner of the Department of Children’s Services on September 1, 2022. Prior to her role as Commissioner, Quin was the Chief Executive Officer at AncoraTN, (previously End Slavery TN), for three years, a nonprofit serving survivors of human trafficking throughout Middle Tennessee and spent 21 years with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Commissioner Quin manages one of the largest agencies in state government, a 3800-person department and a $1.45 billion dollar budget. During her short tenure, she has reduced the openings for case manager by 72%, raised salaries for new case managers to over $50,000 and exited all children from sleeping in state office buildings. The Department has opened three new 24-bed assessment and diagnostic centers for youth entering custody for short-term stays, reducing the numbers of kids in transitional homes. In September 2023, the State Building Commission approved a $500 million DCS real estate plan to modernize the state’s approach to care for children and youth in the juvenile justice facilities and for dependent neglected children entering care through the construction of new buildings across the state. The plan, which will build 11 new facilities, is fully funded and underway.

The Commissioner has an undergraduate degree from Auburn University and a master’s degree in public service management from Cumberland University.

Kyla Conlee is the Chief Executive Officer of AncoraTN, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting trafficking survivors in Middle Tennessee. She brings over 15 years of dedicated experience to the anti-trafficking field. As the former Director of Anit-Human Trafficking Programs in Los Angeles, California, Washington DC, and the Nashville area. She has developed programs including a 20-bed long-term recovery program and a 24-hour emergency shelter and protocol specifically designed for adult female victims of Human Trafficking. Additionally, Kyla initiated and managed a comprehensive range of services, including a street outreach program, a 24-hour hotline, and emergency response teams.

Throughout her years in the anti-human trafficking field, Kyla collaborated closely with NGOs, religious organizations, individuals, and law enforcement on a national scale. She has been requested to assist with undercover operations for the FBI, Homeland Security, LAPD, and the US Marshals. She was also asked to provide training to the United States Secret Service regarding the intersections of foster care and human trafficking.

Kyla also served as a Resource Specialist on the Child Sex Trafficking Recovery Services Team at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, providing specialized assistance in trauma-informed and victim-centered recovery planning, youth engagement, effective trauma response strategies, and safety planning to child welfare professionals and law enforcement nationwide.

Vicki Howell, serves as the Community and Mercy Missions Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church and is currently leading a local conversation around connecting ministry and needs together called “Unite the Light”. Vicki serves on the boards of The Tennessee Christian Chamber of Commerce as the non-profit liaison and What if the Church, also helping to bring Community Ministers together for community and resourcing. She received her BBA at Belmont University in Hospitality Entertainment and later received her MDIV at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with a desire to make sure that all she would help to create, lead, or organize would be grounded in God’s truth and promises. 

Vicki has worked in various regions and with several organizations to develop student camps, urban programs, leadership development programs and lead volunteer groups and programs around the world. Vicki is passionate about team coaching and connecting the dots recognizing that no one could or should feel alone in the work. 

She is blessed with a wonderful husband, Tony, and three amazing children that keep her on her toes; Brayden, Callen and Pyper. Vicki has a heart for the nations and will always be quick to say that wherever we are in the world we are in someone’s community, so we are always seeking to love our “communities” well everywhere God takes us.

Stephen Handy is the senior pastor, visionary, strategist, and partnership collaborator of the gospel message of Jesus Christ at McKendree UMC.

He is a passionate communicator who desires to speak God’s truth so people of different cultures, experiences, neighborhoods, and all of God’s unique diversity can be reconciled through the unity in Jesus Christ. Stephen is a strong advocate of restorative justice, serving the poor and needy, and participating in life groups for spiritual formation and accountability. 

Pastor Handy earned a BA from Dillard University, an MBA from Tennessee State University, and an MDiv from Vanderbilt Divinity School.

He and his wife, Shelley, have three children and live in the Greater Nashville area. His go-to scripture is Philippians 4:13 “I can do all through Christ who strengthens me.”