Raphael Ogbole is the Executive Director of Banner Center for Community Transformation (BACCOT), an indigenous ministry in northern Nigeria. He has worked in rural communities for 20 years, reaching the poorest of the poor with the gospel. His passion for proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel includes the resettling and reintegrating of “Internally Displaced Persons” by empowering them to be self-sufficient through community development and sustainable agricultural solutions. Raphael is happily married to Helen, and they are blessed with two children, Joshua and Berachah. He holds a Master of Theology in Biblical studies.

Dean is an author, educator, speaker and historian with a passion for agricultural community development. In 2020, in conjunction with his European team, Dean initiated a community farm project on Lesvos Island, providing employment opportunities to refugees. Having worked on Lesvos Island during a refugee crisis, Dean witnessed the challenges faced by displaced individuals firsthand. As a historian, Dean brings a unique perspective to the agricultural community development discourse. Inspired by the resilient Moravians of the 18th century, who were also foreign immigrants, Dean draws inspiration from their remarkable accomplishments in farming and various businesses upon arriving in America.

John Kempf is the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). He also writes, runs a fascinating podcast, and is the executive editor of Acres magazine. Through his humility, insatiable curiosity, detailed observations, and open mind, John has acquired an extreme amount of technical knowledge about biological farming systems. He is not only one of the top thought leaders in today’s regenerative farming community, he is also putting these ideas into practice on his own farm. John’s vision and passion is to see regenerative agriculture principles become the mainstream best practices around the globe by 2040.