Toyota COO talks building relationships, loving others during 2024 CEO Summit

Liberty University’s 2024 CEO Summit continued on Tuesday as national and global business leaders encouraged attendees to courageously serve others and share the Gospel with the world.

Among the guest speakers was COO of Toyota North America Jack Hollis, who shared about the importance of acknowledging that everything we have ultimately belongs to God. He said the three most important leadership qualities are knowing that your relationship to God directly affects your relationship with others, being a steward of what God has given you, and loving others.

“These are three leadership qualities that right now I am working on, and I am truly intentional about growing in my maturity,” he said. “In every one of these areas, I have struggled. In every one of these areas, I don’t want to be holding on and I don’t want to try to do life without God, but I do. I get busy. I get moving. I like getting stuff done. I like success. I keep doing it, and I think that is when I fail. But the one thing I want to do is love people.”

He also said that success is founded on building trust and relationships with others.

“Every one of you who is a leader, every one of you who is a student, every one of who has relationships with anybody, Jesus is trusting you,” Hollis said. “That right there alone is enough to get really serious about. We are built for relationships. Adam was built and needed Eve. It started on day 1 and goes to today. We need one another. It is my privilege to tell you ‘My name is Jack Hollis, and I work for God.”

Hollis was a speaker at the Keynote Dinner, which opened with Liberty Provost and Chief Academic Officer Scott Hicks introducing former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinajo, who shared about the opportunities available for businesses to invest in Africa.

Noting the incredible wealth that Africa offers in terms of youthful workforce and resources as well as the continent’s important role in combatting the climate crisis, Osinajo argued that Africa can provide a stable solution for various problems plaguing the world. He also acknowledged current roadblocks inhibiting investments in Africa but said these problems can be reasonably solved.

Former President of the World Bank David Malpass also spoke with Senior Vice President of Business Engagement Dr. Dave Brat about the necessity of helping individual countries grow, which in turn, will spark global growth. Malpass, who was scheduled to deliver Liberty’s Convocation message on Wednesday, argued that countries could only experience this growth when their leaders work towards improving life for their citizens.

Also during the dinner event, Liberty President Dr. Dondi E. Costin led a panel discussion with Merrill Lynch President Eric Schimpf and Managing Director of the Pearce Group Kent Pearce on the qualifications of a successful leader.

“What I stay centered on is empathy as a leader is massively important,” Schimpf said. “We run so fast, no matter our career. Everyone is going and going and going… There is a lot going on that we don’t talk about. I start every engagement where I am with (acknowledging) there might just be something going on (with someone) that I don’t know… You can really sleep well at night regardless of whatever role you have if you try your best every day and keep a little bit of empathy in your mind.”

After a time of dinner and fellowship, Executive Vice President of Development Brian Mentzer presented $10,000 scholarships to two Liberty students, freshman Lyric Liliana Randall and Mile K. McEachin Jr., both of whom were CEO Summit volunteers, and thanked attendees for their generous contributions toward Liberty’s educational goals.

Samaritan’s Purse Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham took the stage to share about his strong connection with Liberty University and his life as a military servicemember before entering the nonprofit world.

Sharing the story of the Apostle Peter walking on water with Jesus, he encouraged those in attendance to step out in faith to whatever God is calling them to do.

“If you want to be part of a miracle, you’ve got to get out of the boat,” Graham said. “Too often, especially for those of you at a Christian school like this, sometimes you will look around that boat and see fellow Christians and you think that is the safest place to be. Jesus wasn’t in that boat. He was walking on the water. Peter was the only one that went to Him.”

He also advised students to base their lives firmly on the truth of the Gospel, arguing that compromising on its principles could have disastrous consequences in the future.

Tuesday’s Keynote Dinner ended a full day of events taking place around Liberty’s campus, starting with a panel on The Future of Artificial Intelligence: How AI is Changing the World. Panelists defined artificial intelligence, explained why it’s important to utilize AI capabilities in various career settings, and reassured audience members that AI, despite what Hollywood may suggest, will never take over the world.

Speakers included John Critz, founder and CEO of North Oak Ventures; Dave Jaworski, principal product manager at Microsoft Teams; Jared Davis, CEO of Foundry; T’Neal Walea, Microsoft’s director for strategic and technologies in the Federal Government; Levi Brinkley, CEO of Moria; and Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator.

“Whatever career path you’re going into, learn the tools that are relevant in your space that utilize AI,” Walea told students. “It will differentiate you. If you go into a job interview and you can utilize artificial intelligence tools in the industry, that will be your greatest asset on your resume. Take advantage of it now.”

Panelists repeatedly reminded summit attendees that humans utilize artificial intelligence every day through email, online shopping, Netflix, and basic phone and computer use.

Jaworski warned guests that while AI is an amoral agent, that should not deter the next generation’s curiosity to use it for good.

“Your superpower, students at Liberty, is curiosity,” Jaworski said. “You’re going to want to tune that and hone that and use that the rest of your life. One thing we’ve had to learn is to keep learning. And AI has been really pushing that curve for a lot of people. … Your other superpower is your faith. And we need that in the marketplace now more than ever. Because one of the biggest things happening with AI is bias in the models.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the Helms School of Government partnered with former NFL safety and Brewer Group CEO Jack Brewer for a Criminal Justice panel in the Montview Alumni Ballroom.

Brewer served as a White House Appointee on the U.S. Commission for the Social Status of Black Men & Boys and has helped hundreds of inmates reconcile their responsibilities as fathers.

Students heard from Brewer and four recently released convicts, who utilized Brewer’s faith-based approach to heal from their lives of crime and reunite with their families.

“Our focus is on fatherlessness,” Brewer told the audience of mostly criminal justice students. “We are the number one fatherless nation in the entire world. … The likelihood of (the inmate’s) child going to prison is 20 times more likely. So, we want to help prepare these guys to become fathers while in prison.”

Brewer recently partnered with Liberty’s School of Government to launch a research initiative, where students will uncover the benefits of faith-based tactics in mending these broken relationships.

The School of Music hosted the One Hope, One Voice concert, an event aiming to bring together the rich musical tapestry of Africa and the United States. Multiple artists and bands performed, including LU Praise, Nigerian artist Enkay Egboruche, Kenyan artist Evelyn Wanjiru, Ghanaian artist MOG, and Michael W. Smith. Liberty President Dondi E. Costin, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, The Olu of Warri, and Her Majesty Olori Atuwatse III, Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom, attended the concert. The artists celebrated the power of music and the diverse ways different regions express their faith through music.

Other panel discussions on Tuesday included:

• Leadership at the Pinnacle: Insights from America’s Top CEOs, featuring Booster CEO Chris Carneal, former President and COO of SC Johnson Wax Kevin Creasman, Jack Hollis, and Morris Industries CEO Nate Morris;
• Real Estate Finance and Investment featuring former Facebook executive and StackSource CEO Tim Milazzo;
• Fortifying the Future: Defense, National Security, and Corporate Response featuring former U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, former U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs Robert Wilkie, America first Policy Institute Vice Chairman Fred Fleitz, and former National Security Advisor to the Vice President Keith Kellogg;
• The China Threat: Strategic Approaches to Global Competition and Foreign Policy featuring former Director of Cybersecurity for the Department of Defense Col. John Mills, Committee on the Present Danger: China Vice Chairman Frank Gaffney, author and commentator Gordon Chang, and former U.S. Representative and Dean of Government at Regent University Michele Bachmann;
• AI in HR and Global HR featuring Carter Bank and Trust Chief Human Resources Officer Paul Carney and former Nissan Head of Global HR Mark Stout;
• Financial Markets: Bulls or Bears featuring Eventide Investments CEO Robin John, Kent Pearce, Minister of Economic Affairs from the Embassy of Israel Noach Hacker, Robert Hall and Associates CEO Stephen Hall, and Ron Blue Institute founder Ron Blue;
• Impacts of U.S. Self-Inflicted Electricity Crisis: Quantity, Cost, Reliability featuring Storm Technologies Inc. founder and owner Dick Storm, Heritage Foundation Senior Energy Advisor Jack Spencer, Starwood Property Trust Senior Vice President Steve DeRose, and Panex Oil President and CEO RJ Burr; and
• Rhythms of Change, featuring The Grammy Awards Senior Vice President Todd Dupler, OneEight Entertainment CEO Greg Ham, Energize Music CEO and former chief creative of Paramount Nigeria Dr. Tochukwu Macfoy, Dove Awards CEO Jackie Patillo, Cinémoi network President Daphna Ziman, Chavvo Animation CEO Erick Tran, “Walker Texas Ranger” producer Aaron Norris, former DreamWorks Animation Head of Global Franchise Rick Rekedel, Francois Borgel CEO Dimitri Vorontsov, National Relious Broadcasters President and CEO Troy Miller, and Third Coast Films co-founder Brian Williams.

Other events included a preview of Liberty’s Business Accelerator program and a Liberty Human Resource Management Club event.

The 2024 CEO Summit continues on Wednesday when participants will hear from speakers on the digital workforce, value-based healthcare, missions-driven business (in conjunction with Liberty’s Global Focus Week), and the economic outlook. A panel on Africa will feature His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, The Olu of Warri, CFR, and Her Majesty: Olori Atuwatse III, Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom. Malpass will speak at Liberty’s Convocation and former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder, head of Enthusiast Brand Management for Ford Motor Company Dave Rivers, and former U.S. Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard will deliver the closing keynote addresses at dinner.