Our Team & Approach
We believe impact starts with purpose
Many of us started with a clear sense of purpose and calling. Along the way, most of us drift, get stuck, and lose sight of our unique identity, purpose, and story. At Ripple Effect, we start with our “why” and then build a custom coaching plan to match your needs and direction.
MARK YEADON
CEO, Ripple Effects
Mark recently retired from an executive leadership role with Compassion International of over 35 years. In this time he and his family lived in Ecuador for 7 years, and had a significant opportunity to learn from the global body of Christ, being responsible for partnerships with over 7,000 local churches across the world in the Global South. “I have a very deep conviction that Jesus entrusted the church, the Body of Christ, with being his hands and feet along with bringing the good news of the gospel to a lost and hurting world.”
Mark and his wife Teri have been married for over 40 years. They have 4 grown children and 10 grandchildren, all living in Colorado Springs.
Mark has been on boards, chaired boards, and been staff under significant boards for many years now. His passion in advisory or consulting roles is to ensure that we are deeply entrenched in the vision and mission of work that advances God’s kingdom here on earth, and our decisions are both spirit led and continually lead us towards that vision.
EXECUTIVE COACHING, ORG. DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
We take a team approach
We believe that “we’re better together” and that by creating a team, we can build custom leadership experiences for nearly any person and organization. We have multiplied years of practical leadership experience both in the U.S and internationally at all organizational levels, across organizational disciplines, and are well versed in multiple tool sets.
MATT LINDELL
COO, Ripple Effects
LEADERSHIP COACHING, OPS. CONSULTING
Matt spent nearly twenty years with Compassion International and led Global Program Strategy and Operations. “I love building nonprofits and the opportunity to come alongside leaders and help them take the next step in their journey!” His time at Compassion gave him deep insights into operations management, international culture and leadership, and strategy development and execution design. He also loves getting to the “heart” of operations helping leaders assess and improve their emotional intelligence.
Matt and his wife have been married for over 20 years. They founded and lead Not Alone Ministries, a nonprofit ensuring single moms are “seen, loved, and supported.” They also have three teenage children and live in Colorado Springs.
Ripple Effects
Ultimately, we want to see impact and transformation in the leader and those whom they lead, whether in the office, in their family, church, or community. Our vision is about more than climbing the next rung on the ladder, it’s about having lasting impact and influence on this generation and the ones to come!
BRENDA KERLS
Brenda served nearly 25 years at Compassion International, spending many of those years professionally coaching those leading a team and those wanting to step into leadership. The highlight of her career was during the Leadership Development Program enabling young adults, who have grown up in poverty, to step into leadership roles and be the change in their own communities. “My greatest joy in leadership is to come alongside others; allowing them to see their gifts, abilities, and how God can use them in His work.”
Brenda and her husband Randy have been married for over 40 years, and they have one grown son, living in Los Angeles. She holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and in her free time, she leads a Bible Study, attends Air Force Hockey games, and loves to fellowship with friends around good foods and games.
Brenda also serves as Board Secretary for Altered Stories Ministry, a Christian Women’s evangelistic storytelling ministry that exists to help women share their God stories so women around the world can hear them.
LEADERSHIP COACHING, TEAM DEVELOPMENT, GROUP TRAINING
JOSE CARRASCO
LEADERSHIP COACHING, PASTORAL LEADERSHIP
Jose spent the last 22 years serving at Compassion International as a Country Director, Regional Director and most recently as the Senior Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. In those roles, in addition to leading large international teams, Jose gained a passion for developing leaders through a transparent, direct, and honest approach rooted in love. As a former pastor, Jose leads out of a shepherd’s heart for people and their holistic health and development.
Jose completed the Coaching Mastery Certificate Program and has done work with Organizational Leadership from Center of Creative Leadership, Gallup, Strength Finders. Born in Peru, Jose has a heart of Latin people and culture and specializes in Nonprofit Organizations, Operations Management, Conflict Resolution, and Executive Coaching. Jose was the 2015 Compassion International Manager of the Year and a 2015 Gallup Manager of the Year finalist.
THOMAS CARLSON
For nearly 22 years Thomas was a serial entrepreneur. He founded or co-founded six businesses in both the US and overseas in fields as diverse as construction, graphic design, and water bottling. He has an extensive cross-cultural background which includes living 10 years in the Middle East, traveling with significant cultural exposure in over 50 countries, and operating at different times in four other languages. He is fluent in Arabic. Thomas has also served as a professional educator, teaching recently as a Professor of Philosophy at CSU and Pikes Peak State College. He has given guest lectures in many academic and professional contexts over the last 25 years on topics like business, startup principles, philosophy, theology, world religions, and cultural intelligence. For the last five years he has been serving entrepreneurs around the world to help them found creative and economy-impacting businesses, and he founded a non-profit, ECatalyst, to serve those entrepreneurs in the developing world.
Thomas has his BA from Cornell University in Mathematics, Psychology, and Religion, and graduated summa cum laude in his MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, and in his spare time loves hiking, traveling, playing good music, and enjoying good meals with great people.
LEADERSHIP COACHING, CONSULTING, TEAM DEVELOPMENT
LEADERSHIP COACHING, CONSULTING, TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Jack Wilson
Jack Wilson is a seasoned leadership development professional with over 30 years of experience, specializing in Strengths-Based Development and Employee Engagement. A certified Gallup Strengths Coach, Jack has dedicated his career to helping leaders and organizations harness their strengths to drive performance and engagement. During his 26-year tenure at Compassion International, he coached hundreds of leaders, facilitated numerous workshops globally, and played a pivotal role in shaping leadership practices within the organization.
As the manager of Compassion International’s Employee Engagement program, Jack led efforts that resulted in the organization winning the Gallup Great Workplace Award for five consecutive years. His passion for empowering others and creating effective, strengths-based workplaces has left a lasting impact both personally and professionally. In addition to his professional achievements, Jack has been married to his wife, Marie, for 46 years. Together, they have raised four adult daughters and are proud grandparents of three.
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL, EXECUTIVE COACHING
Jake Stum, PhD
Jake has more than 20 years of leadership experience, much of that in international contexts. Most recently he was the Executive Director of an international relief and development organization. He has an extensive background in organizational growth and leadership, fundraising and resource development, team building and relational dynamics, strategy development and execution, and organizational culture and psychology which he has been able to apply in many different types of organizations: churches, non-profits, and small businesses. Ultimately, Jake loves to help other people solve problems and remove obstacles from their path as they pursue personal and organizational objectives. His specialty is providing custom strategy solutions for his clients
Jake lives in TN with his wife Merica of 26 years and his 3 boys. Even though Jake lives in TN now, he was born and raised in KY which means he loves both UK basketball and TN football. In his spare time, you can catch him fly fishing, riding motorcycles, cooking, or spending time with his friends and family.