Plenary Session Speakers
Christin Ditchfield Lazo
Dr. Christin Ditchfield Lazo is the author of more than 80 books, including the bestselling A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, now in its twenty-first printing. A former internationally syndicated radio host, she has spent more than thirty-five years speaking and teaching on spiritual formation, calling people to a deeper life of faith and a deeper intimacy with Christ.
Christin holds an M.A. in Bible & Theology and a D.Min. in Spiritual Formation, with a focus on the teachings of Henri Nouwen. She is also a Certified Labyrinth Facilitator, trained to lead others in the contemplative Christian practice of praying the labyrinth. Christin met her husband — Lewis scholar and Episcopal priest Dr. Andrew Lazo — when the two were invited to contribute to the book Women and C.S. Lewis.
Steven Beebe
Steven A. Beebe (Ph.D. University of Missouri-Columbia) is Regents’ and University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Texas State University. During his 33 years of service at Texas State he served as Chair of his department for 28 years and also served as Associate Dean of College of Fine Arts and Communication for 25 years. Prior to being on the faculty at Texas State, Dr. Beebe was a tenured faculty member at the University of Miami for 10 years. Steve is the author and co-author of fourteen books (with multiple editions totaling more than 75 books), more than 60 articles and book chapters, as well as over 160 papers and presentations at professional conferences. He is co-author of the first interpersonal communication book published in Russian. His books have also been published in Chinese. Steve’s communication books have been used at hundreds of colleges and universities by millions of readers throughout the world, making him one of the top communication textbook authors in the United States. Dr. Beebe has been a Visiting Scholar at both Oxford University and Cambridge University. He made international headlines when conducting research at Oxford; he identified a manuscript written by author C. S. Lewis that was the partial opening chapter of a book that was to have been co-authored with J. R. R. Tolkien called Language and Human Nature. Steve’s most recent book, C. S. Lewis and the Craft of Communication, is based, in part, on the discovered manuscript fragment. He is Past President of the National Communication Association (NCA), the largest professional communication association in the world. He continues to be in demand as a speaker, consultant, and facilitator for numerous corporate, educational, and government organizations.
Andrew Lazo
The Rev. Dr. Andrew Lazo (B.A., M.A., M.Div., D.Th.M.) is an internationally-recognized C. S. Lewis scholar, speaker, and writer. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Arts (with Honors) from the University of California, Davis, a Master of Arts in Modernist British Literature from Rice University as a Jacob K. Javits Fellow in the Humanities, and an Master of Divinity (with Honors) from Virginia Theological Seminary. In 2026 he earned his Doctor of Theology and Ministry (with Highest Honors) in Romantic Theology from Northwind Seminary, where he also serves as a Distinguished Lecturer.
A prolific contributor to Lewis scholarship, Andrew has edited and contributed to a number of books on Lewis and the Inklings — including Mere Christians (Bold Vision Books, 2018) and Rediscovering Lewis (Pickwick Publications, 2025) — and has a forthcoming book on Joy Davidman with HarperCollins.
Andrew has delivered invited lectures and keynote addresses at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., in Oxford, Cambridge, Belfast, Romania, and all across the United States. Andrew is also the glad husband of author, speaker, and Bible teacher Dr. Christin Ditchfield Lazo.
Retreat Pastor
Todd Arnett
Todd Arnett is the Lead Pastor of High Desert Church in Victorville, CA, a church committed to preparing every generation to change their worlds for Christ. He couldn’t be more grateful for his wife, Joanna, and their kids, Jackson and his wife Sky (parents of our grandsons, Hezekiah & Titus), Aleah and her husband Joe (parents of our grandson, Reid), Kendie & her husband Tyler and Ellie. He enjoys doing most anything with his family, playing and watching team sports and rooting for the UCLA Bruins.
Artists
Joel Ansett
Born and raised in Spokane, WA Joel first started writing songs in the family living room with his sister. It has been a treasured pursuit of his ever since then. Once he graduated high school, he headed east to Grove City College to study History. As graduation approached he had the choice to look for a job in his field or take a bit of a leap and pursue songwriting as a career. He chose the latter and that leap of faith was met with a successfully funded and recorded debut EP entitled “The Living Room.” The response to those songs from family, friends, and new fans was enough to convince him to continue pursuing music as a career.
In 2014 He and his wife moved to Colorado and he began working on his first full-length album. It was successfully crowdfunded and released in November of 2015. Since its release he has independently toured the country, playing colleges, house shows, and small venues. A few songs from that record went on to win songwriting awards. Now with four kids added into his family songwriting is something that has become more than a passion, it’s the piece to a much bigger story. One that God continues to reveal along the way.
Ad Deum Dance Company
Ad Deum Dance Company is a professional modern/contemporary dance company based in Houston, Texas. It is directed by its founder Randall Flinn, who established the company in January 2000.
Ad Deum has toured across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. Their work has been featured in Dance Spirit and Dance Magazine. Ad Deum has performed the works of many choreographers including Steve Rooks (former principal dancer with Martha Graham), Caleb Mitchell (former Houston Ballet dancer), Hope Boykin (Alvin Ailey), Stephen Wynne (Talk Dance Company), Bill Wade (Inlet Dance Theatre), Durell Comedy (Limon Dance Company), and Ryan Corriston (former dancer with Doug Varrone), as well as the works of Mr. Flinn and Ad Deum Company members.
Ad Deum’s purpose is to create and perform relevant and redemptive dance works that maintain a high standard of integrity, excellence and artistry, offering beauty, grace, and hope to those they serve.
Breakout Speakers in addition to Steven Beebe, Andrew Lazo, and Christin Ditchfield Lazo…
Terry Lindvall
Terry Lindvall (BA, Vanguard University; MDiv, Fuller Theological Seminary; PhD, University of Southern California) occupies the C. S. Lewis Chair of Communication and Christian Thought at Batten (nee Virginia Wesleyan) University. He taught courses on Communication, Theology, Laughter and Film at Duke University Divinity School, Wheaton College, Azusa Pacific University, Regent University, and was the Mason Fellow at the College of William and Mary.
He published fifteen books including his first, Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C. S. Lewis (Thomas Nelson, 1996), Sanctuary Cinema (NYU Press, 2007), God Mocks: A History of Religious Satire from the Hebrew Prophets to Stephen Colbert (NYU Press, 2015), Divine Film Comedies (Routledge, 2016), Animated Parables (Lexington Press, 2023).
His students won National Student Academy Awards (Bird in a Cage, 1986; Turtle Races, Silver, 1988) and he produced the documentary feature film, Hollywood, Teach us to Pray (2023), based on his book, God on the Big Screen (NYU Press, 2019).
He is married to musician and former Virginia Tech basketball player, Karen, with two children (Chris, a comedy writer in LA, and Caroline with husband Cary, both Middle School English teachers in Virginia Beach, with two hilarious grandchildren, Joyjoy and Charles Edward Joseph V.) Even though he lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, he doesn’t like walks on the beach, but he did enjoy a sabbatical living in the Kilns when it was still in disrepair in 1985.
Lori Arnold
Lori Arnold holds a PhD from Texas A&M University. She is a professor of writing with a speciality in first year writing and cultural rhetoric at the University of Houston Downtown.
Her work primarily focuses on the intersection of life writing and motherhood studies in discourse communities on the internet. Lori lives in Houston, TX with her husband, Nathan and their four children.
She is a lover of both C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen. Passion for studying the work of C.S. Lewis first motivated her to pursue graduate school. She has been working with the C.S. Lewis Foundation since 2012.
Lancia Smith
Lancia is a member and advisor on the Leadership Council of the C.S. Lewis Foundation, serving in a variety of capacities including our Program Planning Committee (various events) and organizational development consulting.
A grateful lover of the Triune God, Lancia is the Founder & Publisher of Cultivating Oaks Press, Cultivating, and the Executive Director of The Cultivating Project. She has gratefully served in executive management, church leadership, school boards, and Art & Faith organizations for more than 35 years. She has done extensive support counseling for the bereaved, trauma and abuse survivors, and recovering addicts and alcoholics. Lancia’s core calling is discipleship, especially for those wrestling with difficult pasts and gifted with creative inclinations.
Now empty nesters, Lancia & her husband Peter make their home in the Black Forest of Colorado. Lancia loves land reclamation, website and print design, beautiful typography, road trips, being read aloud to by Peter, & cherishes every book she ever read by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Jason Smith
Jason Smith holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Theological Seminary at Houston Christian University and a B.A. in English Literature from The College of William & Mary. He spent the first twenty-five years of his career helping to lead startups and scaleups in a variety of sectors, including residential garden design, community management, writing and publishing, medical device engineering, and church & parachurch ministry.
In addition to his work for the C.S. Lewis Foundation, Jason is Senior Editor for Acquisitions & Development at Wootton Major Publishing, serves on the board of the pop-academic cultural apologetics periodical An Unexpected Journal, and moonlights as a strategic consultant for businesses and nonprofits navigating growth, change, and leadership transitions.
Jason is the pseudonymous author of various books, including the much-loved young adult fantasy series Fayborn.
Steven Elmore
Steven Elmore is the President of the C.S. Lewis Foundation and the Managing Director at C.S. Lewis Foundation UK. He has over 20 years of experience working at nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, including serving as a community college adjunct professor (English composition), software instructor (basic to advanced MS Office), GED instructor (science, history), test preparation tutor, and in a wide range of office management and administration roles. His specific skill sets include event management, teaching/training, team leadership, program management, writing, communications strategy, strategic planning, and computer technology. He is also a writer for Cultivating.
Steven earned his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a business emphasis from Pepperdine University and his Master of Arts in in Literature and Film from Claremont Graduate University.
Amber Salladin
Amber Salladin serves as the Arts and Ministry Director for the C.S. Lewis Foundation. She has over twenty years of experience as a conductor, church musician, worship leader, and educator in the US, Canada, and the UK. She serves as Music Director for Emmanuel Anglican Church in New York City, and and is Co-Artistic Director for Inspire: A Choir for Unity. She is also a music teacher at The Geneva School of Manhattan.
Amber holds a Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.) from Wheaton College and a Masters of Music in Conducting (M.M.) from the University of Southern California.
Kirk Manton
As the founder of CATALYST C & F Development, Kirk Manton specializes in project collaboration and fundraising. He helps advance his clients’ missions through fostering collaborative relationships between organizations and individuals. Kirk brings over thirty years of experience to service in various leadership roles with the C.S. Lewis Foundation, Cultivating Oaks Press, and six of its sister organizations.
Kirk is a a member and advisor on the Leadership Council of the C.S. Lewis Foundation. He has served in a variety of capacities including our Event Management Team (various events) and Production & Scheduling Manager (various events). He currently serves as Director of Project Development at the Foundation and as Director of Development for C.S. Lewis College.
Kirk served the local church as a youth pastor for over 10 years. Since that time he has worked in the film and video production and the event production industry. He trained and worked for years on all kinds of film and video projects as a freelance lighting technician and he help found and manage a film lighting rental company in Orange County California. Kirk then transitioned into event production managing for companies such as The Disney Hotel and The Amarillo Civic Center. In 2004, Kirk became the Director of Production Services for Trinity Fellowship, a mega church, there in Amarillo. In 2020, Kirk embarked on a new adventure as the COO for the Amarillo based, Sharpened Iron Studios, an ambitious film studio complex, production company, and film crew train program.
Kirk earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies at The Union Institutes.
* Program schedule, program elements, and speaker/artist lineup is subject to change.
