Each ACS Technologies speaker finds special satisfaction in helping church staff learn ACS programs. Their work puts them in contact with hundreds of churches each year. You’ll benefit from that experience here at the convention! Following is a list of all our certified trainers and speakers. Look for some of them at the convention!

Corporate Trainers

John George, Corporate Trainer

Certification Area: HeadMaster

John has been with ACS Technologies since 2004. Originally from Harrisburg, PA, he moved to South Carolina in 1998 to pursue a career in teaching. After three years in the classroom, John decided to move on to other endeavors. John joined the ACS family as a sales consultant in February 2004, working mainly with the school suite products. In January 2005, he joined the training department as a HeadMaster and Extend trainer. John lives with his wife Dawn, daughter Melina, and two cats. John enjoys reading, wood working and watching movies.

Bill Harrill, Corporate Trainer

Certification Area: Organizations

Bill Harrill, a native of Washington, DC, grew up in North Carolina before moving to South Carolina. He served for over eight years as director of education for two nonprofit organizations in North Carolina. Since 1982, he has worked in two denominational offices as executive director and in a third office as director of development. In addition, he did computer consulting, editing, budgeting, public relations, marketing, public speaking, administration, volunteer training, restructuring, new member enlistment and writing of policy/procedure manuals for a number of South Carolina nonprofit organizations of different sizes. Upon completing his Ph.D. in education in 1987, he performed strategic planning, taught in many nonprofit organizations, and in two graduate schools and completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at hospitals in North and South Carolina. He is married to Sandi, and they have two children and four grandchildren. Bill and Sandi have lived in Myrtle Beach for over 18 years.

Robin Johnson, Corporate Trainer

Certification Areas: ACS People Suite, Financial Suite, Report Desinger, Ministry Scheduler, Volunteer Manager, AccessACS

Robin Johnson joined the ACS team in June of 1998 as a temp. She has worked in many areas of the company including Materials Management, Central Services, People Support, HeadMaster Support, and Technical Support. Robin was previously product lead for the denominational offices. She currently holds the position of corporate trainer. Robin and her husband Keith have six children and 15 grandchildren. 

Independent Trainers

Linda Butler

Linda and her husband Hugh, an ACS user for the South Texas Council of The Assembly of God, live in Conroe, TX, near the Houston area. Linda has been an ACS certified trainer for over 10 years. She previously served as a Sunday school teacher and as a children’s church teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, hiking and swimming.

Kathy Park

Kathy has been an ACS certified trainer since 1998. She has experience as a church business administrator and is a licensed certified public accountant. In her spare time, Kathy enjoys travel and good books. 

David Childers

David and his wife Marcia live in Tucker, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. He has 30 years of full-time ministry experience as a minister of music in North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia. He is currently serving as minister of music at First Baptist Church in Jefferson, GA. David has served as information technologies director at Dunwoody Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. He has 14 years of professional experience as a computer consultant and trainer. He is a Microsoft® Office user specialist and enjoys building Web sites and assisting churches in enhancing their ministry skills with the use of technology and ACS software. His hobbies include fishing, playing sports, and enjoying family time with Marcia and their two teenagers, Emily and Andrew. They also enjoy being grandparents to Hailey, Emily’s daughter.

Fred Forry

Fred and his wife Harriette live in Yorktown, VA. Fred was an ACS client for about seven years before becoming an ACS certified trainer in 2002. He has 17 years of full-time ministry experience as an associate pastor of education, administration and youth and mentor of a denominational office in Virginia. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, gardening, and working in his shop.

Carmen James

Carmen lives in Ovilla, TX, and has been an ACS certified trainer since October 1999. Carmen has 16 years’ experience as a church finance officer and office manager. She has been an ACS user since 1992. In her spare time, she loves being with her three grandchildren and collecting unusual pigs.

Judy Marlow

Judy lives in Acworth, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. She has been with ACS Technologies since 1994 and serves as president of the Georgia ACS user group. Prior to joining ACS Technologies, she worked nine years for a church as a computer coordinator. Judy volunteers at her church as a youth Sunday school teacher and serves on the volunteer management team. When not training, she and her husband enjoy skiing, spending time with their grandson, Camden, and playing with their two puppies.

Pam Shives

Pam lives in Tampa, FL, has been with ACS Technologies since 1993, and was a church administrator prior to that. Pam is a master gardener with the University of Florida. In addition to gardening, she enjoys a variety of crafts and is a needlepointer for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. She is currently working on kneelers for the Military Chapel. Just about every day, Pam is working in a church somewhere in Florida and thoroughly enjoys assisting them with their ministry needs by helping them more fully utilize ACS.

Guest Speakers

Tom Carringer
Tom Carringer is executive director of client analytics and part of the ACS Technologies Senior Management Team. He is a respected church analytics expert and a consultant with over 25 years of expertise in the areas of strategic planning, management consulting, geo-demographic analysis, and denominational statistics. Serving LifeWay® Christian Resources (the world’s largest protestant religious publishing organization) as their lead church consultant, he has personally consulted hundreds of individual churches and affiliated organizations. Tom has also been a pastor and educator with a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Russ Fortier, Manager of Implementation
As an implementation specialist with ACS Technologies, Russ Fortier is responsible for assisting clients with developing solutions that help them succeed in ministry. He is an ordained minister bringing 14 years of church staff experience to the position. He draws heavily on that experience in his work at ACS Technologies developing implementation plans for new and existing clients. He is a graduate of Francis Marion University with a Bachelor of Business Administration concentrating in computer information systems. He has served as a special service consultant with the South Carolina Baptist Convention training churches in leadership development, small groups and Sunday school. He and his wife, Wendy, have two children, Tyler and Davis, and make their home in South Carolina.

Kim Simmons, Library Automation Specialist

Rex Frieze, Church Management Consultant
Rex holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in business and accounting. He is also a certified public accountant. Rex’s secular work experience consists of six years with an international CPA firm and several years as corporate controller for a conglomerate of oil companies. While in the oil business, he felt God’s call to surrender his life, business and financial skills, and professional abilities to full-time Christian service.  Rex has served twelve years as an assistant pastor of administration. While serving in this capacity, he felt led to develop Frieze Consulting, a church management consulting firm. He has spoken at local, regional and national conferences in the areas of church management and administration, minister’s taxation, personal financial planning and biblical principles of finances. Rex is the author of the Frieze Resource Library, a collection of management and administrative resources that assists church leaders in organizing and operating God’s house in a more “decent and orderly” manner. Thousands of churches from all over the country are presently using these resources. You can review these resources at Frieze Consulting’s exhibit booth.

Ken Hicks, Advanced Client Services Manager
Ken Hicks came to ACS Technologies in 1998 to assist in the formation of the Professional Services department. He is currently the advanced client services manager, which includes Professional Services, Data Services, and Customer Care. Ken is a Microsoft Certified Professional, a graduate of Clemson University with an engineering degree, and is also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Ken and his wife Tina have two sons and four grandchildren.

Barry Moon, Implementation Specialist
Helping churches and organizations to grow and be better stewards of their resources is a heart-felt desire of Barry’s. Joining the ACS team in January 2007 as an implementation specialist, Barry brings the knowledge and experience of 14 years of ministerial work in education and administration plus over 10 years of experience as a system engineer in computer support. With a degree in electrical engineering technology and a master’s in Christian education, Barry’s past allows him to bring not only the technical knowledge of computers, networks and software but the relationship and talents of working with people in the many ministries of the church. Barry also has over 14 years of experience using ACS software products in church settings.

Gene Hill, CPA
Gene Hill, a retired IRS appeals officer, is a certified public accountant who specializes in church tax consulting. He conducts church tax seminars and workshops for ministers, church treasurers and church financial secretaries. In 1998, the National Association of Church Business Administration named him the “outstanding contributor to church management,” and the NACBA inducted him into their Church Management Hall of Fame. Gene will lead the Church Tax Law classes.

Lesa Hudson, Assistant to the President & CEO
Lesa has been a member of the ACS team since 1995 and for most of those years has served as the assistant to the president and CEO. She heads up the company’s organizational development initiatives and is responsible for delivering the company’s Excellence Program to all employees. She also manages the company’s leadership development program. Lesa became a certified facilitator for Development Dimensions International, a leading provider of leadership and organizational development programs.

Mark Seymour, Manager of Training & Conventions
Mark joined the ACS team in February of 2001 as the training manager.  Mark has been trained as a church consultant and has earned seminary degrees in church ministry, youth ministry, children’s ministry, and music ministry. His education, combined with 12 years of full-time church staff experience, gives him valuable insight in a number of ministry areas. He has also worked on staff with Awana® Clubs International developing curriculum and training clients and trainers around the world.