In every generation, there are leaders who not only cast vision but cultivate others to carry it forward. They lead not for applause but for impact, not to be admired but to multiply faithfulness. For me, that leader has a name: Dr. Dave Hillis.
But to understand what he planted in my life, you have to trace the flame he carried. That flame belongs to Tom Skinner.
Tom Skinner was a prophet, a pastor, and a revolutionary. Born in Harlem in 1942, Skinner rose from gang leadership to become one of the most compelling voices in American evangelicalism. With clarity and courage, he preached a gospel that refused to ignore racism, injustice, or cultural complacency. At Urbana ’70, his message “Racism and World Evangelism” ignited a fire in the hearts of thousands—mine included, even if I would hear it years later.
Skinner didn’t just preach to crowds; he formed leaders. He built the Newark Learning Center, a high-touch, high-tech space where urban youth could grow in literacy, moral clarity, vocational purpose, and spiritual depth. He challenged systems and loved people. He taught the Word and shaped the world. Though he never used the phrase “just society,” his entire ministry bent in that direction: communities remade by the presence and power of Christ.
Dr. Dave Hillis picked up that flame and carried it forward in a new but connected way. I met Dr. Hillis in 1982 at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, WA. I was just beginning my faith journey, and he was my Young Life leader. When I gave my life to Christ, it was Dave who walked with me. He wasn’t just leading meetings—he was mentoring me. He taught me how to lead with presence, how to walk with integrity, and how to listen for God in the middle of ordinary life.
Because of him, I joined Young Life staff after college. And when the time came in 2009 to step away from YL and start my own nonprofit, it was Dave I called. He introduced me to the Leadership Foundations network, which he led as President, and in doing so, he helped me find the framework to build something that could last beyond a single season. His belief in place-based transformation, spiritual leadership, and systemic engagement became the scaffolding for what would become the Resurgence Leadership Foundation.
Through Leadership Foundations, Dave expanded Skinner’s legacy. Where Skinner built locally, Dave multiplied globally. The Leadership Foundations network empowered city-based leaders to love their communities with wisdom and intentionality. Through tools like the Wheel of Change and the mantra of turning “cities into playgrounds instead of battlegrounds,” Dave translated Skinner’s prophetic DNA into a reproducible, scalable model for local leadership.
And now, at Resurgence, we carry both of their legacies forward. We are building on the integrated vision of Skinner’s Newark Learning Center and the scalable strategy of Hillis’ Leadership Foundations. Our programs like the Barnabas Project and CoorPro invest in young leaders not just to make them competent, but to make them rooted. We believe that spiritual formation, character development, and social transformation belong together. We believe that justice is not a side project—it is the fruit of godly leadership.
Today, I can say without hesitation: I am part of Dr. Hillis’ coaching tree. And by God’s grace, I am nurturing the next branches.
So, this article is more than a thank-you. It’s an artifact. A record of legacy. A testimony of faith passed down through relationship. From Skinner’s flame to Hillis’ stewardship to my calling in Resurgence, this is the story of how Christ multiplies transformation through men and women who are willing to invest in others.
Dr. Hillis, thank you. You taught me how to lead rooted, so I could help others rise. And for that, I am forever grateful.
