Speakers
At Missions Conference, you'll get to hear from these ministry leaders, authors, professors and missionaries.

Nard Pugyao
Wednesday Morning Keynote
Nard Pugyao
Wednesday Morning Keynote
Nard Pugyao is a first-generation Isnag Christian from the Philippines. His passion for mission aviation and Bible translation spans more than 46 years.
Nard and his wife, Sandy, joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1977, and just recently retired as of January 31, 2024 after serving over 46 years. Nard was a JAARS pilot/mechanic and Sandy was a teacher. Nard’s most memorable flight was delivering the first 500 copies of the Isnag New Testament to his home village in 1982.
Nard trained at LeTourneau College and Moody Bible Institute and his wife Sandy graduated from Bryan College with a BS degree in Elementary Education. In 1996, he was named “Moody Bible Institute Alumnus of the Year.”
Nard and Sandy have two sons and three grandchildren. They reside in Waxhaw, NC.

Dr. Ruth Anna Spooner
Wednesday Evening Keynote
Dr. Ruth Anna Spooner
Wednesday Evening Keynote
After dabbling in teaching, writing and literature—both at the high school and college levels—Ruth Anna felt called to leave her job as a professor of English at the Rochester Institute of Technology in order to join the Deaf Harbor Chronological Bible Translation team in 2019. Since then, she has worked full-time for Deaf Harbor and DOOR International as a translator and a translation resource developer. She loves working in translation full-time, as literary translation was her area of specialty in her Ph.D. studies. In her free time, Ruth Anna (who has been deaf since before age two) enjoys reading, creative writing, playing sports, and traveling—especially to her home state of Idaho.

Mark Lowenstein
Wednesday Evening Keynote
Mark Lowenstein
Wednesday Evening Keynote
Mark Lowenstein serves as the Vice President of Deaf Relations with Pioneer Bible Translators, where he leads efforts to translate The Action Bible into multiple sign languages around the world. A devoted minister of the Gospel for more than 26 years, Mark has dedicated his life to making Scripture accessible to Deaf communities everywhere.
He is married to his wife, Michelle Lowenstein, and together they have three adult daughters and two grandsons. Outside of ministry, Mark enjoys hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, weight training, and traveling—activities that reflect his love for adventure and the beauty of God’s creation.

Dr. Danny Foster
Thurday Morning Keynote
Dr. Danny Foster
Thursday Morning Keynote
Rev. Dr. Danny Foster has served with Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada since 2002. He and his wife, Ranette, spent ten years in East Africa where they helped launch 19 Bible translation projects. Today, over 5 million people in the region now have access to Scripture in their heart languages. They returned to Canada and since 2014, Danny has served as President of the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL). CanIL operates out of Trinity Western University, Tyndale University, and Northwest Seminary as a training partner for Bible translation organizations around the world. Danny holds a BA in Theology, an MA in Linguistics, a PhD in Education, and a postgraduate diploma in Research Methods.

Dr. Winfred Neely
Closing Session Keynote
Dr. Winfred Neely
Closing Session Keynote
Dr. Winfred Neely served as the Biblical Preaching program head and as the division chair for Applied Theology at Moody Bible Institute. He also ministers as the senior pastor at Judson Baptist Church. Winfred contributed to the Moody Handbook of Theology (Moody Publishers) and wrote How to Overcome Worry: Experiencing the Peace of God in Every Situation (Moody Publishers). He graduated from Trinity Evangelical School with a DMin. Winfred and his wife, Stephne, live in Chicago and have four children and nine grandchildren.
Moody Bible Institute
Moody exists to proclaim the gospel and equip people to be biblically grounded, practically trained, and to engage the world through gospel-centered living. In short, we prepare people for their purpose and calling!
