TEAM

Created by our Creator to create and help you create

LORI RUFFIN

Passionate about helping visionary leaders fulfill their purpose and focus on their passion, I leverage my corporate, national and international non-profit experience to help small businesses and non-profits.  It is my pleasure to join you on your journey and help you and your organization get the operational systems you need to grow and expand.
My focus has been developing frameworks, facilitating processes and projects and special skills include strategic planning, brand and collateral development, designing and improving processes to deliver products and services to customers, and I have a special affinity for anything systems related.

DR. DAN CARLTON

Dan Carlton has served as a pastor for over 25 years,  currently pastoring Culpeper Baptist Church.  He enjoys pastoring legacy churches and helping them renew relationships with their communities through relevant ministries and collaborative efforts with community partners.  He currently serves on the Boards at Averett University, Lifespire of Virginia,  Smart Beginnings Rappahannock, and the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce.  He believes that partnerships between business acceleration and faith community could once again bring the church back to meaningful relationships and impactful presence in their communities. He is married to Emily and they have three children (Frances, Allie, and Will).

SOMIAH LATTIMORE

Somiah Lattimore serves in a joint role between VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation and  Lighthouse Labs to strengthen support of student-founded companies around the Commonwealth of Virginia by providing access to acceleration, capital, and workforce development. Somiah is an internationally recognized design educator and award-winning creative director. She enjoys serving her community, watching football, and cruising the Chesapeake Bay with her husband Adam, daughters Violet, Lilly Blake, and Laney Jane, and dogs Bud and Beamer.

CHRIS BENNETT

Chris is a consultant and facilitator with The Spark Mill. Prior to The Spark Mill, Chris spent 15 years as a pastor in small medium and large congregations of the UMC. Chris has been helping clients develop creative and strategic solutions to their organizational challenges. In 2016, Chris partnered with Todd to create the Ministry Accelerator which has graduated 17 local church ministries. He and his wife, Jill, live in Richmond with their two boys, Henry and Nicholas.

TODD NUCKOLS

Todd Nuckols, is a four-time software entrepreneur over the past 25 years, including companies in mobile, analytic and business intelligence sectors. Currently, he serves as CTO at DPL Financial Partners.  Eight years ago, Todd co-founded and led Lighthouse Labs, a nationally recognized non-profit startup accelerator in central Virginia. Todd is dedicated to connecting our region’s brightest founders with experienced mentorship, capital, and resources that enable them to succeed.  He loves his wife, Jamie and two daughters Maggie and Ellie and currently resides in Roswell, GA.