Working For Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work with Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels

InterVarsity MBA Ministry in Partnership with Women Scholars and Professionals, Faith & Work Movement, Voca Center, and Resource Global is glad to host the "Working For Better" webinar discussion with Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels on their book, arriving this August!

In a world where workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse, Working for Better by Elaine Howard Ecklund and Denise Daniels offers a timely guide for Christians navigating the modern faith-at-work landscape. Drawing from over twenty years of research and personal insights, Working for Better presents a groundbreaking exploration of how to express Christian faith in professional settings without compromising beliefs or alienating others.

The Zoom room will open at 6:45 PM CDT, and there will be an optional informal discussion opportunity until 8:45 PM CDT for those who would like to stay longer.

About our Speakers:

Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund is an internationally recognized sociologist, speaker, and thought leader whose work helps Christians wrestle faithfully and intelligently with the complexities of modern public life. She explores how our deepest values—especially religious and ethical commitments—inform our work, leadership, and civic engagement. Elaine holds the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences at Rice University, where she directs the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance.

A prolific scholar and public intellectual, Elaine has authored nine books, over 150 peer-reviewed articles, and led more than twenty major research initiatives on religion, science, institutional culture, and workplace diversity. Her work calls Christian leaders to love their neighbors in ways shaped by both social science and a Christian vision for human dignity, justice, and shared purpose.

Elaine is known for thought leadership, mentoring emerging scholars, and convening global gatherings across lines of difference. Her current work focuses on mentoring as institutional leadership, faith in the workplace, and the theological and civic implications of the religion-science dialogue. She believes the church needs voices that can translate complexity with compassion—and ground cultural engagement in both spiritual wisdom and empirical evidence.

Denise Daniels is the inaugural Hudson T. Harrison Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship at Wheaton College (IL). Previously she was a Professor of Management at Seattle Pacific University, where she also served as the Associate Dean and Interim Dean in the School of Business, Government, and Economics (SBGE), and as the university’s Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives.

Denise earned her undergraduate degree from Wheaton College (IL) where she majored in business/economics and psychology, and her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Washington. Her scholarly interests include meaningful work, Sabbath, leadership, gender, and motivation. Denise has produced a number of Faith & Co. films, which are designed to deepen connections between faith and work (www.faithand.co). She has co-authored several books including, Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work (Hendrickson, 2019) and Religion in a Changing Workplace (Oxford, 2024). She has another book under contract called Working for Better (IVP, 2025). The two most recent books are based on a 5-year $1.8 million research project on which she was the co-principal investigator, examining how people in the United States understand and engage their faith at work.

Denise is an outside board member for Investortools, a FinTech company creating investment system solutions for institutional investors. She also serves on the board of the Theology of Work Project, an independent international non-profit that creates and curates biblical, theological, and pastoral resources related to work.

Denise has been married to Craig Barwell for 30 years; they have four adolescent and young adult children and one grandchild.