Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Urbana Conference
Conference Director
Madison, Wisconsin
Age: 37
Resume: Every three years, the Urbana Conference brings together thousands of young people from around the world to help them understand their place in God’s larger global mission. Nikki Toyama-Szeto is responsible for developing all the conference’s content to achieve this goal. “I help bring to life God’s word in a way that this generation can understand,” says Toyama-Szeto, who attended Urbana five times before becoming its conference director. Prior to landing what she calls her “dream job,” she worked in campus ministry, where she “began to see the enormous potential young adults have. They make decisions that go on to impact them and their churches and their careers, and they’re not scared to question assumptions about their life.”
Finding Speakers: “One of the things this gen has is a passion for the world and a belief they can make a difference. They have a heart for justice, and we see that in their outpouring of service and voluntourism. I try to think about speakers who are keyed into that and take it to the next level.” She wants speakers to be both prophetic and relevant, but the No. 1 thing she looks at is who the person is. “Not their message, but who they are. We think about what the message will be later.”
Career Highlight: “Directing Urbana09′s program, which involved corralling a diverse group of creatives to develop a scripture-based, artfully intriguing program of worship, theater, dance, speakers and film.”
Inspiration: “In him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28
Industry Mentors: Paul Tokunaga, Jim Tebbe, Jeanette Yep, Marilyn Stewart, Mary Anne Voelkel
Dream Speaker: “No specific name comes to mind, but I could describe her. Someone who hasn’t been discovered but has a relevant, prophetic message, backed by a lifestyle that testifies to the truth that she believes in.”
Last Place You Vacationed: Portugal
Worst Industry Buzzword: Out-of-the-box thinking
Professional Pet Peeve: “When folks don’t realize that their one change affects 30 others (the sound folks, the lighting folks, the stage manager) and just decide to do it.”
First Job: Copying rent checks at a property management company
Blog: The View from Stage Right at urbana.org/blogs
The Toyama-Szeto Profile:
iPhone | Carry-on | Window seat | Coffee and tea | Dress pants | Facebook
—Libby Hoppe
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