About Change Course

James Green is a successful entrepreneur and Des Moines native who has built his career by following his curiosity. With a background in business, marketing, and technology, James and his partners built ActualTech Media, a marketing services company, which they grew for a decade before selling it to Future PLC in 2022. Driven by his passion for making a positive impact, James continues to explore new opportunities in various industries, building organizations oriented around great people.

Alongside his professional pursuits, James is a dedicated husband and father to Carly and four young children. His strong sense of community extends to his faith, where he volunteers as a musician and Life Group leader at his church. James' approach to spirituality is characterized by his willingness to ask awkward questions, fostering a sense of community built on shared curiosity and the desire to live a fulfilling life.

Kim L. Smith grew up in the Des Moines area and has practiced law in West Des Moines for over 30 years. He also spent over 5 years with an international CPA firm. He is President of K. L. Smith, P.C., a successful law firm that handles tax planning and compliance, estate planning and documentation, and helps small businesses in planning and organization.

He and his wife, Carol, enjoy time with their 2 children and 3 grandchildren, who all live nearby. They also assist their parents, who also live in the area.

Kim is on the Board of Hope Ministries. He volunteers on the worship team at church also sharing his love of singing with local assisted living centers. He also enjoys playing tennis.

Jeff Johnson is an accomplished CEO with over 23 years of experience running his 4th generation family business, Johnson Machine Works. He is also the founder of his own executive coaching service, Artists + Writers, as well as Crossroads Apologetics, a ministry focused on sharing Christian Apologetic resources in the Des Moines Area and worldwide. He is honored to serve on the board of directors at Change Course as well as Brandon McNace Ministries. Jeff is a sought-after public speaker and currently serves on the speaking team at CrossTrainers DesMoines. He is a devoted husband to his wife of 25 years, Danielle, and a loving father to his exceptional children Meredith, Noah, Hannah, and Emmett. From growing up in a small town in southern Iowa to enjoying the success of a life well lived, Jeff believes that it’s not the final achievement that counts as much as the character built along the journey.

Tom Budler retired from the Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company family of businesses in February 2022 after 35 years of service. Tom worked for MidAmerican Energy Company for 25 of those years in various capacities including generation construction and operations, gas and electric operations, and wind generation development, construction, and operations. In 2012 Tom transitioned to BHE Renewables, LLC where he was responsible for growing its nationwide wind generation portfolio. In 2015 he also assumed additional responsibility to initiate, grow and manage BHE Renewables’ tax equity investment portfolio.

Tom has been married to his wife Cindy for 25 wonderful years and they reside in Norwalk, Iowa. He is a member of Valley Evangelical Free Church and volunteers regularly with the Hand-In-Hand Special Needs Ministry and the Valley Disaster Relief team.

Jerry and Nancy Foster have been married for 44 years and reside in Des Moines, Iowa. They have four children and numerous grandchildren.

Jerry is the founder of Foster Group, which is a wealth management firm, serving over 1,500 families and organizations. He is also the author of LifeFocus; Achieving a Life of Purpose and Influence. Nancy has dedicated her life to pouring into her family and mentoring women all over the world.

Together, Jerry and Nancy spoke with FamilyLife marriage conferences for over 22 years. They’ve also been involved in the development of a sustainable economic and personal development model in El Rosario, Guatemala with several other couples. They are passionate about helping change the paradigm for others and creating sustainable life change.

Karin and Joseph have been married for 42 years with four kids and six grandchildren. Karin was a gymnastics coach for 25 years with a passion to help young people achieve their goals through structure and hard work. Her love for the kids made her very successful in developing very competitive teams.

Responding to a conviction that the next generation of leaders needs to understand how to use the bible as their guide, Karin began teaching a weekly millennial generation bible study over 15 years ago which still continues today.

Using her gifts of teaching and mercy, Karin has counseled women and struggling marriages for many years after experiencing many challenges in her own family from marriage struggles to family member addiction, recovery, and incarceration.

After making poor choices at age 35 in an effort to be someone I really wasn’t, life fell apart with my marriage and my relationships and as a family, we lost everything. Those choices led to incarceration in a federal prison camp in Yankton, SD where I would begin a complete change in the course of my life. In prison, I would meet men who would change my view of who had opportunities in this country and who didn’t. I came to realize that many of the men, most of whom would be released and return within 3 years of their release, did not have the same opportunity for change that I did. I was surrounded by a loving community, given a chance at a new career because of that community, and had the opportunity to have a successful career in business over the last 25 years. 

In February of 2022, I left the business world determined to really make a difference and respond to the burden that has been on my heart for the last 25 years. That is why in February of 2022 we founded Change Course. Karin and I are committed to creating the community and opportunities for the less fortunate stuck in poverty or the cycle of prison so they can become a leader and change the course of their lives.