Speakers

Dr. David Sandberg serves as Chief Workforce Officer at Covenant House Texas, a position he started in November, 2025 after a distinguished career as a pediatric neurosurgeon. Until June 2025, Dr. Sandberg served as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed neurosurgery residency training at Weill/Cornell Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. After residency, he completed fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  After eight years on the faculty of the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami and Miami Children’s Hospital, he moved to Houston in 2012. Dr. Sandberg has a longstanding interest in neurosurgery in low- and middle- income countries. In 2019, he was awarded the Humanitarian Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, one of the highest honors bestowed by this organization. In 2025, Dr. Sandberg published “Brain and Heart: The Triumphs and Struggles of a Pediatric Neurosurgeon.”

Gary D. Ratliff began his law enforcement career with the League City Police  Department in 1985 as a patrol officer. Over the course of his distinguished career, he served in every bureau within the department as both an officer and a supervisor.

Between 1987 and 2006, Chief Ratliff held numerous leadership and specialized assignments, including Detective, Detective Sergeant, Hostage Negotiator, Assistant Commander and Commander of the Combined Agency Response Team (CART), Public Information Officer, Internal Affairs, Lieutenant, and Captain. In 2006, he was appointed Assistant Chief of Police, a position he held until 2018, when he was promoted to Chief of Police. He retired from the League City Police Department in June 2023 after over 38 years of service.

Chief Ratliff holds a Bachelor of Business Management degree from LeTourneau University and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management from Sam Houston State University. He is also a graduate of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) and the FBI National Academy.

In June 2024, Chief Ratliff joined the West University Place Police Department as Assistant Chief of Police. He was formally sworn in as Chief of Police in February 2025.

Shawn Alex Nemeth is a talented speaker, author, coach, and entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to helping childhood trauma survivors heal and thrive.  After suffering horrific abuse as a child, Nemeth threw himself into nonprofit work as an adult.   Working around the world to help others heal, he spoke to audiences numbering in the thousands throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America, while his inner child suffered in silence.  The silence broke in 2009, when Nemeth was hospitalized with PTSD.  He learned that the long years of trauma had been encoded in his brain and body, as happens to many survivors of abuse and neglect. With treatment, courage, and self-compassion, Nemeth began the long road to recovery and founded the Chester Street Foundation (CSF) to give traumatized children a voice.  CSF aims to shine a light on childhood trauma through education and advocacy.  In addition to his work with Chester Street Foundation, Nemeth shares his inspiring story with audiences large and small as a professional speaker and through his book, Thorns of Chester Street.

Rover Oaks Pet Resorts in Houston and Katy, Texas. He and a partner founded the first luxury resort in 2001; and then Steve sold the two businesses in 2016 to devote more time to faith, family and friends. Before venturing into the pet world, Steve received his bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree in exercise physiology from Wake Forest University, followed by a very successful 20-year career in the health and fitness arena. Most of those “pre-pet” years were devoted to developing and managing corporate fitness centers for Fortune 500 companies including Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, Chevron, Abbot Laboratories, and Citibank.

Steve’s community service activities have included volunteering and supporting a number of non-profit agencies including the American Heart Association, Citizens for Animal Protection, PAWS Houston, and Christian Community Service Center. He has also served on the board of directors of the American Heart Association/Houston Division, Lakes of 610 Property Owners Association, and PAWS Houston, a Houston agency that helped sustain relationships between pet owners and their pets for terminally ill or chronically ill patients.

Steve is married to Patti Osburn, and they live in Bellaire, Texas. Steve and Patti are devoted members of Bellaire United Methodist Church where Steve has served in a number of leadership and committee roles.
In 2016, when Steve was serving as Lay Leader, he met Gaston Warner, CEO of Zoe Empowers. After their short conversation, Steve became intrigued by the organization and the empowerment model that Gaston had described. So he studied Zoe’s website and read the Annual Review….and he was hooked! Since that time, Steve and Patti have led the effort at their church to support Zoe. As a result, either the church or individual church members have become empowerment partners for a total of 21 groups and 1,837 orphans and vulnerable children.