E-Colleague

Darla Norgren has been hired as the Portland Center operations manager. She will begin in the position on Nov. 24.

Debora Herb-Sepich’s (Business) paper, “Resiliency Through Connectedness: Female Social Entrepreneurs, Self-Efficacy and the Power of Epiphanies,” has been accepted for presentation at the 2015 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference in Tampa, Fla., Jan. 22-25. According to the organization, the acceptance is especially noteworthy given the large number of submissions the USASBE received this year. Debora’s paper is part of the “The Entrepreneur and Diverse Theories of Entrepreneurial Behaviors” session.

Jim Steele (Business) published an article, “HR Certification: Evaluating a ‘Free’ Credential by Applying What We Know,” in the Oct. 10 issue of the HR news site TLNT.com, dedicated to covering talent management and human resources.

Sarita Gallagher (Christian Studies) published her dissertation work, Abrahamic Blessing: A Missiological Narrative of Revival in Papua New Guinea, through Pickwick Publications, a division of Wipf and Stock Publishers. In the book, she compares the missional nature of the Abrahamic blessing motif in Scripture to a national revival that took place in Papua New Guinea. By identifying the shared missional patterns, she illustrates the continued fulfillment of the Abrahamic blessing through the Old and New Testaments and the contemporary Papua New Guinean church.

Abigail Rine’s (English) book Irigaray, Incarnation and Contemporary Women’s Fiction was recently awarded the 2014 Annual Book Prize from the Feminist and Women’s Studies Association. The prize is sponsored by Palgrave Macmillan. Rine’s book, published in 2013 by Bloomsbury, traces a “theology of incarnation” through the works of several prominent contemporary women novelists.

Tim Timmerman (Art and Design) is currently exhibiting several pieces of artwork in the Portland International Airport. He also had 12 sculptures featured at the Guardino Gallery in Portland in September. In October he curated the exhibit “Contesseration” at Oregon State University’s Memorial Union Gallery.

Paul Anderson (Christian Studies) preached at Vancouver Friends Church and at South Salem Friends Church in recent weeks. He also led two Wednesday evening classes on prayer at Reedwood Friends Church and spoke four times on the Gospel of John at the Sandals Sunday School Class at Newberg Friends Church. His new book, From Crisis to Christ: A Contextual Introduction to the New Testament, was released by Abingdon in early November, and his co-edited volume, Communities in Dispute: Current Scholarship on the Johannine Epistles (for which he wrote six essays) was published that same week by SBL Press. Paul wrote the foreword for the new printing of Elton Trueblood’s A Place to Stand (HarperOne) and is leading three two-hour sessions on the New Testament for the web-based Leadership Institute hosted by Barclay College and MidAmerica Yearly Meeting.

Tom Head (Economics) traveled to Philadelphia Nov. 6-9 for a meeting of the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Task Group, on which he serves. This body exists because, in 1947, the American Friends Service Committee and the British Friends Service Council accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all Quakers. As Nobel Laureates, these Quaker bodies are able to nominate a candidate for the peace prize to the Oslo committee. Each year the AFSC and Britain’s Quaker Peace and Social Witness take advantage of this opportunity through a long and careful deliberative process of discernment to select and recommend a peace prize nominee.

Tim Rahschulte (Business) presented “Aligning Execution and Strategy Through Program Management” at the Project Management Institute Global Congress 2014 – North America event in Phoenix Oct. 26-28. His breakout session focused on introducing program management as the disciplined means to create and maintain alignment between business strategy and execution. Tim was the sole presenter on the topic, and the audience included project managers, program managers, portfolio managers and academics. More than 2,200 attended the conference overall, and former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson was the keynote speaker.

Terry Huffman (Education) presented a paper, “Hope for a Better Tomorrow: A Typology of Native American Educators and the Roles they Perform,” at the Ireland International Conference on Education in Dublin, Ireland, Oct. 27-29. Additionally, Terry was invited to chair a panel discussion on “Indigenous Education: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities.” The panel included scholars from Australia, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the United States. The discussion resulted in a robust conversation, especially around the issue of schools as a source of reconciliation and healing rather than an instrument of cultural repression and division.

Patrick Allen and Ken Badley (Education) recently published the book Faith and Learning: A Practical Guide for Faculty (Leafwood Publishers & ACU Press). According to the publisher, the book “summarizes the faith/learning discussion and offers a working conception of faith/integration specifically for Christian college faculty. It then outlines what deans, provosts and tenure-promotion committees typically expect faculty in Christian colleges to know and do.”

Ed Higgins (English) published his poem “Too Many Leaves” in the fall issue of The Greensilk Journal, an online literary magazine.

Nov. 19            Bob Hamilton, Heather Rainey
Nov. 21            Ryan Tafflinger
Nov. 22            Vern Choin, Corban Harwood
Nov. 23            Sarah Hardy, Laura Simmons
Nov. 24            Tamara Reams
Nov. 26            Larry Weber
Nov. 27            Ryan Jacobson
Nov. 28            Peg Hutton
Nov. 29            Michelle Conrad

Donna Barber joined the university as interim director of intercultural life last week. She has worked since May as the Act Six Academy community coach at Warner Pacific College, where she helped facilitate retreats, led weekly training sessions with the Portland Leadership Foundation program and mentored Act Six scholars. Prior to that, she worked for a year and a half as the Cleveland city coach with the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, coordinating weekend trainings and managing on-site logistics for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based organization that specializes in urban leadership development and youth ministry. Donna has also worked, since 2005, as a self-employed trainer, coach and event planner for urban youth and urban youth program leaders, as executive director of Community Fellowship’s Youth Development Group through FCS Urban Ministries, and as worship leader for the Community Life Church in Atlanta. She holds a master’s degree in education from Georgia State University (2005) and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Temple University (1985). Donna lives in Portland with her husband Leroy, and together they have five children.

Alumnus Joel Bock joined George Fox this week as university photographer in the marketing communications department. Many in the community know Joel from his work at the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, where he served as director of communications the past four years. He’s also run his own business, Joel Bock Photography, since 2007, and he’s done photo shoots for the George Fox Journal publication. Prior to his return to Oregon in 2009, he worked as staff photographer for Princeton Theological Seminary in 2008-09. Joel holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from George Fox (2007). He lives in Newberg with his wife Cherice, who attended George Fox in the early 2000s, and children Espen (7) and Kylan (3). The Bocks attend North Valley Friends Church.

The university hired Elise Gibson last week to serve as a career coach in the IDEA Center. Most recently, she worked as a career counselor graduate assistant at Azusa Pacific University (2013-14) and before that served as a prevention education specialist and program director at California State University, Northridge (2012-13). She also gained higher education experience at Azusa Pacific as an event coordinator graduate assistant in 2013. Elise earned a master’s degree in college counseling and student development from Azusa Pacific in 2014 and also holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Cal State, Northridge (2012). She lives in McMinnville with her husband, Seth, and their three children: David, Grace and Fiona.

Emily Maynard (Portland Center Operations Manager) left the university on Oct. 24. She is relocating to Southern California and getting married in November. She says she enjoyed her time at George Fox and hopes to continue to work in higher education.

Marlee Zakrevsky (Print Services Coordinator) is leaving the university and plans to complete her student teaching and the MAT program.

Kevin T. Jones (Department of Communication, Journalism and Cinematic Arts) was the keynote speaker Oct. 10-11 at a weekend retreat sponsored by Central United Protestant Church in Richland, Wash. Kevin addressed the biblical foundation for basic communication skills such as listening, the gift of language, male/female communication, conflict management and forgiveness. Kevin was also recently invited to serve as a member of the board of the Christianity and Communication Studies Network (CCSN). As a board member, Kevin will be responsible to peer review CCSN publications, including book reviews, short- and long-form essays, and short case studies and think pieces. The network is designed to serve CCCU schools and other scholars interested in questions and issues at the intersection between Christianity and communication studies.

Melanie Springer Mock (English) has coedited, with Martha Kalnin Diede and Jeremiah Webster, the book The Spirit of Adoption: Writers on Religion, Adoption, Faith, and More (Wipf and Stock: Cascade Books). According to the publisher, the book “explores many of the complexities inherent in adoption and its relationship to spirituality, challenging us to move beyond the common mythologies about adoption to consider the more difficult questions adoption raises about the nature of God, family, culture, loss, and joy. Rather than hearing from experts in adoption, this collection uses the narratives of birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees themselves, bearing witness to the ways adoption shapes its participants’ spiritual lives.” Other contributors include Jere Witherspoon (Student Life), alumni Beth Woolsey and Kohleun Adamson, and Kimberly Felton, a regular George Fox Journal writer and wife of Rob Felton (Marketing Communications).

Ryan Halley and Josh Sauerwein (College of Business) won the best regional presentation award at the Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs’ Region 7 Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Oct. 22-24. They have been accepted to present at the national ACBSP conference in Philadelphia this summer. Their presentation was titled, “Building an educational bridge: Blurring the lines between higher education and business practice.”

Ed Higgins (English) published a slipstream flash fiction piece, “Strawberry Daiquiris,” in the Oct. 24 issue of Flash Fiction Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to publishing a flash fiction story daily.

Nate Peach (School of Business) published the paper “Using the Tragedy of the Anticommons to Illuminate the Value of Political Economy Perspectives” in the International Journal of Economics and Social Science (Vol. 4, 2014). The essay outlines a framework to incorporate political economy perspectives into economics courses in order to facilitate a more integrated classroom. It was written to help economists think beyond economics and is based on Nate’s lectures and a student research project in environmental economics. Nate says the motivation for the project came from his experiences rock climbing in Portland.

Oct. 29             Roger Nam, Rusty St. Cyr
Oct. 30             Katie Sol
Nov. 1              Dave Johnstone, Polly Peterson
Nov. 2              Tahlia Martin
Nov. 3              Karen Bowdoin, Nijay Gupta
Nov. 4              Jennifer Farland, Tom Head, Melissa Thomas
Nov. 5              Rob Bohall
Nov. 7              Doug Campbell, Natalie Harrington
Nov. 8              Rebecca Valdovinos
Nov. 9              Jack Lyda
Nov. 10            Glena Andrews
Nov. 11            Sean Patterson, Steve Wasson
Nov. 12            Kelly Borror
Nov. 13            Kristie Knows His Gun
Nov. 14            Colleen Huffman, Kelly Lafferty, Jan Lefebvre
Nov. 16            Carol Jaquith
Nov. 17            Sue O’Donnell, Abigail Rine
Nov. 18            Kathie Hummel-Berry, Kathleen Jones

Grant Burns was hired this fall as an area coordinator for the Houses and Apartments West. He recently moved to Oregon from Minnesota, where he worked as a resident director at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul for the past two years. Previously, he worked for two years as a youth minister for Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville, Ill. Grant also worked as a ministry coordinator for the His Wheels International organization, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Wheaton, Ill.-based bicycle ministry, and as a graduate resident advisor at Wheaton College from 2008 to 2010. He holds both a master’s degree in Christian formation and ministry (2011) and a bachelor’s degree in political science (2006) from Wheaton College. Grant lives on campus with his wife Katherine and two children, William (2) and Felicity (4 months).

The university welcomes Jennifer Klapp as an accounts payable supervisor in the financial affairs office. For the past year and a half, she has worked as a senior staff accountant for Avnera Corporation in Beaverton. Previously, she served as a bookkeeper for St. Pius X Catholic Church and School in Portland. In 2010, Jennifer and her family moved to Oregon from California, where she was a staff accountant for the State of California. Jennifer earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Santa Clara University in 1995. She lives in Sherwood with her husband Jon and their two children, Michael and Emily. Jennifer attends Countryside Community Church in Sherwood.

A current student at the seminary, Adam McGuffie, joins the university as a hybrid learning specialist for the seminary. He arrives at George Fox from the Cross Road Assembly of God Church in Florence, Ore., for which he worked as associate pastor of youth, music and technology since early in 2013. He previously worked as a media support specialist for the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Mo., (2011-12) and as a worship and technology pastor at Grace Assembly of God in Bel Air, Md., (2009-11). Adam began his MDiv at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary before transferring to George Fox Evangelical Seminary, where he is currently enrolled in the master of arts in ministry leadership program. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in church music from Valley Forge Christian College (2010). He lives in Sherwood with wife Kelly.

Rachel Thomas joined George Fox as the university archivist in the Murdock Learning Resource Center at the end of September. She most recently worked as a graduate archival apprentice in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., (2011-12). In the four years prior to that, she was the archival assistant at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. Rachel moved back to her native Oregon after completing a master’s degree in Early American and United States history from the College of William and Mary in 2013. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Puget Sound (2011). She lives in Tualatin with her husband Robert and 1-year-old daughter Catherine and attends Aims Community Church in Corbett, Ore.

The university welcomes Kelly Ward as an administrative assistant in the Office of Spiritual Life. She worked this summer as a youth programs supervisor at the Sunriver Resort in Bend, Ore., and in the year prior to that was a barista at the Java Stop coffee shop on the campus of Oregon State University, from which she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and writing in 2014. She also worked for two years as a youth ministry intern at her college hometown church before her departure due to graduation. Kelly lives in Wilsonville and is planning her upcoming August wedding to her fiancé, Taylor Friesen. She attends Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland.

Shelley Yonemura (Student Life) left the university late last month.

Darcy Mize (Nursing) has left George Fox.

Mark David Hall (Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics) was among the special speakers featured at the Religious Freedom Summit hosted at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, Oct. 9-10. Mark teamed up with Mark Caleb Smith of Cedarville University to present a plenary session titled “Religious Freedom and American History.” Following the session, Warren Smith of World magazine interviewed the two presenters.

Ed Higgins’ (English) poem, “Summer Sighting,” was published in the October 2014 edition of the online literary magazine Silver of Stone.

Oct. 14            Traci Porter
Oct. 15            Debra Espinor, Elizabeth Licon, Gina Worley
Oct. 16            Joyce Engberg, Richard Shaw, Caleb Wheelock
Oct. 20            Paul Becker, Tiffany Caldwell, Mac Oxford
Oct. 21            Teresa Arnold, Helen Morse
Oct. 22            Dwayne Hood, Tricia Hornback
Oct. 23            Andy Baker
Oct. 24            Ryan Dougherty, Dixie Downey
Oct. 25            Rachel Ryan
Oct. 26            Todd Curtis, Linda Sartwell

Samantha Adams joined the university this month as an administrative assistant in the recently launched Master of Social Work program. She had been involved in several volunteer efforts, including working with Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University, the Oregon Food Bank, and refugee services in Portland. She worked most recently as a barista at Starbucks in Hillsboro, Ore., and previously worked as an administrative intern with Intel in Hillsboro (2009-10). Samantha also gained administrative experience as a front desk coordinator for salons and spas both in Seattle and Portland (2007-2009). She was a professional pianist for several years and still enjoys creating music. She attended Seattle Pacific University and earned a psychology degree from Portland State University in 2010. She lives in Beaverton and attends Sunset, A Jesus Church in Hillsboro.

The university welcomes Belinda Creighton as an accounts payable specialist in the financial affairs office. For the past eight years she has served as the business manager for St. Peter Catholic Church in Newberg, handling bookkeeping, accounts receivable and payable, and monthly and annual finance reports. She also gained administrative and educational experience as an accounts payable assistant (2006) and as an educational assistant (2005-06) for the Newberg School District. Belinda holds a bachelor’s degree in home economics from Washington State University (1984). She lives in Newberg with her husband, Casey. They have five children – Amie, Mackenzie, Sara, Andrew and Megan – and attend St. Peter Catholic Church in town.

Mail Services has hired Tommy Kokinos to work on a half-time basis. He has been working part time for the university as a mail and print clerk specialist since January. He’s also spent the last two years working as a roofer for Liberty Roofing of Newberg. From 2010 to 2012, he was a direct care worker for Oregon Mennonite Residential Services in McMinnville. Tommy attended Portland Community College to study accounting. He lives in Newberg with children Brandon and Samantha and attends Newberg Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Jennifer Lichtenberg joined the university this month as an administrative assistant in the Graduate School of Counseling. For the past two years, she has worked as a faculty administrative assistant and conference services coordinator at Warner Pacific College in Portland, where she assisted business and social science chairs, faculty and students. Previously, Jennifer served as a regional director based in Portland for the Campus Crusade for Christ organization from 2008 to 2011, supervising leaders of teams in six states as part of a collaborative team. She also worked for the same organization as a regional conference coordinator from 2004 to 2008. Jennifer holds a certificate in spiritual formation and discipleship from George Fox Evangelical Seminary (2011), a master’s degree in Christian Studies (art emphasis) from Regent College (2004) and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Alabama (1985). She is an artist and lives in Portland with her husband, Michael. She has two children, Jared, who just graduated from Mt. Hood Community College, and Lexi, a senior at Sandy High School. She attends East Hill Foursquare Church in Gresham.

The university hired Jennifer McCollum last week as an administrative assistant in the Department of Biology and Chemistry. She worked as a vocational support specialist for Branching Out Services in Newberg in 2013 and, previously, was an art teacher and artistic coordinator for three years at Northwest Christian Elementary School in Newberg. Also, since 2004, she has been self-employed as a creative design artist and consultant. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cal State University, Monterey Bay (2003). She lives in Newberg with husband Logan, who is currently enrolled in the university’s MBA program, and daughters Kyndall (7), Hailey (10) and Madelynn (12). The family attends Newberg Christian Church.

John Regier joined the seminary last week as associate director of master’s programs. An alumnus of the seminary, from which he earned a master’s degree in ministry leadership in 2010, John has worked on a part-time basis as an online facilitator and educational technologist at the seminary since 2009. He previously served for a decade as a youth pastor and lead pastor. Most recently, he worked for the public school district in Springfield, Ore., as the coordinator for a student re-engagement program. In addition to his degree from George Fox Evangelical Seminary, John holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Tabor College (1996). He lives in Tigard with his wife Lisa and three teenage daughters.

Steve Wasson joined the university as a media specialist in the IT department this fall. For the past three years he’s worked as a simulcast production manager at City Bible Church in Portland, video broadcasting services to and from four Portland-metro-area campuses and to an online campus. Before that, he worked for three years as a game operations manager for the Portland Winterhawks hockey team, serving as creative game-day director for all home games in the Rose Garden and Memorial Coliseum. Steve has also been self-employed as a media producer for the past 14 years. He studied video production and technical theater at Portland Community College and technical theater at Portland State University. He recently moved to Tigard and attends City Bible Church.

Lori Scharton (Biology and Chemistry) left the university last week to move back to Redmond, Ore., where her husband was transferred for his job.

After six and a half years as the administrative and executive assistant in the engineering, math and computer science departments, Kristin Bontrager is leaving George Fox to pursue new ministry opportunities. A farewell reception for her is set from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in Wood-Mar 201.

Anderson Campbell’s (Christian Studies) book, Father Factor: American Christian Men on Fatherhood and Faith, will be published in October. The book explores the intersection between faith and fatherhood, probing the resonance and dissonance created when men examine fatherhood in all its permutations, and how it is informed by and informs their faith. The book is volume five in the “I Speak for Myself” series, published by White Cloud Press. It contains 40 essays by 40 men all under 40 years of age, representing a wide variety of Christian faith perspectives and ethnicities. Several contributors have ties to George Fox: Anderson served as the editor for the volume and contributed an essay of his own, and Jamie Johnson (Spiritual Life), C. Wess Daniels, A.J. Swoboda (adjunct professors for George Fox Evangelical Seminary) and Cedrick Valrie (Doctor of Ministry student) all contributed essays to the book. It is available nationally online and in stores.

Sept. 30            Terry Huffman, Laurie Lieggi, Laurie Lorenzen
Oct. 1                Anna Berardi, Paul Chamberlain
Oct. 3                Sarita Gallagher
Oct. 4                Doug Beatty, Jane Wilson
Oct. 6                Steve Gilday, Judy Keeney
Oct. 7                Cindy Howard
Oct. 8                Kristi Hagen
Oct. 9                Dana Bates, Brian Doak
Oct. 10              Rob Felton, Jim Smart
Oct. 11              Gary Eckerdt
Oct. 13              Kathy Weiss

Danae Allen joined the university last week as a recruitment and enrollment counselor for adult degree programs. She arrives from Value Based Inc. of Sherwood, where for the past year she did marketing and client relations work for the company’s enrollment methodology online course. She also worked the past six months as business relations liaison for Discover Chiropractic of Beaverton. Danae earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Simpson University in 2011. She lives in Sherwood and attends Grace Chapel in Wilsonville.

The university welcomes Teresa Lamm as a custodian this fall. For the past 20 years she has been self-employed as a house cleaner and organizer. Also, since 1999 she has worked as a rental manager, maintaining a large house and apartment on a local property. Teresa is an alumna of George Fox, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1978. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Oregon Health and Science University (1980), allowing her to work as a medical technologist in the early 1980s. Teresa lives in Newberg, is married to Gregg, has three grown sons – Ryan, Jesse and Ian – and attends 2nd Street Community Church in Newberg.

Jeff Marble joins the university as a custodian this fall. For the past three and a half years he has worked as pastor at Garland Community Church of God in Powell, Wyo. In the three years prior to that, he worked in shipping/receiving for Composites Universal Group of Scappoose, Ore., eventually earning the position of foreman. Jeff also worked as a pastor in Wrangell, Alaska, from 2003 to 2007. He holds a bachelor of theology degree from Gardner College, with a specialization in pastoral ministries. Jeff currently lives in Gales Creek, Ore., with wife Jocelyn and children Lisa, Katherine and Joshua. The family hopes to move closer to the Newberg area. The Marbles attend Gales Creek Community Church of God.

Kim Rapp joins the social work program as an administrative assistant this fall. For the past two years she has worked as a student services assistant for Portland Community College’s Newberg campus, where she worked in student services, assisting students with admissions registration and the orientation process. Previously, she worked for two years as a production manager for Victoria’s Lavender, a business that specializes in selling products at farmer’s markets. Kim also worked for four years (2006-10) as the children’s ministry director at Northside Community Church in Newberg. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from George Fox (1992). Kim lives in Newberg with her husband, Brian, and three boys – Collin, a sophomore at Baylor University; Josh, a senior at Veritas School; and Adam, a fifth-grader at Veritas. She attends Newberg Foursquare Church.

The university hired Caleb Wheelock as a custodian this fall. For the past year he worked with the Teach Abroad organization at the Hubei Polytechnic Institute in Xiaogan, China, where he was tasked with providing support for the TA mission by teaching English to primary-school-aged students through college students and members of the community. Previously he worked briefly for Klinger Masonry of Damascus, Ore., responsible for cleaning and prepping work sites. Caleb also has experience working as a facilities maintenance helper – for four years with the Living Hope ministry in South Africa – and as a coil fabricator with Hunt Air of Tualatin, Ore. He lives in Dundee with wife Shannan, and the couple is expecting their first child in December. They attend 2nd Street Community Church in Newberg.

After serving the George Fox community for 10 years, Jonathan and Rachel Morell are moving to San Diego to work at Point Loma Nazarene University.

After nearly 10 years at George Fox, Melissa Gilbert (Financial Affairs) left the university last Friday. She is moving to Salt Lake City, where she has family.

Two of Ed Higgins’ (English) poems, “Lone Star Visit” and “Morning Worship,” were published in this month’s issue of Purple Pig Lit, a poetry ezine.

Paul Anderson (Christian Studies) is speaking at Newberg Friends Church this month, presenting four classes on The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel.

Marc Shelton (College of Education) presided over the 68th annual summer conference of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration at the California State University Channel Islands campus in Camarillo, Calif., Aug. 5-9. Marc presented the State of the NCPEA address to the first general session, convened the executive board meeting, and hosted members at the President’s Reception. Marc directs the administrative licensure program and will serve as past president during the 2014-15 academic year.

Brian Doak and Steve Sherwood (Christian Studies) coauthored The Bible: Ancient Context and Ongoing Community (Dubuque: Kendall Hunt, 2014), out this fall. Brian will also publish Consider Leviathan: Narratives of Nature and Self in Job (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014) this November. In June, he spent four days at a conference near Munich, Germany, to share ideas from his first book, The Last of the Rephaim: Conquest and Cataclysm in the Heroic Ages of Ancient Israel. The conference was titled “Tales of Giants from Qumran and Turfan: Ancient Contexts, Traditions and Influences.”

In June Roger Newell (Christian Studies) participated at the Open Table Conference on Trinitarian Theology at Multnomah University in Portland, speaking and leading seminars on the implications of Trinitarian theology for worship and ethics. Also in June he contributed an essay, “Instead of Sentimental Exegesis: The Significance of Suffering for Christ and his Church,” to Reconsidering the Relationship between Biblical and Systematic Theology in the New Testament. The collection of essays is a Festschrift honoring his former teacher, Dr. Robert Gundry of Westmont College.

Steve Sherwood (Christian Studies) spoke at three camps over the summer: Father/Daughter retreat at Tilikum in July; Grad Camp (run concurrently with high school “Surfside Camp”) at Twin Rocks in August; and Family Camp at Young Life’s Timberwolf Lake in Lake City, Mich., over Labor Day weekend. Steve also helped his daughter, Bailey, raise more than $2,000 for Mercy Corps at her “Run for Relief” 3K in August.

Phil Smith (Christian Studies) wrote a review of Virtues and their Vices, which will appear in the Spring 2015 Christians Scholars Review. He also wrote two weeks of devotionals for Fruit of the Vine, published quarterly by Barclay Press.

Sept. 16              Erin Johnson, Josh Sweeden
Sept. 17              MaryKate Morse, Christee Wise
Sept. 18              Darryl Brown, Jennie Harrop, Leah Payne
Sept. 21              Heidi Thomason
Sept. 22              Josh Nauman
Sept. 24              Steve Leijon
Sept. 25              Debbie Berho, Darla Norgren, Marc Shelton
Sept. 26              Marisa Lee, Isaac MacDonald
Sept. 28              Lori Scharton, Aimee Teuscher
Sept. 29              Robert Bredemeier

The School of Nursing welcomes Ann Evans as an assistant professor of nursing. She has worked the past six years for Silverton Health, most recently serving as clinic manager at Mt. Angel Family Medical Clinic (2013-14). Previously, she was an assistant director of nursing (2012-13) and in nursing professional development (2008-12) with the Silverton-based health organization. She also gained experience as a supervisor in the Family Birth Center at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Ore., (2006-08) and as a neonatal resuscitation program coordinator and instructor with Silverton Health (2001-06). Ann holds a master of science in nursing degree from Grand Canyon University (2014), a bachelor of science in nursing degree from Walla Walla University (1996) and a bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Wheaton College (1977). She lives in Molalla with husband Stu, and the couple has three married daughters – Sarah, Jessica and Rebekah – and three grandchildren. The Evans attend Foothills Community Church in Molalla.

Beth Morton joins the university this fall as a visiting assistant professor of chemistry. She has spent the past year as an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry at George Fox as well as a part-time instructor of chemistry at Portland Community College. Previously, she was a Department of Energy Office of Science graduate research fellow at The Pennsylvania State University (2008-13), an undergraduate researcher at the University of New Haven (2007-08) and a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates chemistry researcher at Georgetown University (2008). Beth also gained some teaching experience as a substitute lecturer at Penn State in 2012 and 2013, and during the 2008-09 academic year she served as a teaching assistant in the school’s chemistry department. She earned a PhD in chemistry from Penn State in 2013 and holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and forensic science from the University of New Haven (2008). She lives in Hillsboro with her husband, Seth, and their two cats, Lily and Simi, and attends First United Methodist Church of Portland.

After being gone one year, Josiah Philipsen has rejoined the university as a systems administrator in IT. For the past year he worked as a project manager and IT consultant with Miller Technologies of McMinnville. In the year and a half prior to that, he served as a computer support specialist at George Fox’s Portland Center. Josiah worked previously as a substitute teacher at the Mentor Graphics Child Development Center in Wilsonville and, before that, taught middle school math, science and physical education (2010-11) and third grade (2009-10) at Bethel Christian School in McMinnville. Josiah earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from George Fox in 2009. He lives in West Salem with his wife Anna, a George Fox alumna and former university employee, and their son, Landon (18 months), and a second child due this month. The family attends New Horizons Church in McMinnville.

Jillian Sokso joins the Department of Art and Design this fall as an associate professor of art. She comes to the university from Houghton College in New York, where she worked as an associate professor of art (2013-present) and assistant professor of art (2005-13). She also served as art department chair at the institution from 2007 until this year. In the past year alone she has earned several distinctions for her work, including being named a visual arts fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and the artist in residence at both the Contemporary Arts Center at Woodside in Troy, N.Y., and at the Department of Art and Art History at Birmingham Southern College. Her areas of specialization are printmaking, drawing, artists books, digital media and installation media. Jillian holds an MFA in print media from the University of Delaware (2005) and a bachelor of fine arts in two-dimensional fine arts from Moore College of Art and Design (2003). She lives in Newberg with husband James and daughters Gianna (7) and Paloma (5). The family plans to join the community at Portland Mennonite Church.

Chad Stillinger joins the College of Engineering this fall as an assistant professor of electrical engineering. For the past three years he has worked as an assistant professor of electrical engineering and renewable energy at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Wilsonville. Since 2012, he’s served as project manager for the school’s Hydrokinetic Turbine Project, which specializes in installing hydrokinetic systems that provide energy to struggling rural communities in Tanzania, Africa. From 2007 to 2012, Chad was a research assistant in Oregon State University’s large-scale Ocean Wave Energy Converters Department. Before graduate school, he was a control systems engineer at Concept Systems Inc (2003-07). He holds a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Oregon State (2011) and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from George Fox (2004). He lives in Salem with his wife Lauren and two cats. He is the youth worship pastor at West Salem Foursquare Church.

Kim Towell joined the university in August as director of alumni and parent relations. For the past nine years she worked as a store support and guest relations manager for Dream Dinners in Snohomish, Wash., for which she served as the primary contact between 90-plus franchisees, more than 800 store staff and the corporate office. Prior to that, she spent eight years as a donor relations manager in the advancement office at the University of Puget Sound. She also received higher education work experience as a customized training and extension program coordinator at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from 1994 to 1997. Kim earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Abilene Christian University in 1989. She lives in Newberg with sons Joshua (15) and Zachary (13) and attends the Newberg Church of Christ.

Jared Ocker (IT) left the university on Aug. 20.

Mindy Holland (Seminary) left the university after her position was eliminated in a redesign of the seminary’s administrative structure. She is grateful to have been part of the George Fox community and welcomes your prayers for what lies ahead.

Dee Small (Seminary) retired from the university at the end of August.

Larry Mennenga (Plant Services) retired from George Fox at the end of August after working at the university for 20 years.

Mark David Hall (Politics) served as an organizer and chair of a roundtable panel on “Burwell v. Hobby Lobby” at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association Convention in Washington, D.C., last week. Mark was also a participant on the Christians in Political Science panel at the convention, discussing the integration of faith and teaching/scholarship.

Jan Lefebvre (Development) and husband Gerry spent July 30 through Aug. 11 in Grand Goave, Haiti, with Lifeline Christian Mission. While Gerry supervised construction and maintenance projects (including the building of two homes), Jan was blessed to make many home visits in town and oversee nutrition and clothing distribution while also sharing the love of Jesus through devotions.

Kevin T. Jones (Department of Communication, Journalism and Cinematic Arts) published an article, “At-Risk Students and Communication Skill Deficiencies: A Preliminary Study,” in the International Journal of Education and Human Development, due out in October. The article presents Kevin’s findings of a yearlong study of at-risk high school students tested for communication skill deficiencies. The at-risk student group was found to score well below national normative means in general areas of communication competencies. Curriculum was designed and taught to address the deficiencies with the intent of pulling the at-risk students out of the at-risk category. The study is still ongoing and more articles are anticipated.

Karlyn Fleming is now the executive assistant to the vice president and dean of George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Janelle Freitag is the new executive assistant to the provost in the academic affairs office. She is currently working half time in this new position as well as her former position as the administrative assistant in the School of Counseling.

Sept. 5              Joel Moore
Sept. 7              Tony Longstroth, Jen Macnab
Sept. 8              Mark Pothoff
Sept. 9              Josiah Philipsen, Tim Timmerman
Sept. 11            Jeff Duerr
Sept. 12            Kelly Chang
Sept. 15            Sarah Gibson, Ron Shaw, Lauri Smith

The doctor of psychology program welcomes Glena Andrews as a professor of clinical psychology and director of clinical training. She brings more than 30 years of higher education experience, serving the past 18 years as a professor of psychology at Northwest Nazarene University. During that tenure, she was a department chair of the psychology and sociology (1999-2005), psychology (2006-08) and Behavioral Sciences and Cultural Studies (2008-10) departments. Prior to Northwest Nazarene, Glena taught psychology at Whitworth University (1993-96) and Eastern Nazarene College (1988-92). She has conducted research with undergraduate students in cognitive and neuropsychological developments of children, teens and adults with brain anomalies, attention deficit disorder and other diagnoses. Glena holds a postdoctoral degree in clinical psychopharmacology from the California School of Professional Psychology-Alliant International University (2006), a PhD in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary (1988) and master’s degrees in theology (Fuller, 1987) and psychology (University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, 1983). She is moving to Newberg from Nampa, Idaho, with her husband Lester and their daughter AleAnn, who will be a junior at Newberg High School. They are also bringing their 9-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Rainbow.

Alumna Jill Jamison Beals joins the university as a visiting assistant professor of mathematics this fall. A 1992 graduate of George Fox, from which she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Jill most recently taught as adjunct faculty at George Fox. Previously, she served as vice president for the reinsurance brokerage company Carvill America from 1995 to 2009. At Carvill, her duties included catastrophe risk modeling, actuarial analysis and the testing of the financial solvency of insurance companies. Before that, she taught mathematics at Portland State University (1993-95) and was a research analyst for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (1994-95). At George Fox, Jill was an eight-time NAIA All-American as a cross country and track athlete, including three times as national champion. She was a four-time academic All-American. Upon graduating, she continued her education at Portland State University, where she earned a master’s degree in mathematics with a concentration in statistics in 1995. She is married to Corwynn, an associate professor of philosophy and religion at George Fox, and the couple has two children, Jonathan (11) and Daniel (9). The family attends Newberg Friends Church.

The university has hired Jeffrey Birdsell as an assistant professor of communication. He arrives from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a PhD student in communication studies the past four years. He also taught team-based communication and professional communication skills as an assistant instructor at UT from 2011 to 2014 and served as an adjunct instructor teaching the fundamentals of human communication and other courses at Concordia University Texas beginning in 2010. Jeffrey was also an intercollegiate athletics tutor and mentor at UT from 2010 to 2013. Finally, he began his teaching career as a teaching assistant at Point Loma Nazarene University in 2008-09. He will complete his doctorate in communication studies this fall and holds a master’s degree in communication from San Diego State University (2009) and a bachelor’s degree in management and organizational communication from PLNU (2003). Jeffrey lives in Newberg with his wife Reine, daughter Aureylia (6) and son Kenneth (2). He looks forward to finding a church home and being involved in the local community.

The doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program welcomes Jason Brumitt as an assistant professor of physical therapy. He arrives at George Fox with 15 years of clinical experience and approximately 10 years of experience educating entry-level DPT students. As a researcher he has been the primary investigator of a multi-site injury epidemiology study on collegiate athletes. He has also been researching the musculoskeletal health of migrant farmworkers in Washington and Yamhill counties. As a clinician, Jason has worked in Oregon and Washington in outpatient orthopedics, acute care and skilled nursing settings. He holds a PhD in orthopaedic and sports science from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (2011), a master’s degree in physical therapy from Pacific University (1999) and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Oregon State College (1995). He lives in Damascus with his wife and three children and attends Eastridge Church.

R. Anderson Campbell, the facilitator of online education for the seminary’s doctor of ministry program the past three years, has been hired as an assistant professor of Christian studies. He taught as an adjunct at the seminary the past two years and was also a doctoral advisor in 2013-14. Prior to his arrival at George Fox in 2011, Anderson spent eight years in ministry, serving as executive director of small groups at Fairfax Community Church in Fairfax, Va., (2009-11), as a campus minister for the Coalition of Christian Outreach (CCO) in Fairfax (2008-09), as metro Philadelphia area director (2007-08) and as a campus minister (2004-07) for the CCO in Philadelphia. His first book, Father Factor: American Christian Men on Fatherhood and Faith, a collection of 40 essays from 40 men under 40, is due out on White Cloud Press in October of this year. It is volume five in the “I Speak for Myself” series of books. He holds a DMin in leadership and global perspectives from George Fox University (2013) and a master’s degree in practical theology from Regent University (2004). Anderson lives in Beaverton with his wife April and their two daughters, Sydney (10) and Rylee (8). The family is part of Theophilus Church, where Anderson served as deacon of creative liturgy (2012-2014).

Steven Classen joins the university this fall to serve as professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication, Journalism and Media Studies. He brings nearly 30 years of higher education experience, most recently working as professor in the Department of Television, Film and Media Studies at California State University, Los Angeles (2010-14). Previously, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Cal State University, San Bernardino (1995-2000), and assistant professor (2000-05), associate professor (2005-10) and associate chair (2005-07) in Cal State-Los Angeles’ Department of Communication Studies. He also taught in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Communication Arts in the early 1990s and in the Speech Communication Department at Bethel College in the mid- to late 1980s. Steven holds a PhD in media and cultural studies from the University of Wisconsin (1995), a master’s degree in telecommunications and film from the University of Oregon (1985) and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Biola University (1979). He lives in Tualatin with his wife Kathleen and daughter Becca.

Danny Cross joins the university this month as associate director of sports marketing and director of sports information. He arrives from Arizona Christian University, where he worked the past year as director of sports information. Previously, he served as a graduate assistant in sports information at California Baptist University in 2011-12. He also gained sports-information experience as a student worker at Cal Baptist from 2008 to 2011, helping set up and tear down for home events and doing some video recording and statistics work. Danny earned a master’s degree in kinesiology/sports management from Cal Baptist in 2012 and a bachelor’s degree in communications/marketing from the same institution in 2011. He lives in Tigard and attends A Jesus Church in Portland.

Todd Curtis joins George Fox this fall as a visiting assistant professor of physics. For the past two years he has worked as a research and development engineer for Applied Physics Technologies in McMinnville, Ore., where he built, designed and researched new electron sources for use in scanning electron microscopes. The two and a half years prior (2010-12) he was an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Community College of Denver (Colo.). Todd earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder (2010) and holds bachelor’s degrees in both physics and mathematics from Linfield College (2007). He lives in McMinnville with his wife Amy and dog Gus and attends Adventure Christian Church. In his free time he enjoys exploring the Oregon outdoors and playing city league and pick-up sports games.

The university welcomes Joyce Engberg as an administrative assistant in the College of Engineering. For the past nine years she has worked as the office manager at C.S. Lewis Academy in Newberg. Previously, she was a fiscal assistant and medical billing specialist with Chehalem Youth & Family Services (2000-04). Joyce lives in Newberg with her husband, Dave, and their children Nick (23) and Hope (20). They attend Athey Creek Christian Fellowship.

The Graduate Department of Counseling welcomes Michelle Engblom-Deglmann as an assistant professor of marriage, couple and family counseling. For the past four years she has worked as an assistant professor and clinical training director at Simpson University, where she specialized in teaching courses on couples therapy and domestic violence, family therapy, and religion, marriage and the family, among other subjects. Previously, she taught counseling courses in 2008-09 at St. Louis University, and from 2005 to 2010 she worked as a foster care and family therapist at Lutheran Child and Family Services of Belleville, Ill. Michelle is a licensed marriage and family therapist and an approved supervisor through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She holds a PhD in counseling and family therapy from St. Louis University (2009) and a master’s degree in community counseling from Saint Cloud State University (2003). She lives in West Linn with husband Adam and baby daughter Claire.

The doctor of psychology program welcomes Celeste Flachsbart as an assistant professor of clinical psychology. For the past few years she has worked as a licensed psychologist working with children and adolescents at Sundstrom Clinical Services in Clackamas, Ore. Regarding her training, Celeste completed an American Psychological Association-accredited postdoctoral fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University’s Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder and related disorders. Celeste also completed an APA-accredited internship in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo. She holds doctorate and master’s degrees in clinical psychology from George Fox’s Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oregon State University. Celeste is also board-certified by the American Board of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Primary research interests are regarding autism spectrum disorders and pediatric psychology. Besides spending time with her husband and two young sons, Celeste enjoys outdoor activities, writing and art projects.

JoEllyn Murillo Fountain joins the university this fall as a visiting assistant professor of political science and international studies in the school’s Department of History, Politics and International Studies. In the fall of 2013, she lectured in social science at Fresno Pacific University and, after 25 years, relocated (back) to Portland in December 2013 when her husband was hired by a local NGO. She and her husband recently wrote and published a book on planning for higher education in Africa based on their eight and a half years of missionary service at Uganda Christian University (Mukono, Uganda), where she served as a social sciences lecturer (2008-12), student affairs advisor (2010-12) and financial aid officer (2004-10). JoEllyn also lectured in political science at George Mason University from 1997 to 1999. Her primary area of research is to examine the “Maturation of Democracy,” in which she used Uganda as a case study to research the post-colonial “transitions to democracy.” Additionally, she is examining human rights regimes in this multipolar age and continuing to work on higher education issues in developing countries. She holds a PhD (1998) and a master’s degree (1990) in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon (1988). She lives in Tigard with her husband of 27 years, Doug, and part time with her daughter, Alyssa (20), who is a student at Pacific Lutheran. JoEllyn attends Imago Dei Community in Portland.

The seminary welcomes a prominent New Testament scholar, Nijay Gupta, to serve as an assistant professor of New Testament. His recent teaching assignments have taken him to Northeastern Seminary in New York, where he served as an assistant professor of biblical theology and exegesis (2013-14); Eastern University in Pennsylvania, where he was a visiting assistant professor of biblical studies (2012-13); and Seattle Pacific University and Seminary, where he was a visiting professor of biblical studies (2010-12). He also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary (Ohio) in 2009-10 and was an academic teaching assistant for Bishop N.T. Wright at Cranmer Hall at the University of Durham in 2009. At George Fox, Nijay will teach New Testament, Greek and spiritual formation and also advise students in the doctor of ministry program. He also blogs on theology and biblical studies at cruxsolablog.com. Nijay holds a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Durham (2009), master’s degrees in theology (2005) and divinity (2004) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (2001). Nijay is the author of 20 peer-reviewed articles as well as three books, including Worship That Makes Sense: A New Approach to the Theology of Paul’s Cultic Metaphors. He lives in Sherwood with wife Amy and children Simryn (8), Aidan (5) and Libby (3).

The university’s master of arts in teaching program welcomes Karen Hamlin as an associate professor of education. She has worked the past 23 years as a professor of education at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., where she designed and taught in that school’s MAT program. Also, for the past 15 years, Karen has codirected or directed a local site of the National Writing Project, a national initiative that supports and focuses teacher knowledge, expertise and leadership on sustained efforts to improve writing for all students. Prior to her career at Willamette, Karen taught for 14 years in the Greater Albany Public School District in Albany, Ore. She holds a PhD in educational foundations from Oregon State University (1991), an MEd from Oregon State University (1982) and a bachelor’s degree in English from Willamette University (1975). She lives in Salem with her three dogs and attends First United Methodist Church.

Jennifer Hanks joins George Fox this month as a custodian. She worked most recently in janitorial services for Newberg Christian Church (2011-12) and, before that, worked in the Newberg School District as a recess monitor at Joan Austin Elementary School (2007-12). Jennifer holds a certified nursing assistant license, from Lewis and Clark State College of Lewiston, Idaho, and received business computer training from the Business Computer Training Institute in Tigard, Ore. She lives in Newberg with her husband Steve and their two high-school-age boys, Matthew and Ryan. The family attends Newberg Christian Church.

Jing Hao joins the biology and chemistry department this fall as an assistant professor of chemistry. She arrives from the Department of Simmons Cancer Center and Biochemistry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where she’s been a postdoctoral research associate since December of 2012. Previously, she was a research mentor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Dallas (2009-12) while earning her PhD in chemistry at that institution (2012). She also held teaching assistant positions at the school from 2008 to 2010. In addition to her doctorate, Jing holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from West China School of Pharmacy at Sichuan University in China (2008). She will be moving to Newberg from Dallas.

The university has hired Sarah Hardy to serve as public services librarian, assistant librarian and assistant professor. She has worked the past two years as access services assistant at the University of Western States’ W.A. Budden Library in Portland, where she oversaw all circulation services. Previously she was a graduate student library intern at Washington State University-Vancouver Library (2013), a library circulation aide at the Beaverton City Library (2012) and a library student assistant at the University of Oregon, Portland Library (2012). Sarah holds a master of library science degree from Emporia State University (2013) and a bachelor’s degree in history from Western Oregon University (2011). She lives in Gresham and attends Damascus Community Church.

Jennie Harrop joins the university this fall as an assistant professor in the adult degree program. Last year she served as an adjunct in George Fox’s adult degree program, and from 2011 to 2013 she was both an online adjunct professor of English for Liberty University and an adjunct instructor for Chemeketa Community College. Jennie’s previous teaching experience includes stints as a teaching assistant and writing center tutor at the University of Denver (1997-2000) and as a teaching assistant and writing tutor at Colorado State University (1995-97). Also, for the past three years, she has worked as a book reviewer for Portland Book Review; while living in Colorado, she wrote regular book reviews for the Denver Rocky Mountain News for more than a decade. Jennie also worked for several years as a news and crime reporter for such newspapers as The Oregonian, Tacoma’s The News Tribune, and The Chicago Tribune. Jennie holds a PhD in English from the University of Denver (2004), a master’s degree in creative writing from Colorado State University (1997) and a bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism from Pacific Lutheran University (1991). She lives in Sherwood with husband Karl and their five children: Miles, Piper, Mattie Jo, Josie and Carson. The family attends Cedar Creek Church in Sherwood, where Jennie serves as an elder and occasionally preaches.

The university’s doctor of physical therapy program welcomes Ryan Jacobson as a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, working on a half-time basis. He served as an adjunct in the DPT program last year and for the past two years has worked as a pediatric rehab supervisor (2013-14) and pediatric therapist lead (2012-13) with Providence Neurodevelopmental Center for Children in Portland. He previously worked as an inpatient physical therapist at Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland (2011-12) and as a program supervisor with PRIDE for Kids in Vancouver, Wash. (2005-11). Ryan earned a doctor of physical therapy degree (2004), a master’s degree in PT (2000) and a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences/physics (1997) from the University of Puget Sound. He lives in Portland with his wife of 14 years, Stephanie, and their 4-year-old daughter, Alex, and attends St. Clare Church in Southwest Portland.

The university welcomes Jeongah Kim as an associate professor of social work. Jeongah, who earned her PhD in social work from the Ohio State University (2003), has taught human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policies, social work and spirituality, program evaluation, and human diversity in both BSW and MSW programs. Her research interests have revolved around factors associated with substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. Her scholarly activities also focus on addressing challenges related to various social welfare policies unique to developing nations. Jeongah’s scholarly productivity reflects her recognition of the importance of contributing to the professional literature in the areas of HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and social welfare policy. She has had more than 20 publications in both national and international journals. In addition, she was chosen by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as one of 14 emerging scholars to receive training and mentoring to assume a leadership role in the field of addictions and their impact on minority populations. Her current interdisciplinary research is centered on mental health, particularly among vulnerable populations who experience the disproportionate consequences of health disparities. Jeongah is dedicated to social justice and attention to spirituality in social work and related philosophical, practice and policy concerns. In addition to her PhD, she holds a master’s degree in public administration from Eastern Washington University (1996) and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Seoul Theological University in South Korea (1993). She will be moving to the area from Birmingham, Ala.

Kristie Knows His Gun, a 2013 graduate of George Fox’s doctor of psychology program, joins the PsyD department this fall as a visiting assistant professor of psychology. She worked as assistant director of clinical training in the university’s postdoctoral program the past year, responsible for the placement of PsyD students within various training programs. She also served as the assistant director of the School Based Behavioral Health program during that span. During her doctoral training, she interned with Wasatch Mental Health (2012-13) and was a pre-intern with School Based Behavioral Health in George Fox’s rural consortium. Kristie holds a PsyD from George Fox, a master’s degree in clinical psychology from George Fox (2010) and both a master’s degree (2008) and bachelor’s degree (2006) in psychology from Montana State University. She lives in Newberg with husband Joe and sons Tallan, Bryden and Caysten. The family attends Family Life Church in Newberg.

The College of Business welcomes Steve Leijon as an assistant professor of marketing this fall. Before coming to George Fox as an adjunct professor in 2013, Steve held a variety of senior staff roles in international high-technology industry, specializing in service design and marketing, business operations engineering, and business model innovation. His special interest is design thinking for business and social innovation, helping people discover opportunity and then shaping business systems to act on it. Steve earned a juris doctor degree from Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from San Jose State University. He lives with his wife Joanne in Newberg and has four children: Kimberlie, Christopher, Gregory and Stuart.

The nursing department welcomes Paul R. L’Espérance as an assistant professor of nursing. He had served as a visiting assistant professor of nursing this past semester. Paul has been a registered nurse for the past 10 years with a broad clinical background. He has worked as a staff RN, a clinical training associate at Oregon Health & Science University, and as a nurse manager both at OHSU and at Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash. As a nationally certified critical care nurse, he has medical, cardiac and end-of-life clinical nursing expertise. Paul will graduate with a Master of Nursing degree in nursing education from OHSU this year. Prior to becoming a nurse, he worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor working with abused children and families at Namaste, Inc., and with the State of New Mexico. He holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of New Mexico (2004), a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Webster University in St. Louis (2000) and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from New Mexico State University (1997). Paul lives in Tigard with his wife, Erica, son Lucas and daughter Jordan. They attend St. Anthony Catholic Church in Tigard.

The university welcomes Chris Morrissey as a visiting assistant professor of sociology. For the past year he has worked as a senior research and analytics scientist with Press Raney Associates of South Bend, Ind., and prior to that was a postdoctoral research assistant at the University of Notre Dame. Christopher’s teaching experience includes work as an adjunct instructor for Notre Dame, Calvin College, the University of St. Francis, Saint Mary’s College and Indiana University, South Bend (2008-14). He also taught high school in the Inglewood Unified School District in Inglewood, Calif., (1999-2003). Chris holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Notre Dame (2012), a master’s degree in religion and society from the Jesuit School of Theology in Santa Clara, Calif., (2005), an MEd from the University of California, Los Angeles (2000) and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and psychology from the University of Delaware (1995). He is moving to the area with wife Javaughn and daughters Darnisha, MacKenna and Christina.

The university’s social work program welcomes the return of Sue Newell this fall. She will serve again as an assistant professor of social work and as director of field education. She has the special task of building and implementing the field component for the new MSW program. Sue worked previously in the undergraduate social work program at George Fox until she left the university in 2012 to help found a new nonprofit, Shepherds’ Pathway in Portland. She has volunteered as program director the last two years and been on the team of four therapists providing holistic and comprehensive mental health counseling for individuals and families regardless of their insurance or financial status. Sue began her social work career in 1995, when she worked with Portland Public Schools. She began teaching on an adjunct basis at George Fox in 1998 and went on to hold assistant professor and field education positions in a full- or half-time capacity at the school until her full-time appointment in 2004. She holds a master of social work degree from Portland State University (1995) and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Westmont College (1975). She lives in Newberg with husband Roger, who teaches religion and Christian ministries at George Fox. Their daughter Marilee (a 2004 George Fox graduate) and her husband Nate also live in Newberg; and their other daughter Melanie (who worked at George Fox from 2008-10) lives in Portland. The Newells attend St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Newberg.

Leah Payne joins the seminary for two years this fall as a Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in American Religious History/Women’s Studies. She will teach courses in Christian history and theology. She will publish her first book, Gender and Pentecostal Revivalism: Making a Female Ministry in the Early Twentieth Century, with Palgrave Macmillan this year. In 2013, Leah completed her PhD in the history and critical theories of religion from Vanderbilt University. She also holds a master of arts degree in religion from Vanderbilt (2010), a master of theological studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School (2006), and a bachelor of arts in music from George Fox (2001). She lives in Aloha with her husband Thomas and their foster son. She is an active member of Faith Center Aloha, where Thomas serves as senior pastor.

The College of Christian Studies welcomes Mary Schmitt as a visiting assistant professor of Bible and Christian studies. She arrives from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she taught an introduction to biblical Greek in 2014 and Greek translation in 2013-14. She was also a teaching assistant at Princeton from 2010 through 2013. Previously, Mary was an instructor at Renk Theological College in Sudan, Africa (2008) and a teaching assistant at Duke University Divinity School (2006-08). Her research interests include issues of conflict and peace in Paul’s epistle to the Romans and the portrayal and response to enemies in the New Testament and Second-Temple literature. Mary anticipates a PhD in New Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary (October), holds an MDiv from Duke University Divinity School (2006) and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from Southern Nazarene University (2003). She lives in Newberg, where she looks forward to maintaining her hobby of medium- to long-distance running. She also is an ordained pastor in the Church of the Nazarene.

Shannon Scott joins the university this fall as an assistant professor of communication and director of the forensics program. For the past nine years he has taught communication courses at Seattle Pacific University while also directing that school’s forensics program, leading SPU to several team and individual awards during his tenure. Prior to his stint at Seattle Pacific, Shannon taught communication courses on an adjunct basis at the University of Washington (2005-06), Shoreline Community College (2002-05) and Highline Community College (2001-05). He holds a PhD in communication from the University of Washington (2004) and both master’s (1998) and bachelor’s (1995) degrees in speech communication from North Dakota State University. Shannon lives in Beaverton with his wife Lisa and their daughter, Soren. While living in Seattle, they attended University Presbyterian Church. They will be searching for a new church home in the Portland area.

The College of Engineering welcomes alumnus Nathan Slegers as an associate professor of mechanical engineering. He’s spent the past nine years in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville as an associate professor (2011 to present) and assistant professor (2005-11). Before that, he was a research associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University in 2004-05. His research focuses on improving actively controlled systems by combining modeling, unique control methods and innovative sensor systems. Nathan earned a PhD in mechanical engineering from Oregon State in 2004, a master’s degree in the same discipline from OSU in 2002, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2000. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science from George Fox (1999). Nathan lives in Salem with wife Alicia and their four children – Ryann, Clayton, Adeline and Abigail.

The Department of Biology and Chemistry welcomes Matthew Stump as a visiting assistant professor of biology. Since 2008, he has been a postdoctoral fellow in the Knight Cardiovascular Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, where he has worked to characterize the molecular and biochemical basis of inherited heart diseases. Matthew has instructed the biochemistry classes as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Chemistry at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., (2011) and as a teaching assistant in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., (2004-2006). He also taught middle and high school science and math at Grace Christian School in Anchorage, Alaska (1998-2002). Matthew holds a PhD in biochemistry from Washington State University (2008) and a BS in biology from Seattle Pacific University (1997). He lives in Portland with his wife, Juli Morse (a 1998 George Fox alumna), and daughter Frances. The family attends Moreland Presbyterian Church in Portland.

The sociology program welcomes Jeff Tatum as a visiting assistant professor of sociology. He has taught the past five years on an adjunct basis at George Fox and Clark College, teaching both undergraduate courses and part-time MBA classes for the former. He taught previously for six years at Calvin College in Michigan, specializing in criminology and law and society courses, and instructed similar classes at the University of Virginia as a teaching assistant in the institution’s Department of Sociology from 1995 to 1998. His research and teaching interests include law and society, the sociology of culture, criminology, the sociology of the body and biomedical ethics. He also has eight years of experience practicing law as a trial and appellate litigator in New Mexico (1987-95). Jeffrey pursued graduate studies in sociology at the University of Virginia and holds a doctor of jurisprudence degree from Texas Tech University School (1987) and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas Tech (1983). He lives in Vancouver, Wash., with wife Jill. The couple has three grown sons and attends Columbia Presbyterian Church in Vancouver, Wash.

Editor’s Note: More new employees will be introduced in the Sept. 2 edition of e-Colleague.