Certified Heads of School
Brian is in his 10th year at Redlands Christian Schools and 3rd year as Head of Schools after serving as Upper School Principal. Redlands Christian educates 1,400 students in grades PS-12 on its 25-acre Southern California campus. Prior to this opportunity Brian served for four years as Head of School at Portsmouth Christian Academy at Dover (NH), New England’s largest Christian school. Educationally, Brian has earned a master’s degree from the University at Albany (Public Policy with a focus on education policy) and completed the coursework towards a Ph.D. from Regent University. Prior experience includes seven years with The King’s College (NY) primarily as Vice President of Enrollment Management. Brian’s professional background includes many years of experience in growing enrollment and fundraising for educational institutions. He also served as an Academic Dean in a community college system. Brian and his wife Jody reside in Redlands, CA and have two grown children. They are active in their local church, The Mission Redlands.
Dr. Jerry Eshleman has served in Christian education for nearly 27 years. He came to Resurrection Christian Schools, in Loveland, CO from San Antonio, TX where he served as Superintendent at Cornerstone Christian Schools for nearly 12 years. In both Texas and Colorado, Jerry has served on the ACSI Regional Accreditation Commissions. He has worked consistently at the state and national levels on legislative and policy issues as they pertain to private education and family choice. He has worked, taught and consulted in K-12 schools and universities both nationally and internationally. Jerry has taught and presented in the areas of private school law, school organization & administration, educational psychology, teacher development, decision-making, emotion & cognition, instructional leadership, child growth & development, Christian worldview & Biblical integration and instructional design & methodology. Additionally he has served on numerous accreditation visits with multiple accrediting agencies for K-12 and university-level institutions. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian School Administration and Teaching from Evangel University, and a Master of Arts in Education Administration from Oral Roberts University. Dr. Eshleman earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology from Oklahoma State University. His areas of expertise and research include leadership studies, school law, organization and administration theory, brain-based learning, emotion and cognition, adult and child development, and the neural and psychological mechanisms involved in emotion, learning and decision-making. Jerry’s pride and joy is his wife Jenny, a 3rd grade teacher, and their high-school aged son named Austin.
Dr. Aaron Farrant is the Head of School at The Christ School in Orlando, Florida where he has served the last five year. Aaron is an ordained minister who served as a pastor in Atlanta. He also spent time in the business world. He started his own company, worked in sales, as a project manager, and in contract negotiations. He transitioned to education over a decade ago and loves investing in the next generation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology focused on children and adolescent development, a Master of Arts degree in religion and a Master of Religious Education. Aaron also earned a specialist degree and a doctorate degree in educational leadership. He and his wife have been married for 20 year and have two sons.
Jay Ferguson is the Head of School of Grace Community School in Tyler. Grace Community School is the largest private school in East Texas, serving 1400 students on three campuses from infancy through 12th grade. Jay was a practicing attorney in Dallas and Tyler for ten years before joining Grace Community School in 2002 as its Director of Development. He assumed the full-time Head of School role in fall 2003. Jay has written extensively on Christian education and related issues. He has contributed to Building a Better School, published by Paideia Press, Mindshift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education, published by Purposeful Design, and Religious Liberty and Education, published by Rowman and Littlefield. He is a regular contributor to Christian School Education and the ACSI and CESA blogs, and writes his own weekly blog. He is an adjunct professor of school law and governance at Covenant College in Georgia, and at Baylor University. He serves on the faculty of the Van Lunen Center at Calvin College, and he has served on the adjunct faculties of Gordon College in Massachusetts, and at Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. Jay is the Past President of the Texas Private School Association, the Past Chair of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, and is the Current Chair of the Association of Christian Schools International. Jay holds a Bachelors’ Degree from Baylor University, a Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law, and a Masters’ Degree in Educational Leadership from Covenant College. He earned his PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University.
Barry Giller Since 2010, Barry Giller has served as the head of school at Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte Christian School serves students in grades JK through 12, and has an enrollment over 1150 students. Mr. Giller previously served as Headmaster at Christian Heritage School in Trumbull, Connecticut and as an administrator at both Dade Christian School in Miami, Florida, and The Stony Brook School in Stony Brook, New York. Mr. Giller is a faculty member for the Van Lunen Center out of Calvin University (MI) and teaches in the graduate education program for Gordon College (MA). He has chaired the executive committee of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA) and the board of trustees for the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA). Barry and his wife, Lisa, have seven children and one grandchild.
Chris Harmon serves as the Head of School of Mount Pisgah Christian School, an early learning through twelfth-grade school. Chris served in leadership positions in schools in Florida and Texas prior to his tenure in Georgia. Chris is a VanLunen Fellow and a Vanderbilt Peabody Summer Fellow. Chris has been the Next Generation Chair for Rotary International and is a board member for Horizons Savannah. Chris was also the first TPSMEA Distinguished Administrator of the Year. Chris earned his Doctor of Education from George Fox University. In addition to his headship responsibilities, Chris teaches a class for Gordon College in the Graduate Leadership Program.
Kurt is an attorney and was the founding Head of School of Valor Christian High School in Colorado, serving 1200 students in grades 9-12. Sensing a responsibility and passion for advancing Christian schools around the globe, Kurt transitioned from Valor to found NextEd, an educational services company focused on advancing and improving Christian schools and school leaders. For more than thirty years, Kurt has served in vocational Christian ministry in a variety of contexts, with specific experience in visionary leadership, technology, law, governance and finance. Kurt's great joy comes from creating and advancing business initiatives that serve Christian causes. Kurt was involved as a Charter member of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA) and also served on the Executive Board. Kurt served on the Board of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), the largest association of Christian schools in the world, and joined the staff of ACSI in 2021 as Chief Revenue Officer.
Timothy Wiens has spent the entirety of his 30-year career in education. Throughout that time, he has served as a history teacher, coach, dean of students, assistant principal, head of school, and college professor. Wiens is co-founder of CESA and serves as Head of School at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, GA. He is married to Katie. Together they have one son, Eliot, and two Great Danes, Lena and Jordi. Dr. Wiens’ Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees were earned at Bethel University; his recent Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree hails from the University of Oxford; his Doctor of Education (EdD) degree was earned at St. Mary’s University.
Dr. Jeff D. Williams Dr. Williams is the product of a Christian private school, Trinity Christian Academy in Dallas, Texas. He studied Telecommunications at Baylor and got a double major in Communications and Christianity from Houston Baptist University. He then attended Denver Seminary, where he received a Master of Arts and full certification as a psychotherapist. Dr. Williams had a thriving private practice in Houston for several years, specializing in working with adults, adolescents, and children. His reputation led to Second Baptist School contracting with him to do parent workshops and staff development. He was viewed by the school as someone with outstanding abilities in working with students. He was lured to follow his real passion of working with students and began his journey into Christian education as a consultant, Middle School Counselor, Head of Middle School, and Head of Upper School as well as Head of School. Dr. Williams received his Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston. Jeff and his wife, Allison, have three daughters – two in college at Baylor University, and one that has graduated from Baylor University and currently serves in ministry in Atlanta, GA.
Through June 2022, Dr. Arnold serves as the Board President of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) in Washington, D.C., the leading advocacy group for religious and independent schools in the United States. Over the past twenty-five years, Gary actively participated in the State CAPE Network as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Council for Religious/Independent Schools and the Illinois Coalition of Non-Public Schools. In addition to leading LRCA, Gary Arnold presently directs the Head of School Certification program for the Council for Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA). Gary is also a Founder/Partner of NextEd, LLC, an educational services platform formed to empower schools to achieve their Next and a member of the Core Team of the Christian Education Charitable Trust (CECT) of the Maclellan Family Foundations, advising the CECT Executive Director on strategic initiatives. Gary and his wife Karen have three daughters, several grandchildren and no pets. After too many winters in Chicago, they have determined the South is a wonderful place to live and serve.
 Steve Bult Steve Bult has served as Head of School at Wheaton Academy since 2018. Before taking that role, Steve served as Principal at Wheaton Academy and teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal at Chicago Christian High School. Steve is an alumnus of Calvin College, where he received his B.A. He then received his M.A. from Governors State University. Steve has been married to his wife, Pam, for 30 years, and they have three children, all alumni of Wheaton Academy.
 Chris Cleveland Chris Cleveland has served as Wesleyan’s head of school since 2014. He originally came to Wesleyan in 2002 to serve as middle school principal, became principal of the high school in 2004, and assumed the role of assistant headmaster for advancement in 2010. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Auburn University and a master’s in administration and supervision from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. In past years, Mr. Cleveland was an assistant coach with the varsity boys basketball team at Wesleyan and has taught history and Bible. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, has served as president of the Atlanta Christian School Association, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Georgia GOAL, INC. and Georgia Community Foundation, Inc. Married to Julie Cleveland since 1991, they are proud parents of Kyle '19 and Sam ’22.
 Cade Lambert Cade Lambert has served as Superintendent of Des Moines Christian School (DMC) in Urbandale, IA, since 2016. He previously served as Head of School at New Life Academy in Minnesota. His education experience also includes serving as Elementary Principal at DMC and as a public school classroom teacher. He is passionate about strategically leading organizations in a way that maximizes resources, builds capacity, creates community, and closes the achievement/potential gap. Over his tenure as a school head, he has been involved in three separate capital campaigns. He has led his schools through the strategic planning process and strategic execution. At Des Moines Christian, he is responsible for a $10 million operating budget, more than 1200 students, and more than 200 full and part-time staff. In addition to his formal work, Cade has served on the Presidential Advisory Team for the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and as a mentor for ACSI’s Leadership U, head of school development program. He currently serves on the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA) Executive Committee, as Board Chair of the Iowa Association of Christian Schools and as an elder in his local church. Cade holds degrees from the University of Northwestern (St. Paul) and Iowa State University in Elementary Education (BS) and Educational Leadership and Administration (M.Ed.), respectively. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Urbandale with their four children.  Julie Ambler Julie H. Ambler has been the Head of School at The Woodlands Christian Academy since 2006. Under her direction, Woodlands Christian is becoming a national leader in Christ-centered college preparatory education serving students in grades Pre-K4 through 12th grade. Previously, she served on the school’s Executive Board for four years. Mrs. Ambler currently serves as Chairman of the board for Summit Ministries, located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, Chairman of the board for The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the board for the Council of Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA), and Past Chairman of the board and board member for Leadership Montgomery County (LMC). Additionally, she is a member and past board member of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands, where she has been named a Paul Harris Fellow. Mrs. Ambler is also past President of the Executive Women’s Alliance (EWA). She received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Leadership Montgomery County in 2012 and was named a Woman of Distinction by the Montgomery County Women’s Council of Organizations in 2014 and 2017. Interfaith of The Woodlands named The Woodlands Christian Academy the corporate Hometown Hero of The Woodlands for 2017. A graduate of The Hockaday School in Dallas, Mrs. Ambler holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin. For seventeen years, she worked as a real estate investment banker in Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California, where she financed major commercial real estate transactions nationwide. She is married to Price Ambler, a member of The Crossing Church, and the mother of two adult children, Julia and J.P., both of whom are graduates of The Woodlands Christian Academy.  Dr. Dan Peterson Dr. Peterson serves as the Head of School at Regents School of Austin. Originally from Tennessee, his mother was a school teacher and father, a biologist. Athletics, specifically soccer, played a huge role in his life from age five, through high school and college, and even afterward. He graduated from Carson-Newman University, working during the summers at Kanakuk Kamps in Missouri. Through Kanakuk, Dan broadened his spiritual understanding of how faith can be integrated in every aspect of a Christian’s life and ignited his heart for discipleship. This was a life-changing concept that shaped his worldview, the idea of seeing all things through the truth of Scripture. It was also at Kanakuk that Dan met Brooke who became his wife in 2001. Dr. Peterson obtained a M.Div. degree in theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He served for one year at Heritage Academy in Missouri. He then served for six years as founding Head of School at Cornerstone Academy in Tennessee, while pursuing and earning his Ph.D. in Leadership and Christian Education in 2012. He began his tenure at Regents School of Austin in 2012 serving as the Head of School of Logic until 2015. He served as the Head of School and President of Evangelical Christian School in Tennessee from 2015 to 2018 before returning to Regents. Dr. Peterson has presented at several national and regional conferences, and he has completed the Colson Fellows National Program. Dr. and Mrs. Peterson are the parents of four children, all students at Regents. He enjoys reading, running, hiking, fly fishing, and playing soccer, but most of all, spending time with his family. The Peterson family attends Austin Stone Community Church.  Dr. Scott Harsh Scott assumed the role of President of Greater Atlanta Christian School (GAC) in 2018, becoming the third president in the school's 50+ year history. Before his appointment to president, Scott served at GAC since 1996 in various roles and responsibilities, including Academic Vice President, High School Principal, High School Dean of Students, Middle School Assistant Principal, as well as a math teacher and coach of various sports. Scott completed his bachelor's in mathematics from Harding University, his Master's from the University of Georgia, an Educational Specialist degree from Georgia State University, and his Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership from Abilene Christian University. Scott also serves as Chair of the Board for the National Christian School Association. Scott and his wife Teresa have three children – their oldest son, Garner, is a junior at Lipscomb University; their son, their second son Colton is a senior and their daughter Emme is in the 8th grade at GAC. Their family is deeply engaged in the GAC community school life and at North Atlanta Church of Christ.  Steven Hooks Stephen Hooks, Head of School at Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, is responsible for oversight and direction of both campuses. He became the head of school in 2016. He has been with Westminster for the last thirteen years, as head football coach, science and bible instructor, and chaplain. He is also an assistant pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Prior to becoming a part of WCA, he was with American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa Alabama for 16 years in similar roles. He grew up on campus at the University of Alabama where his dad taught Geology for 58 years. He received a BS in Geology from the University of Alabama and has masters work in Theology, Education, and Geology from the U of A and Liberty Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of Leadership Huntsville Management Academy and a Van Lunen Fellow. He and his wife Cyndy have been married for thirty-eight years and have five children and four grandchildren.  Tom Konjoyan Tom Konjoyan is the Head of School at Village Christian Schools, a K-12 private Blue Ribbon School in Los Angeles, CA. He has served in this role since 2010. Mr. Konjoyan is a Founding Partner in NextEd, an educational services company. He has also served as a board member for the Council of Educational Standards and Accountability. Previously, he was the Founding Associate Head of School at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, CA. Additionally, he has worked at World Vision, an international relief and development organization as Director of Corporate, Foundation and Major Donors. Konjoyan graduated from Harvard University with honors and a degree in sociology. He was a two sport athlete at Harvard winning an Ivy League Championship in football and leading the baseball team as its captain. He also earned an MBA from Pepperdine University’s Presidential and Key Executive Program. In addition, he completed the Van Lunen Fellowship for Christian School leaders at Calvin College in Michigan. He has studied at MIT and the University of New South Wales, Australia. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children. They currently reside in Shadow Hills, CA. In his free time, Konjoyan coach’s lacrosse, and enjoys surfing, volleyball, and golf.
Dr. Kathryn M. Teston Kathy Teston is the Head of School at Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, GA. In 2004, she joined the Fellowship staff as Elementary and Middle School Principal and was named the Head of School in 2013. She has either taught or been an administrator in seven different Christian schools in Maryland, Virginia, the Solomon Islands (as a missionary teacher), Florida, Michigan, and Georgia, with a combined total of almost 40 years in Christian education. Kathy trusted in Jesus as her Savior while attending high school in London, England. Upon graduation, she moved back to the States in order to attend and graduate with her Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Education and Theology from Florida Bible College in Hollywood, FL. Subsequently, she’s earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction, both from Liberty University. She’s enjoyed being an adjunct professor in Gordon College’s Graduate Leadership program for the past two years. Kathy and her husband Mike have been married for 49 years and hope to celebrate their 50th anniversary in Israel with their children and grandchildren. Currently, seven of her grandchildren attend Fellowship Christian School.
Matt Davidson Matt Davidson has been at the helm of Timothy Christian Schools (PreK - 12) since 2010. During that time, Davidson and his team have raised significant dollars for capital improvements, real estate acquisitions, existing programs, and new initiatives. During the same time frame, the school has also earned a National Blue Ribbon of Excellence from the US Department of Education and increased enrollment to record numbers and capacity. He has been at the helm of several major capital campaign projects. Just finishing his 30th year, Davidson has been involved in Christian education for his entire professional career. Davidson started his career in 1993 as a teacher and coach. His experiences in the classroom and the locker room have provided him with a well-rounded perspective of Christian schools. Eventually Davidson moved into administration as a Dean of Students and then a Principal before assuming his first Head of School position at age 36 in the largest private school in Arizona. Since then, Davidson has served at the helm of Timothy Christian Schools in the western suburbs of Chicago – the largest Christian school in Illinois and one of the largest in the country. The school was founded in 1911 and Davidson is only the third head of school in its history. He has successfully ushered in energizing change while maintaining a worthy respect of the institution’s history and foundation. Davidson is also involved with nearly a dozen boards and committees, mostly in the nonprofit world. He is a husband of 30 years and a father of 3 children – all married and all graduates of Christian schools. He is also a proud grandfather of 3.
Steve O'Neil Since 2016, Steve has served as Head of School at Vail Christian High School (CO). For over 30 years, he has held leadership, teaching and coaching positions at Westminster Schools of Augusta (GA), Haven of Peace Academy (Tanzania), Minnehaha Academy (MN), Regis Jesuit High School (CO), and Denver Academy (CO). He has been involved with the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA) since its founding in 2010, was a Charter School member, and served on its Executive Board for 6 years. He currently serves as U.S. Board Vice-Chair for Daystar University (Kenya). Steve is also a Founder/Partner of NextEd, an educational services company. He holds degrees from Wheaton College and University of Colorado. Steve and his wife Denae live in Edwards, Colorado and have three adult children. |
