Graduate Leadership Traditional Faculty

Fred Banke, Ed.S.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership

After completing 15 years in administration in the Resort Hotel & Spa Industry in Florida, the Lord called Fred into a different field. For the past 24 years he has been serving in Christian education, with the last 13 years as Headmaster at Community Christian in Stockbridge, Georgia. Previously he served as Middle School Principal at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy and Assistant Middle School Principal at Charlotte Christian.  Prior to ... more ➔

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Susan Banke, Ph.D.

Director, Graduate Leadership Program
Instructor, Graduate Leadership Program

Susan has been involved in education for her entire career, recently joining the Gordon Leadership Program as its Director of Graduate Leadership. Prior to accepting this position, she taught and continues to teach in the Graduate Leadership Program in courses such as Personnel and Strategic Planning and Liberal Arts Approach in Leadership. 
Serving in Christian schools for over 35 years in Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, Susan ... more ➔

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William Brown, Ph.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership

Dr. William E. (Bill) Brown led two Christian universities as President - Bryan College (1993-2003) and Cedarville University (2003-2013). Currently, he divides his time among several initiatives. He is the Senior Fellow of Worldview and Culture at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, where he also directs the Colson Fellows Program.  He is the Senior Executive of WorldAPP, an international technology firm with offices in Kiev, London, ... more ➔

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Hunter Chadwick, Ed.S.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Head of School, Calvary Day School

Dr. Hunter Chadwick began his educational career in lower school teaching K – 4. He taught Spanish and World History at the upper school level and became the program coordinator for students’ at-risk program at Bradwell Institute in Hinesville, GA. Then he served as the Director of Curriculum at Savannah Christian Preparatory School. After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Chadwick and his family moved to Roswell, GA, and he served in administration ... more ➔

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Ron Farrar, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Upper School Principal, Westminster Academy

Dr. Ron Farrar currently serves as the upper school principal at Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Prior to Westminster, he served as middle school principal at Whitefield Academy, a Christ-centered, college preparatory school, in Smyrna, Georgia. He also served as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Massachusetts public school system. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education and history from Fitchburg State University ... more ➔

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Chris Harmon, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Headmaster, Mount Pisgah Christian School

Dr. Harmon began his education career as a counselor in an all boys’ behavior rehabilitation facility. After serving several years in this capacity, Dr. Harmon was hired as a counselor at an independent Christian school in South Florida. During his tenure, Dr. Harmon was instrumental in developing a new upper school program, ultimately becoming the school’s first upper school principal. Since that time, Dr. Harmon has been the headmaster ... more ➔

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Mike Hayes, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Head of School, Worthington Christian School

Hayes is currently the Head of School at Worthington Christian School in Ohio. Prior to 2022, he served as the Vice President for Student Development at Lee University in Cleveland, TN where he had served in several significant roles since 1995. His early career at Lee includes positions as Counselor, Coordinator of Academic Assessment, and Director of Student Development. He became a member of the President’s Cabinet in 2006 as an Assistant ... more ➔

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Mark Jennings, Ph.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Director of Development, Mount Pisgah Christian School

Mark has more than 20 years' experience in higher education and K-12 education as an executive, fundraiser, and teacher. He enjoys regular public speaking to groups of 10-1,000. Mark is committed to active communication and consensus building, which informs his personal management style and business practices. He is focused on the non-profit sector, specifically education, which he sees as the best vehicle for bringing goodness to our world.  ... more ➔

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Brian Kennerly, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Assistant Head of External Affairs, Whitefield Academy

Brian Kennerly joined the Whitefield team in 2018 as assistant head of external affairs and also served as interim Middle School principal for the 2019-2020 school year. Before arriving at Whitefield, Kennerly served as head of school at Brookstone School in Columbus, Georgia, high school principal and assistant head of school at Wesleyan in Peachtree Corners, and a grade chairman at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. Most recently he served ... more ➔

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Curt Masters, Ph.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Headmaster, Brentwood Academy

Mr. Masters was mainly raised in Indonesia with his missionary parents. He attended Wheaton College, where he met his wife, Cindy, who also grew up on the mission field, and there he earned a bachelor of arts in psychology. Later, he earned a master of education in administration from the University of Puget Sound and a Ph.D. (ABD) in educational leadership from the University of Miami. Before coming to Brentwood Academy, Mr. Masters was headmaster ... more ➔

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Misty Overman, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Head of School, Fort Worth Christian School

Dr. Misty Overman has served two schools for over thirty years with experience as a teacher, administrator, and Head of School. She holds a B.S. in Secondary Mathematics Education, a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, as well as an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia. Following her graduation from UGA in 1986, Dr. Overman accepted her first teaching job at Greater Atlanta Christian School (GACS) where she taught high ... more ➔

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Jason Powell, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Assistant Director of Development, Brentwood Academy

Jason Powell is the Assistant Director of Development and Christian Life at Brentwood Academy near Nashville, Tennessee. His leadership experience includes serving as head of two independent Christian Schools, public school district administrator with school choice policy expertise, middle school principal, coach, dean and mathematics teacher. Jason received his Bachelor’s and Master’s from Florida State University and his Doctor of ... more ➔

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Michelle Roberts

Program Assistant, Gordon College Graduate Leadership

Michelle Roberts joined the Gordon staff at the same time Dr. Susan Banke took over the role of Director. A graduate of Auburn University (BS in Fashion Merchandising) and Georgia State University (BA in English), Michelle has worked in both public and private Christian schools as a high school English teacher, administrative support staff member, and most recently, the lower and middle school registrar at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, ... more ➔

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Justin Smith, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Head of Upper School, Little Rock Christian Academy

Justin Smith serves as the Head of Upper School | Vice President of Little Rock Christian Academy, a leading Christian independent Pre-K3 to 12th-grade school of over 1,400 students and 250 faculty in Central Arkansas. Justin also serves as a trustee on the board of an all-boys boarding school in Philadelphia. Committed to Christian education, Justin has contributed to think tanks, such as MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education, and ... more ➔

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Jared Squires, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Head of School, Heritage School

Jared Squires has been blessed to be a part of the classical, Christian, University-Model school movement for the past 20 years as a co-founder, trustee and headmaster of Kingdom Prep. He and his wife, Dana, first learned of the classical Christian university-model school movement in the fall of 1999 when his daughter, now 27, was in the first grade. At that moment in his life, the Lord began prompting him in a number of areas regarding what His ... more ➔

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Kathy Teston, Ed.D.

Instructor, Gordon College Graduate Leadership
Retired Head of School, Fellowship Christian School

Dr. Kathryn Teston, a native Texan, spent her high school years in London, England where she also met Jesus Christ as her personal Savior.  She received her BA from Florida Bible College in Biblical Education and Theology.  Her MEd in Educational Leadership and EdD in Curriculum and Instruction were both earned at Liberty University.  Dr. Teston began her teaching career in Maryland, followed by teaching assignments in Virginia, ... more ➔

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David Tilley, Ed.D.

Instructor and Former Director, Gordon College Graduate Leadership

Prior to moving to where Dr. David Tilley refers to as home, East Tennessee, he lived in New Mexico, Idaho, and Kansas as the son of a minister. He graduated in 1967 from East Ridge High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee and went on to receive his dual degree in political science and education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).

Upon graduating from UTC in 1971, Dr. Tilley took positions with the Cobb County School ... more ➔

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