Meet the Team
Ellen Ballock – President (2026-2028) ellen.ballock@gordon.edu
Ellen currently serves as Dean of the Herschend School of Education at Gordon College, where she recently helped launch Gordon’s first doctoral program, an Ed.D. in the Science of Learning. She enjoys strategic process-oriented work, whether that be program (re)design, assessment-driven continuous improvement, or collaborative professional development. Her research interests are driven by a wide range of curiosities related to teacher learning and development, including the development of teacher expertise, the impact of professional learning communities, practice-based teacher education, and the impact of spiritual practices on educator well-being.
Jennifer (Jenn) Kritsch – Incoming President and 2026 Conference Chair (2026-2028) jkritsch@pointloma.edu
Jenn Kritsch serves as the Associate Dean of Instructional Innovation, Partnerships, and Communication at Point Loma Nazarene University’s School of Education. In this role, she leads initiatives that strengthen district partnerships, foster innovative teaching practices, and expand opportunities for educator preparation and alumni engagement. With a background in special education, teacher leadership, and program development, Jenn is passionate about building communities of practice that reflect both academic excellence and radical hospitality. She is honored to serve as conference chair for ICCTE 2026.
Christina Belcher – Past President (2026-2028) cbelcher@redeemer.ca
Christina is an Emeritus Professor and former Chair of the Department of Education at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. Previously, she has served in Higher Education at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., and education faculties in Australia and New Zealand. Her teaching and research interests include worldview, higher education, and children’s literature. She has been involved in ICCTE since 2000 and served as the associate editor of the ICCTE Journal prior to assuming the editorship in 2010, and ending her term in as editor in 2015. She is a confessed ‘bookaholic’ and loves to read! Christina considers working with ICCTE to be an honor, joy, and privilege as part of the quest to bring the biblical virtues of wonder, truth, justice, and reconciliation into the Educational landscape.
Randy King – Treasurer (Ongoing Position) kingr@georgefox.edu
Randy is an Associate Professor of Education at George Fox University, where he teaches in the Accelerated Teaching Degree program. His current courses focus on math and science pedagogy as well as the integration of educational technology. Prior to higher education, he spent eleven years teaching first grade and three years serving as an instructional coach for K–5 teachers. His research centers on equipping pre-service teachers to integrate technology thoughtfully, with an emphasis on digital discernment.
Sean Schat – ICCTE Journal Editor (Ongoing Position) sschat@redeemer.ca
Sean is an associate professor of education at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. Prior to starting his work in post-secondary education, Sean worked for 18 years as an elementary and secondary classroom teacher and educational leader (principal, vice-principal, director of staff development). Sean’s PhD research focused on the communication of educational care, a topic he continues to study. His current research program explores the nature and impact of a Christian Philosophy of Education on educational practices. Sean attended his first ICCTE conference in 2014, and has been involved with the ICCTE since that time. He currently serves as the ICCTE Journal editor and board member.
Alexandria Mills – Communication Coordinator (Ongoing Position) millsa20@georgefox.edu
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Alexandria serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Liberty Education at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California. She leads curriculum planning, instructional design, and faculty development with a focus on a biblical worldview. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at Los Angeles Pacific University. Her experience includes designing faith-integrated courses for Christian higher education and leading the development of PreK–12 academic and homeschool programs. She has led teams, trained educators, and created biblically grounded learning experiences across educational contexts. Her dissertation research explores how instructional design can promote the Christian faith and worldview in a homeschool co-op setting. Passionate about equipping teachers to lead with clarity, conviction, and purpose, she also serves as the Communication Coordinator for the ICCTE Board.
Bill Boerman-Cornell, PhD – Member At-Large (2024-2030) bill.boerman-cornell@trnty.edu
Bill is a Professor at Trinity Christian College in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois where he teaches courses in literacy, children’s literature, and fine arts in the classroom. His research interests include high school literacy within the disciplines and the affordances and constraints of using graphic novels in high school teaching. Bill has co-authored five books: Graphic Novels in High School and Middle School Classrooms; Using Graphic Novels in the English Language Classroom; Young Adult Literature and Spirituality; Using Graphic Novels in STEM Classrooms; and Teaching Graphic Novels to Adolescent and Multilingual Learners.
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Bill’s first ICCTE Conference was at Azusa Pacific University in 2012. Bill was the past President of ICCTE from 2022 to 2024.
Ken Badley – International Member At-Large (2022- 2028) peckjw@grace.edu
Ken serves as Research Professor in Education at Tyndale University in Toronto, Canada. Besides writing junior-high and secondary textbooks, he has published extensively on faith and learning, educational foundations, curriculum, instruction, and teacher self-care. He has taught in four Canadian provinces and two American states, at the secondary, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Ken first attended ICCTE in the 1990s at Wheaton College and has participated consistently since then. Ken lives in Edmonton, Canada.
Matthew Etherington – Member At-Large (2022-2028) matthew.etherington@twu.ca
Matthew achieved his Ph.D. in the philosophy of education from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia while completing doctoral research at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). He is presently a Professor in the School of Education at Trinity Western University, British Columbia, Canada. Matthew is the Director of the "Institute of Indigenous Issues and Perspectives (IIIP). His primary interests are in epistemology, Indigenous pedagogy, and philosophy of education. Matthew is the director of the Institute of Indigenous Issues and Perspectives, Secretary in the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada, and Honorary Research Associate at Morling College, Sydney, Australia
Matthew has published four books, Changing Careers to Become a Teacher: A Study of Mature Age Preservice Teachers in Career Transition and Foundations of Education: A Christian Vision (editor and author); What Teachers Need to Know: Topics of Inclusion (editor and author) and Perspectives of Work: Cambridge scholars Press. He writes on a diversity of topics in education and spirituality using a philosophical lens for analysis.
Nancy Cherry – 2028 Conference Chair ncherry@uu.edu
Nancy serves as Associate Dean & Chair in the School of Education: Teaching & Learning and Director of Graduate Programs at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. As a former classroom teacher for fifteen years in public school, she now teaches in the undergraduate teacher education program, as well as graduate programs. Nancy has been teaching in higher education for seventeen years. Her current teaching responsibilities include coursework related to Literacy in Diverse Classrooms, Curriculum and Instruction, and Leading the Learning Environment. She is dedicated to transformational teaching designed to change the learner academically, socially, and spiritually. Nancy attended her first ICCTE meeting in California as a workshop presenter and has remained connected with the community. Nancy looks forward to becoming more involved with the community to collaborate on current issues and trends in Christian higher education within a worldview context.