Staff
Christopher Hays, DPhil
President
Christopher joined ScholarLeaders as President in 2022 after serving as a missionary and professor of New Testament at the Biblical Seminary of Colombia in Medellín. A Biblical scholar committed to the transformation of theological knowledge into missional practice, he has worked in projects ranging from authoring scholarly volumes to establishing church-based ministries to victims of forced migration. He holds degrees from Wheaton and Oxford. His most recent book in English is Renouncing Everything. He and his wife Michelle have three children and live in North Carolina.
Larry A. Smith
President Emeritus
Larry served as President of ScholarLeaders from 2010 to 2022. He and his wife Victoria have been board members since 1997, and Larry was Chair from 2001 to 2006. Larry also serves on the boards of Fuller Theological Seminary and the Institute for Religion & Public Life. He holds advanced degrees in business administration and theology. Before becoming President, Larry was a strategy consultant to multinational corporations. Larry and Victoria have five children and eight grandchildren and live in Cortona, Italy.
Erin Barber, DPPD
Director of Advancement
Erin joined ScholarLeaders in January 2023 with nearly 25 years of fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector. She has worked with a variety of organizations, including a domestic violence shelter, a health care organization serving uninsured and underinsured people, and a private Christian school. Erin recognizes that the Lord has called her into the work of fundraising in order to advance the Kingdom of God and is excited to serve once again at a Christian organization. Erin earned her Doctor of Policy, Planning, and Development degree with a concentration in nonprofit management and leadership from the University of Southern California.
Emmanuel Bellon, PhD
Vice President
Emmanuel has directed the ScholarLeaders Vital SustainAbility Initiative since 2015. As Vice President, he draws from over 20 years of experience in leadership training, consulting, and coaching. Previously, he served as Vice Chancellor of International Leadership University in Kenya and as President of International Leadership Universities in Zimbabwe, Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received a LeaderStudies scholarship for his PhD in Intercultural Studies at Fuller. He is on the board of The Sanneh Institute. Emmanuel and his wife Leticia live in Florida and have three children.
Evan R. Hunter, PhD
Vice President
Evan’s passions for the Church and the seminary shape his work as Vice President. He contributes across programs with a focus on integration, assessment, and reporting, and he is Executive Editor for the InSights Journal for Global Theological Education. He joined ScholarLeaders in 2004 after working as a missions pastor and in campus ministry. He serves on several boards, including those of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education, Northern Pines Christian Family Camp, and Tyndale House Foundation. Located in Minnesota, Evan and his wife Becky keep up with four very active sons.
Bonnie E. Lin
Prayer Community
Bonnie has worked with ScholarLeaders since 2015. After managing communications, she stepped back in order to do a PhD at Princeton Theological Seminary. She loves the ScholarLeaders fellowship and continues to support the ministry by guiding the prayer community.
Wageeh Mikhail, PhD
Director
Wageeh joined ScholarLeaders in 2019 to guide the ministry in religions. Before joining ScholarLeaders, he was Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Christianity at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt. He has published and spoken widely on medieval Arab Christianity. He received a LeaderStudies scholarship for his PhD at Birmingham. He and his wife have two sons.
Marcos Orison de Almeida, PhD
Engagement Director
Marcos has served with the ScholarLeaders Vital SustainAbility Initiative since 2016. Since 1998, he has worked at South American Theological Seminary in Londrina, Brazil as a full-time teacher and in many administrative positions, including as President from 2006 to 2010. Marcos is also an Evaluator of Theological Institutions and Courses for the Brazilian Department of Education. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister. He received a LeaderStudies scholarship for his PhD at Fuller. He and his wife Patricia have two children.
Evelyn Reynolds, PhD
Director
Evelyn directs LeaderStudies, and serves as Editor for the InSights Journal for Global Theological Education. She joined the team in 2019. She has a PhD in medieval English literature and an MFA in poetry, and she and her husband live in Indiana.
Linzay Rinquest, PhD
Engagement Director
Linzay joined ScholarLeaders in 2020 to help lead the Vital SustainAbility Initiative. From 2006 to 2019, he was Principal/CEO of Cape Town Baptist Seminary in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2018, he was also President of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. He continues to minister as a member of the National Executive of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. He lives in Cape Town with his wife and three children.
Lynn M. Simons
Vice President
Since 2014, Lynn has directed finances and operations for the ScholarLeaders staff. Now a Vice President, she acts as the organization’s central command. She has an Executive Scholar Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University. She lives with her husband in the Chicago area. They have three children.
Shyan Xiong
Administration
Shyan connects the ScholarLeaders staff through administrative and technical expertise. She joined the ministry in 2018. She and her husband George have a heart for the Hmong community and for young people. They live in the Chicago area.
Daniel DeWitt, PhD
Communications
Daniel serves with ScholarLeaders in the area of communications and marketing. He is a Senior Fellow at Southwest Baptist University where he leads the Center for Worldview & Culture. He and his wife April live in central Ohio with their four children.
Board
Our long-serving board of directors represents extensive experience in global theological education, Christian mission, entrepreneurial leadership, and business strategy and practice. Board members generously cover all administrative costs, allowing 100% of other contributions to support programs that directly encourage and enable Christian theological leaders from the Majority World for the Global Church. * member of the Executive Committee
Tite Tiénou*, PhD (2001) CHAIR
Tite holds the Tite Tiénou Chair of Mission and Global Theology and is Research Professor of Theology of Mission at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is known worldwide as a theologian with expertise in Africa and a passion for developing leaders for the Global Church.
John Azumah, PhD (2012)
Accra, Ghana
Executive Director, The Sanneh Institute; Visiting Faculty, Divinity School at Yale University
David Baer*, PhD (2017)
Medellín, Colombia
Director, Theological Education Initiative; Professor, Biblical Seminary of Colombia
Bruce Baker, PhD (1997)
Seattle, WA
Professor of Business Ethics, Seattle Pacific University
Nina Balmaceda, PhD (2022)
Durham, NC
Associate Director, Center for Reconciliation, Assoc. Teaching Professor of the Practice of Reconciliation & Hispanic Studies, Duke Divinity School
Dan Boyce* (2012)
Naples, FL
Partner, iHs Professional Services
Clair* & David Fung (2004)
Encino, CA
Real Estate Investor
Anesthesiologist (MD)
Barry Glaser (2019)
Santa Monica, CA
Ministry Entrepreneur; Retired Vice President, Morgan Stanley
Scott Gifford*, MBA (2022)
Libertyville, IL
Client Executive, Alight Solutions
Matthew Heynen (2014)
Grand Rapids, MI
Owner, Brookside Holdings
John Lovewell (2000)
Palo Alto, CA
President, Lovewell Company
Matt Mascioli* (2020)
New York City, NY
Independent Consultant
Beth* & Doug Paul (2010)
Oxford, MS
Former Area Vice President, CVS Caremark (PharmD)
Partner and Vice President, Medical Marketing Economics (PhD, PharmD)
Linda Prinn (1994)
Newport Beach, CA
Retired
Anthony Rè (2018)
Phoenix, AZ
Executive Vice President, Fairbanks Capital Management
Marshall Reavis (2006)
Lake Bluff, IL
Investor; Board of Trustees, DePauw University
Marleen & Bruce Rognlien (2001)
Pacific Palisades, CA
Chairman Emeritus, Associated Travel
Marylee & Grayson Sanders (1989)
Phoenix, AZ
Independent Counselor
Chief Investment Officer, PREDEX Capital Management
Meritt & Steve* Sawyer (2017)
Menlo Park, CA
Trustee and Retired Ministry Director
P&C Advisor, Woodruff Sawyer
Scot Sellers (1985)
San Diego, CA
Retired Chairman and CEO, Archstone-Smith Trust
Sharon & Dennis Sheehan (1987)
Menlo Park, CA
Teacher
Cardiologist-Consultant, Sequoia Hospital (MD)
Victoria & Larry Smith (1997), President Emeritus, Former Chair
Cortona, Italy
Retired Marketing and Advertising Executive
see above
Syman Stevens (2022)
Greenville, SC
Philanthropy and Non-Profit Consultant
Co-Creative Consulting, LLC
Debbie & David West (2017)
Venice, FL
Church Administrator
Partner, Centerview Capital
Mike Woodruff (1992)
Lake Forest, IL
Senior Pastor, Christ Church Lake Forest; Former President, ScholarLeaders
Amos Yong, PhD (2018)
Pasadena, CA
Dean of the School of Theology and the School of Intercultural Studies, Professor of Theology and Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary
Founders
Tom Cooper, PhD
Steve Hayner, PhD (RIP)
Mark Labberton, PhD
Directors Emeriti
Gary Ames (RIP)
Mark Conroe
Walter Liefeld, PhD
Doug McConnell, PhD
Paul Pierson, PhD
Brian Prinn (RIP)
Kerry Dearborn, PhD, & Tim Dearborn, PhD