Senior Leadership
I am inspired by the faith, courage, and reverence for God by Christian educators around the world! It reminds me of the story recounted in I Samuel 17 about David defeating Goliath. In verse 29, David’s response to the inaction of his
elder brothers and the Israelites especially encourages me. He boldly and nobly answers the call to action by asking, "Is there not a cause?”
I can think of no greater cause than to partner with you as you advance Kingdom education. We fully believe that authentic devotion to the Christian faith and academic excellence are mutually reinforcing. There are not two or three forms of excellence, but rather an ethos that is cultivated throughout every facet of our schools. Faith is not separated from learning but rather integrated intentionally, resulting in a distinctive Christian worldview.
Scholarship and learning become an integral component to the maturation process known as discipleship. Thus, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, the ultimate objective of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20), is the prize for which we strive; it is the highest form of excellence! It is certainly conceivable that we could produce students with the spiritual depth needed to enter our pluralistic society and not fall prey to empty philosophies. Rather, they would be equipped to saturate the marketplace to which God has called them with confidence, purpose, and an eternal perspective.
ACSI’s ongoing mission is to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We want to serve you as you continue to cultivate and sustain a flourishing school. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you—thank you for your obedience to God’s call on your life—you are indeed making a difference.
Dr. Larry Taylor, President & CEO, ACSI
larry_taylor@acsi.org
719-867-0200
ACSI Senior Leadership
Dr. David Balik
Vice President of USA
Dr. Gavin Brettenny
Chief Strategy Officer
Kevin Buelke
Chief Finance Officer
Cindy Dodds
Chief of Flourishing Initiatives
Michael Epp
Senior Vice President of Global
Brett Henry, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Sevenstar
Vice President, Educational Resources
John Klingstedt
Chief Operating Officer
Christi Lynn
Vice President, Communications & Engagement
Chris Loncar
Vice President, Human Resources
Jerry Nelson
Chief Ministry Officer
Philip Scott, J.D.
Vice President for Legal Affairs
P. George Tryfiates
Vice President for Public Policy and Legal Affairs
Susan Verheul
Vice President, Executive Initiatives
Dr. Cecil Swetland
Vice President for Development
News and Press Releases
ACSI Reaches New Heights Digitally Hiring a new VP of Educational Resources, Expanding On-Demand Professional Development Learning & Launching a Bible Assessment
Colorado Springs, Colo.– The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is reaching new heights digitally by hiring Sevenstar CEO Brett Henry as the new Vice President of Educational Resources. Henry will continue to lead Sevenstar, a subsidiary of ACSI. His expanded role includes leading a team of content developers providing on-demand professional development for Christian educators and academically rigorous, biblical worldview infused Purposeful Design textbooks. In addition, the ACSI Bible Assessment is now available digitally to gauge students’ knowledge, understanding, and life application of scripture.
ACSI President Dr. Larry Taylor is committed to equipping educators with 24/7 access to quality digital resources grounded in a biblical worldview.
“This is a new day at ACSI, and we are dedicated to live out the Great Commission by equipping and strengthening educators as they provide students with a solid Christian education,” he shared. “Brett Henry, CEO of Sevenstar and ACSI’s new VP of Educational Resources, has more than 17 years of service in Christian ministry and has already been leading the charge through Sevenstar in providing families with a flexible, Christ-honoring option through online student courses. He is the ideal candidate for this position.”
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Henry has spent a decade of his career in Christian education. He is the third CEO of Sevenstar, an accredited online option for courses taught from a biblical worldview, and serves as the second head of school for Sevenstar Academy.
Henry anticipates that the developments at ACSI, including the new Bible Assessment, will help fulfill a real need for biblically based resources around the globe.
“I am humbled to join the dynamic team that Dr. Taylor is assembling at ACSI in this pivotal chapter of the organization’s history,” he shared. "I am especially excited about the mandate to expand access to Christian education across the globe, and firmly believe that the combined team efforts of Purposeful Design Publications, Sevenstar, and the digital initiatives will mark an indelible season.”
The digital library, titled ACSI PD powered by Campus, includes more than 500 hours of professional development courses ranging from topics including biblical worldview development and subject-specific strategies. Renowned speakers like John Stonestreet share their insights and best practices.
The platform, available now, will allow educators the flexibility to choose on-demand professional development courses that best suit their needs.
ACSI will also offer the ACSI Bible Assessment, a stand-alone standardized K-12 Bible Assessment focusing on students’ knowledge, understanding, and life application of scripture.
The assessment, available in both digital and paper formats, is not connected to any assessment program which allows Christian schools the freedom to incorporate it into their own unique schoolwide assessment plan.
ACSI Director of Assessment Programs David Smitherman believes this tool will support educators in evaluating their school’s Bible instructional program.
“We want to come alongside schools in providing a flexible online assessment that will help gauge the effectiveness of their Bible classes,” he shared. “It will assist Christian educators in identifying the mastery level of students by providing an Individual Student Performance Report, Performance Band Report, and Class Standard Level Performance Report.”
The Bible Assessment will be available for administration in the Spring of 2023.
Taylor believes that ACSI’s digital focus will serve to equip Christian educators with quality resources, ultimately strengthening the Christian education movement.
“This is another tremendous step in our continued growth in the digital arena,” he shared. “We are invested in providing educators with the best possible resources in preparing students to impact the world for Jesus Christ.”
About ACSI:
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, ACSI exists to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ. ACSI advances excellence in Christian schools by enhancing the professional and personal development of Christian educators and providing vital support functions for Christian schools through multiple services including teacher and administrator certification, school accreditation, legal/legislative assistance, and curriculum publishing. Serving more than 25,000 schools in 108 countries, ACSI helps more than 5.5 million students worldwide connect to Christian education.
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About ACSI PD powered by Campus:
ACSI Professional Development powered by Campus brings on-demand learning to users. Annual subscriptions grant users 500 hours of best practices, inspiration, and experience with dynamic tracking of earned Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through a Virtual Professional Portfolio (VPP). Learn more about ACSI PD powered by Campus by visiting the website at https://www.acsi.org/digital.
About the ACSI Bible Assessment:
The assessment was developed for grades K-12 by a team of 100 Christian school educators representing all grade levels. Utilizing the most commonly used Bible textbooks and series among Christian schools, the test focuses on students’ knowledge, understanding, and life application of scripture. It is designed to assist Christian educators in identifying the mastery level of students in these three areas, and, as a program diagnostic tool, to support these educators in evaluating their school’s Bible instructional program. For more information, go to your.acsi.org/ABA, email assessmentsupport@acsi.org, connect with the student assessment program team through our form at your.acsi.org/SAPTeam, or call the ACSI care Team at (800) 367-0798.