Meet Your Public Policy & Legal Affairs Team

P. George Tryfiates is ACSI’s Vice President for Public Policy & Legal Affairs in Washington, D.C. He has filled multiple roles in public policy throughout his career in D.C., including one as executive director for over 13 years of a national Christian public policy organization and, earlier, as the first full-time executive director of a state-level Christian public policy organization. The latter he helped to transition from its volunteer base in one part of the state to the state capital. George has participated in all aspects of public policy, including nonprofit governance and policy, advocacy, and media. He holds an M.A. in public policy from Regent University. George enjoys history and lives with his wife in historic Fredericksburg where Jefferson crafted his Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. They have been married for 33 years and have four adult children who all graduated from Christian high school. 

202.558.7040
george_tryfiates@acsi.org

Philip Scott's background is a blend of education, religion, and law. He has taught middle and high school students U.S. Government and Civics in Christian schools. Most recently he has been a lecturer in undergraduate and graduate programs teaching on ethics, nonprofit law, and education law.  

He is twice a Liberty University graduate, with an undergraduate degree in Education and a Juris Doctorate degree from Liberty University School of Law. He studied theology and law at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is admitted to practice law in Colorado and at the United States Supreme Court and is a Senior Certified Professional in HR with the Society of Human Resource Management.

Philip was a Judicial Clerk Intern during law school with Justice Tom Parker at the Alabama Supreme Court. He has served as legal counsel to Christian ministries and as a board member for a local education ministry.    

Philip has been with ACSI since 2011.  He currently serves as Vice President for Legal Affairs where he oversees legal, HR and risk management support and training for member schools.  He also serves as legal counsel to ACSI itself and its related entities.  Previously he served as the Managing Director for the Association’s parental choice scholarship program operating in six states.

He has authored over forty articles on legal and HR matters specifically as they relate to religious private schools and is the editor of the Legal Legislative Update. 

He and his wife, Heather, met in the 5^th grade while attending a small Christian school in central Virginia. Philip and Heather have three children.

202.573.7776
philip_scott@acsi.org

Dr. Jay McCurry currently serves as ACSI's Director for State Advocacy, a position in which he works with educational leaders across the United States promoting school choice, religious liberty, regulations, and the common good. He has served in administrative leadership at ACSI accredited schools since 2004. He holds a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Oakland City University, a Doctorate in Christian Education from Pillsbury College and Seminary, a Master of Arts degree in Education from Oral Roberts University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Relations from Southern Nazarene University. Dr. McCurry is a Paul Harris Fellow through Rotary International and he is the author of Lead Like a King: Leadership Secrets of One of the World's Greatest Rulers. Jay and his wife Kelly have been married for 23 years, have four daughters, and reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You can follow Jay on LinkedIn, Truth Social, and Instagram.

719.867.0182
jay_mccurry@acsi.org

Coming soon!

Rebecca VanDeMark currently serves as ACSI's Public Policy and Legal Affairs Specialist. She has served as a High School History and Government teacher for nearly ten years with several ACSI accredited schools. Rebecca is passionate about raising up High School students to be leaders in their generations, specifically in the areas of Public Policy and Law. Rebecca holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Regent University, a graduate law certificate from American University's Washington College of Law, a Bachelor of Arts from Cedarville University and has also completed additional graduate coursework in the Master of Legal Studies program from West Virginia University. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Public Policy and Law at Liberty University. Rebecca is the author of seven books including, Praying through Lyme Disease, which has been translated into ten different languages. You can connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn and Instagram.

719.867.0138
rebecca_vandemark@acsi.org

Sarah Murray currently serves as the Public Policy and Legal Affairs Assistant at ACSI. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Central Florida. She is passionate about Kingdom Education; she spent ten years homeschooling four daughters, who all graduated from Christian schools. She is also an avid proofreader and wishes she could be the Apostrophizer from Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Prior to coming to ACSI, Sarah worked in a Christian school in Texas, running the Help Desk and then serving as the Administrative Assistant to the Middle School Principals. Sarah has been married to her husband, Steve, for too many years to count, and they have a dog named Scout. Their daughters have given them nine wonderful grandchildren, who are their pride and joy.

719.867.0201
sarah_murray@acsi.org