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

Claire Nance Klakring is from Arlington, VA where she lives with her husband and their dog Millie. She has experience in policy and communications across multiple sectors. She formerly served in the Trump White House, the House of Representatives with Representatives Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Michelle Steel (R-CA), and in the private sector. 

719.602.0988
claire_klakring@acsi.org

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

719.867.0204
anna_aiken@acsi.org