PFO2Go Presenters

PFO2Go Director/Course Opening and Closing Presenter

Tim Shuman

PFO Director | Regional Director for International Schools, ACSI Global

Tim serves as the regional director for international schools at the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Prior to joining the ACSI team in 2010, he and his wife, Sandee, lived and worked in Germany for nearly 25 years at Black Forest Academy, a Christian boarding school, where Tim served as headmaster. The Shumans have two TCK sons, Luke (Brooklyn, NY) and Tyler (Los Angeles, CA). When Tim is not visiting or consulting at international Christian schools around the world, he can often be found hiking with Sandee in the Colorado Front Range or sketching scenes that catch his attention.

Culture and Transition Track Presenter

Jerry Jones

Transition Specialist | Leadership Development International (LDi)

Jerry is a cross-cultural trainer, public speaker, and writer who has lived in China with his family since 2006. There he has developed cross-cultural training programs both for Asian professionals preparing to travel abroad and expats living in Asia. Before moving to China, he served as a pastor for eight years.  Jerry is passionate about his family, his faith, and crossing cultures. He has been married to his college sweetheart since 1996.  His daughter was adopted from the Gansu Province of China in 2004 and his son was adopted from the United States in 2009. Jerry's website is The Culture Blend.

TCK Track Presenter

Michèle Phoenix

TCK Consultant | Global Outreach Mission

Born in France to a Canadian father and an American mother, Michèle is a consultant, writer and speaker with an international mindset. She taught for twenty years at Black Forest Academy (Germany) before launching her own ministry advocating for Third Culture Kids under Global Outreach Mission. Today Michèle travels globally to consult and teach on topics related to TCKs, while writing novels in her spare time. She is inspired by good conversations, mischievous students, and paths to healing. Michèle's website is https://michelephoenix.com.

Teacher Track Presenter

Susan Allen

Susan Allen grew up as a missionary kid in Southeast Asia and attended Christian schools from PK-12.  Before she and her family moved overseas to work as missionaries, she spent several years teaching in Christian schools in the United States.  When God led their family to Penang, Malaysia, Susan worked at Dalat International School for 9 years, where she oversaw high school curriculum and instruction and was Chair of the Bible Department.  

From Susan’s experience as a Bible teacher and student mentor, she could see a disturbing trend of disconnection between professed Christian beliefs and real-life practices.  She worked with a team at Dalat to lead the school through a multi-year process of research, development, and innovation in the area of biblical instruction and spiritual formation, and the results were transformational.  Through these experiences at Dalat, Susan began to speak at conferences and consult with Christian schools around the world related to spiritual formation and biblical instruction.  

Susan facilitated ACSI”s international Forums on Biblical Instruction and Spiritual Formation and is recognized as a thought-leader in the area of spiritual formation in the context of international, Christian schools.  The Allens recently relocated to Northern California to help care for Susan’s mother, and Susan has just completed a master’s degree in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership while continuing her consulting and training work with Christian schools around the world.  Susan is passionate about raising up the next generation to know and love God.

Boarding Track Presenter

Kristi Schliep

Associate Head of School | Black Forest Academy

Kristi Schliep was born and raised in California by two mission-minded, pastoral parents. She has served with Youth for Christ for over 20 years in California, Germany, and Thailand, and has worked at Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany for 12 of those years where she is currently serving as the Associate Head of School. Kristi has her master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration. Her thesis focused on resident assistant retention at Black Forest Academy.

For most of her years at BFA, Kristi has served directly in the school’s boarding program, both as a resident assistant and as a boarding administrator who focused on the professional development of boarding staff. She continues to support the BFA boarding program through training, advice, consultation, and occasional dorm subbing. She has also served on or led several ACSI boarding accreditation visits examining and advising international boarding programs in Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia. She was also a contributing member of the editing team that helped to revise the Association of Christian School International (ACSI) Manual for Boarding Accreditation. Kristi is a certified trainer for Boarding Training Australia and has presented those materials at Black Forest Academy and Dalat International School. Finally, Kristi has been an advisor and presenter at ACSI’s in-person PreField Orientation (PFO) training program where she has trained hundreds of individuals on issues surrounding transition to the international school environment and most recently led the in-person Boarding Track at PFO for individuals about to serve in international boarding. Boarding is near and dear to Kristi’s heart and she is committed to raising the quality of caregiving in boarding homes whenever and wherever she can.

Child Safety Track Presenter

Jacki Steinkamp

Director of Guidance/Child Safety Coordinator | Dalat International School

Jacki Steinkamp has been working in international Christian education for more than 25 years, most recently at Dalat International School in Penang, Malaysia. She has worked primarily as a counselor for students of all ages. In the past 10 years, she has been involved with the school’s child safety team, developing policies and procedures, working on safe environment and prevention, and training for all community members. Dalat is an active member of the Child Safety and Protection Network and Jacki is currently the director of guidance and child safety coordinator at the school. Both she and her husband Karl are products of international Christian schools and together have three young adult TCKs.