Catalyst: Strengthening Your School's Operations and Finances 

Derric Bakker is President & CEO of DickersonBakker, a consulting group comprised of more than 50 staff members specializing in serving Christian schools and other nonprofit ministries. Derric’s personal specialty is in fundraising. He has successfully solicited countless major gifts, including many million-dollar gifts and some in the tens of millions of dollars. He has coached dozens of people in the art and science of fundraising and teaches and writes regularly on the subject. Derric and his wife are strong supporters of Christian education. Both attended Christian schools from elementary through college. Derric's first fundraising job was as a Christian School Development Director, and he has served as a consultant to dozens of Christian schools throughout his career. Derric currently resides in Raleigh NC with his wife Mary Nel, who is a physician at Duke University Hospital. They have three grown children, all of whom also attended Christian schools – one is married and serves as an attorney in Maryland, one is an architect in Washington DC, and one is enrolled in a PhD program at Rice University in Houston.

Brett Henry is the Chief Operating Officer at ACSI and has spent the last seventeen years working in Christian ministry and leading service-based organizations, with the last decade dedicated to Christian education. Mr. Henry is the third CEO of Sevenstar and the second person to serve as Head of School for Sevenstar Academy since their founding in 2006. Before being appointed as CEO of Sevenstar, his career included roles such as chief of administration for a faith-based middle-judicatory nonprofit, chief information officer for a regional Christian ministry, and assistant superintendent and chief operating officer for ACSI member schools. He is also a former church planter and associate pastor.

In addition to his leadership roles at Sevenstar and ACSI, Brett is a consultant to nonprofit organizations focused on systems and leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and corporate polity. Additionally, he is a trained executive coach, a Policy Governance® trainer, and an ordained Christian minister. Along with his family, Brett lives and worships near Dayton, Ohio, where his wife is a school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP). Two beautiful daughters complete their family.

Brett holds degrees in computer science, business administration, and project management, with advanced degrees in public administration and jurisprudence. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in organizational leadership.

Brian Jensen currently serves as Senior Vice President at FaithSearch Partners. After serving for 15 years in Christian education, Brian has spent the last seven years consulting Christian organizations. His experiences allow him to bring expertise in shaping organizational culture, fostering leadership development, strategizing executive-level hiring strategies, optimizing team dynamics, and enhancing educational management practices. Brian co-authored Storied Leadership: Living and Leading from the Christian Narrative and Reimagining the Student Experience: Formative Practices for Changing Times. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Master’s degree in Higher Education with an emphasis in Educational Leadership.

John Klingstedt currently serves as ACSI’s Chief of Staff. John has over 20 years in Christian education leadership and most recently served as the COO at Prestonwood Christian Academy, during which time he facilitated the expansion of educational ministry to over 2,000 students and annual tuition and project revenues of nearly $60 million. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at a top ten cable television company where he monitored and maintained complete financial reporting with revenues of over $500 million, and he maintained bank compliance on a $1 billion credit facility with 42 participating banking entities. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Oklahoma State University and is ordained as a minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church. (Source: https://community.acsi.org/fsi/faculty/bios )

Chris Loncar is the VP of Human Resources at the Association of Christian Schools International. He spent the first 10 years of his calling as a pastor before transitioning to the human resources field, a blend that has given him a versatile and thoughtful approach to leading the HR function of an organization. He has a Bachelors Degree in Human Resources Management and is a Senior Certified Professional through the Society of Human Resources Management. His passion is fostering environments and creating opportunities for employees to thrive in what they are gifted to do by coming alongside to advise, train, encourage, and inspire. He resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his beautiful wife and three young children. (Source: https://www.acsi.org/blog/post/blog/2024/12/17/memorial-stones)

Pete Marra is the Chief Operating Officer at The Colson Center and a seasoned executive with a passion for faith, leadership, and cultural impact. He has worked and advised numerous Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, founded multiple ventures, and works extensively to help organizations grow and scale. Pete has been married to his wife Heather for 25 years, and they have four children.

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.

(Source: https://www.acsi.org/public-policy-legal-affairs/contact/meet-your-public-policy-legal-affairs-team )