Chapel Speaker Bios
Academic Convocation
April 20th, 2009
The Office of the Academic Dean, along with the faculty of Westmont, celebrate the achievements of the graduating class. Each academic department extends their highest honors to outstanding seniors in their discipline who have achieved academic excellence.
Dan Allender
February 4th, 2009
Dr. Dan B. Allender received his M Div from Westminster Theological Seminary and his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University. He taught in the Biblical Counseling department of Grace Theological Seminary for seven years (1983-1989). From 1989-1997 he worked as a professor in the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling program at Colorado Christian University, Denver, CO. Currently, Dan serves as President and Professor of Counseling at Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, WA. A therapist in private practice he is a frequent speaker and conference leader. He and his wife Rebecca are parents to three adult children.
Gayle Beebe
January 14th, and March 11th, 2009
Gayle Beebe became Westmont eighth president July 1, 2007. He comes from Spring Arbor University, where he served as president for seven years. He earned a doctorate in philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont Graduate University, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker Center at CGU and an M. Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He was general editor of the Renovare Spiritual Formation Study Bible and co-authored (with Richard Foster) Longing for God: Seven Approaches to the Christian Life.
Pam Beebe
February 27th, 2009
Pam Beebe received her Bachelor in Arts in Education from George Fox University and her Masters in Christian Counseling from Western Evangelical Seminary. Besides being a teacher for 8 years, Pam has also worked on two church staff both in children's ministry and as the Director of Life Recovery as well as being deeply involved in bereavement ministry for the past 12 years.
Pam is married to Gayle Beebe, President of Westmont College, and they have three children, Anna (16), Elizabeth (14), and Ricky (10).
Francis Chan
February 9th, 2009
Francis is the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, where he has been serving for the past 13 years. He is also the Chancellor of Eternity Bible College and serves on the board of Children’s Hunger Fund and World Impact.
Francis spends much of his time speaking to high school and college students. His commitment is to teach directly from the words of Scripture. His passion is to see the next generation of American Christians display a much deeper love for Jesus.
Francis is married to Lisa and they have three daughters and one son.
Shane Claiborne
January 28th, 2009
Shane Claiborne is one of the founding members of a new Monastic community named the Potter Street Community (formerly The Simple Way) in Philadelphia, PA. Claiborne is also a prominent activist for nonviolence and the redistribution of resources to the poor.
A graduate of EAstern University, where he studied sociology and youth ministry, Claiborne did his final academic work for Eastern University at Wheaton College in Illinois. While at Wheaton, Shane did an internship at Willow Creek Community church. He has done some graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary, but took a leave of absence, and now is part of The Alternative Seminary in Philadelphia.
Richard Foster
April 3rd, 2009
Richard is the founder of RENOVARÉ and author of six books including Celebration of Discipline, PRAYER: Finding the Heart's True Home, and Streams of Living Water which effectively promote personal spiritual renewal. From his base near Denver, Colorado, where he and Carolyn, his wife, live, Richard travels throughout the world, speaking and teaching on the spiritual life.
Betsy Gray
April 1st, 2009
Betsy Gray is the current Executive Director of Life Network, Inc. now doing-business-as Network Medical Pregnancy Resource Center. A native of California, she has a passion for Jesus Christ and the unborn. She has two children, both alums of Westmont College.
Walter Isaacson
February 6th, 2009
Walter Isaacson is
president of the Aspen Institute and former chairman and CEO of CNN and editor of Time magazine. An acclaimed author, he has written
biographies of Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger. Isaacson graduated from both Harvard and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Governor Kathleen Blanco appointed Isaacson to be the vice-chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. In December 2007, President George W. Bush appointed him to be the chairman of the U.S.-Palestinian Partnership, a government and private sector effort to provide economic and educational opportunities for the Palestinian people. He is the leader of the U.S. Delegation of the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin, and the chairman of the board of Teach for America. He is on the boards of United Airlines, Tulane University and Science Service. He is on advisory councils of the National Institutes of Health, the National Constitution Center and the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.
James Kinzler
March 2nd, 2009
James Kinzler is the lead pastor at Coast Community Church of the Nazarene here in Santa Barbara where he has served for all eleven of his years in full-time ministry. His passion is to equip and empower the people of God to carry out the Church's mission to make disciples. Along with his role as a local church pastor, James has been a speaker at camps and retreats and has served on various boards and committees. James and his wife Kyla have been married for 15 years and have two great kids, Cady (7), and Thomas (5). James enjoys making time for playing basketball, snow boarding, reading and spending time with family and friends. James is a graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary.
Peter Kreeft
January 30th, 2009
Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 45 books including:Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Christianity for Modern Pagans, and Fundamental of the Faith.
Michele Mollkoy
March 9th, 2009
Michele served in full-time vocational ministry for seven years before transitioning to work at Westmont. She shares her heart for spiritual formation through her role as Director of First Year Experience and Special Programs at Westmont, as well as serving as adjunct teaching faculty for Antioch University Santa Barbara. A veteran speaker at college retreats and conferences, Michele holds a B. A. in Psychology from the University of California at Davis and an M. A. in Education from Azusa Pacific University. Among her other responsibilities, Michele greatly enjoys advising the many gifted students who work on Orientation and Spring Sing. Her favorite part of her job is getting to know students over a cup of coffee. Michele has been married to Chris for 14 years and they have two sons, Jesse (7) and Sam (4).
Shirley Mullen
March 25th, 2009
Shirley Mullen, the current president of Houghton College, is no stranger to Westmont. She was a member of Westmont's history faculty from 1984-2006. During part of that time, she also served as the interim Dean of the college, and as Westmont's Provost from 2002-2006. While she did not know Dr. Wallace Emerson personally, she came to known him and to appreciate his contribution to Westmont through conversations with Dr. Paul C. Wilt, longtime member of Westmont's history department, and the college archivist, and Mrs. Margaret Voskuyl, who first came to Westmont in the 1940's as an assistant to Dr. Emerson. Shirley's academic training is in the fields of history and philosophy--focused on the Enlightenment and its Legacy. She currently brings her intellectual passion to the task of creating effective and enduring Christian liberal arts colleges for the challenging world of the 21st century.
John Ortberg
April 15th, 2009
John Ortberg, is passionate about "spiritual formation," which is how people become more like Jesus. His teaching brings Scripture alive and invariably includes practical applications and warm humor. John is the author of many books, including "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" and "The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Growth for Ordinary People", and his latest book, "Faith & Doubt". He has also contributed to many other books and periodicals.
Walter and Terri Owens
January 16th, 2009
Walter Owens, Jr. serves the Rev. Senator James T. Meeks and the 20,000-member congregation of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago as its Minister of Music and Arts. He completed his undergraduate work at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and graduate work at Butler University (Indianapolis, IN) where Dr. Michael Shasberger served as advisor and mentor. He recently served on the Advisory Committee of the newly-published African American Heritage Hymnal (GIA Publications) and is a sought after choral clinician in Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland. His wife, Rev. Terri Owens, is the Dean of Students at the University of Chicago Divinity School and they share the privilege of raising a 16-yr.old son, Walter III, who is pursuing a musical career in composition.
Rev. Terri Hord Owens is the Dean of Students at the University of Chicago Divinity School. As Dean of Students, she is responsible for admissions, financial aid, the formulation and enforcement of academic policy, academic advising and professionalization and placement activities. Prior to entering the ministry and the academy, Rev. Owens spent over 20 years in the information technology industry specializing in data management and data warehousing. She has held leadership positions with such firms as IBM, Ernst & Young, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and SBC Ameritech. In addition to her teaching and preaching ministry, Rev. Owens is committed to drama ministry as a powerful teaching tool. Her research interests focus on theological models for racial reconciliation. Rev. Owens earned her undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard University and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School. She is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rev. Owens and her husband, Walter, are the proud parents of a son, Mitchell, a talented young composer and musician.
Ben Patterson
Dates throughout the semester
Ben Patterson is a contributing editor to Christianity Today and the Leadership Journal. He has written five books, including Serving God (The Grand Essentials), Deepening Your Conversation with God, and He Has Made Me Glad. Previously, he was dean of the chapel at Hope College in Michigan, senior pastor for two congregations and the founding pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in California.
Lauretta Patterson
March 30th, 2009
Lauretta Patterson has partnered for 38 years in marriage, family, and ministry with her husband Ben. Through many life seasons and multiple moves, she has found prayer and laughter to be the surest way to cope with disconcerting change. She loves to teach, and often can be found discipling small groups of students on campus, leading women in Bible studies, or opening the door wide to friends and guests.
Warren Rogers
January 26th, 2009
Warren Rogers became interim academic dean in January 2007. He has taught physics at Westmont since 1994 and served as department chair. A graduate of Harvey Mudd College, he earned his master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Rochester. He actively involves students in his scholarly research and has been appointed to the prestigious position of fellow of the American Physical Society.
Senior Chapel
April 29th, 2009
The final Chapel of the academic year is a celebration of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness. It is also a time to thank the Lord for our senior class and to celebrate with them in their final Chapel at Westmont as undergraduates. As we send all of our students out to destinations all over the world, we do so with grateful hearts that the Lord has entrusted them into our care and for His faithfulness in growing, maturing, and strengthening each student. The culmination of this Chapel is the serving of communion by senior class representatives to the Westmont Community.
Jacque Rhodes
February 11th, 2009
Jacqueline Rhodes: After earning a degree in Speech Pathology, Jacque began a career in higher education as a Residence Hall Director at Grand Valley State University. She joined the Calvin College family in 1996 as an Academic Counselor/ Instructor and currently serves as Assistant Dean of Multicultural Student Development. She describes her work as making the invisible – visible. Jacque and husband David, are the proud parents of five children. In her spare time she studies the “Q” section of the dictionary in an effort to maintain her status as Rhodes’ Family Scrabble Champion.
Gary Thomas
February 23rd, 2009
Gary Thomas is a writer and the founder and director of the Center for Evangelical Spirituality, a writing and speaking ministry that integrates Scripture, church history, and the Christian classics. He has served as a campus pastor and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches on spiritual formation.
Gary graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Western Washington University in 1984, and he holds a master's degree with a concentration in systematic theology from Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., where he studied under Dr. J.I. Packer and served as a teaching assistant for Dr. Gordon Fee. While at Regent, he was awarded the Theology Award, given annually to the outstanding student in the theology department. In 2006, Western seminary is awarding Gary an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
Gary enjoys running marathons and spending time with his wife Lisa and his three children: Allison, Graham, and Kelsey. He makes his home in Bellingham, Washington.
Libby Vincent
February 2nd, 2009
Libby Vincent is a pastor and teaches systematic theology for Fuller Seminary in Northern California. She is passionate about integrating the truths of Christian faith with the realities of daily life. She has a particular interest in working with students and young adults and also speaks regularly at Christian conferences In her spare time Libby enjoys: music, bookstores, working out and her newest adventure, learning how to play drums. She lives in Folsom with her husband Dan, and her children, Maggie and Trent and all of their pets.
Greg Waybright
February 20th, 2009
Gregory L. Waybright is the Senior Pastor at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena since September, 2007. Prior to serving at Lake Avenue, Dr. Waybright was president of Trinity International University and pastor of three congregations.
Dr. Waybright earned the doctor of philosophy in New Testament theology from Marquette University, a master of divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, a master of arts in communication from Wheaton Graduate School, a bachelor of arts in biblical studies and philosophy from Wheaton College, and a diploma in pastoral studies from Moody Bible Institute. Dr. Waybright has studied and done research at Tyndale House and Cambridge University in England.
He and his wife, Chris, have two children (one of which, Kevin, is a senior at Westmont) and now reside in Pasadena, California.