Leadership and Spiritual Formation Faculty and Team
Faculty Leads

Kurtley Knight
Position: Assistant Professor of Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary

Jeney Park-Hearn
Position: Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Formation and Chair of Leadership and Praxis, Seminary Masters Programs
Special Teaching Guests

Rob Westervelt
Position: Vice President for Strategy and Innovation, Lindenwood University. Founder and partner at TG THREE, a strategy company.
Academic and Professional Background: BS in Communication, Minor in Business Administration at Weber State University; MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, Talbot School of Theology; Professional Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University.
Expertise and Research Interests: Strategy, Innovation, Marketing, Branding, High-Performance Leadership.
Email: rob@tgthree.com
Office: 636-949-4138
Web: tgthree.com

Chris Fillingham
Academic/Professional Background: BS in Music, Southwest Baptist University. MDiv in Global Christianity, Truett Seminary at Baylor University. DMin in Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary at GFU. Pastor for 15 years of churches in TX and MO.
Academic Interests and Research: Mystic and Contemplative Spirituality, Celtic Christianity, the Enneagram, and the role of the body, heart, and mind in spiritual formation.
Personal Life: Chris and his wife Jessi live with their four kids, two cats, and a dog in St. Louis, MO. Chris loves hearing people’s stories, being in beautiful nature, and playing board games.

Deborah Loyd
Vocational purpose Coach; Adjunct at Warner Pacific University, specializing in leadership development; Pastor Emeritis and Co-founder to The Bridge Church of PDX, Retrofit, and founder of Finding Forward Coaching. Author of Your Vocational Credo , and co-author of Dynamic Adventure: A Guide to Starting and Shaping Missional Churches.
Academic and Professional Background: BA in Biblical Studies and Business/Accounting, Excelsior College; MA in Exegetical Theology, Western Seminary; DMin in Transformational Leadership, Bakke Graduate University
Expertise and Research Interests: Emerging Church Culture and Spiritulaity, Leadership Development, Vocational Discernment.
Email: dloyd@georgefox.edu; deborahloyd@gmail.com
Office: 503-516-1415
Twitter: @deborahloyd
Project Faculty
Project Faculty work with advisees to provide individual & small group guidance for doctoral project development within the project portfolio research sequence.
Seminary faculty routinely serve as Project Faculty within the Doctor of Minstry program. See Portland Seminary faculty page for details.

Dominic Abaria
Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Pastor of Spiritual Care and Development, Portland Rescue Mission; Elder and Pastor, Roots Community Church; Founder & Spiritual Director, Fermata Ministries.
Academic and Professional Background: DMin, "Combating Ministry Burnout by Honoring Human Limitations," Portland Seminary; MDiv, Western Seminary; BA, Concordia University
Expertise and Research Interests: Ministerial and Clergy Burnout, Non-profit Organizational Leadership, Pastoral Leadership, Preaching, Teaching, Christian Spiritual Formation, and Spiritual Direction
Email: dabaria@georgefox.edu

Tracy Cotterell
Position: Project Faculty (Portland Seminary); Senior Mission Associate (London Institute for Contemporary Christianity); Vice Chair of Board (Evangelical Alliance, UK); Co-Chair of Board (Venture Church, UK)
Educational Background: DMin, Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary; MA, Bible and Mission, University of Gloucestershire; BA, Theology, London School of Theology; BA, French and German, Nottingham University
Expertise and Research Interests: Whole-life fellowship; faith and work; leadership, strategy and innovation for churches and nonprofits
Email: tcotterell@georgefox.edu

Mike Larson
Position: Project Faculty, DMin in Leadership and Spiritual Formation
Educational Background: DMin, Portland Seminary; MDiv, Andrews University; BS, Theology and Biblical Languages, Union College
Certification: Board-certified chaplain, spiritual director
Expertise and Research Interests: Hospital chaplaincy, palliative care, trauma-informed spiritual care, spiritual care and mental health, spiritual direction, storytelling and the book of Revelation
Email: mlarson@georgefox.edu
Web: rhemata.org

Susan Rose
Position: Project Faculty, Portland Seminary; Founder and Executive Director, Diakonos Solutions; Transitional Pastor, St. Giles Presbyterian Church; Spiritual Director.
Academic and Professional Background: BA, Political Science; Certificate in Latin American Studies, University of Florida; MDiv, Summa Cum Laude, Memphis Theological Seminary; DMin, Leadership and Spiritual Formation, Portland Seminary; Certified Spiritual Director, Companioning Center.
Expertise and Research Interests: Entrepreneurial ministry, women in ministry and leadership, leadership development, spiritual formation.
Email: susan@diakonossolutions.com (Subject to change)
Web: diakonossolutions.com

Jason Wellman
Position: Project Faculty; Pastor
Academic and Professional Background: BS, Music Education, Bluffton University; MDiv, Ashland Theological Seminary; DMin, Portland Seminary
Expertise and Research Interests: Wesleyan theology, faith and work/vocation, faith integration, church and pastoral leadership, discernment practices, spiritual formation, leadership coaching.
Email: jwellman@georgefox.edu
Web: srumc.org
Seminary Doctoral Team
The Seminary Doctoral Team manages the program online platforms, organizes the face-to-face events, and provides support to students and Project Faculty, in-person or online. In short, this team is the 'glue' that holds the various elements of the program together.

Clifford Berger, DMin
Director, Doctoral Programs
Assistant Professor for Seminary Doctoral Programs

Darcy Hansen, DMin
Associate Director, Doctoral Programs
Assistant Professor of Leadership & Formation
Faculty Lead, Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives