Adjunct Professional Faculty

Dr. Jay Ferguson is Head of School of Grace Community School in Tyler, the largest private school in East Texas, serving nearly 1000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Ferguson was a practicing attorney before joining the school in 2002 as Director of Development. He became Head of School in fall 2003 after a brief stint as interim. A vibrant educational community, Grace was awarded Blue Ribbon Exemplary status by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 and 2017.

Ferguson earned a PhD in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Covenant College, JD from Texas Tech School of Law, and bachelor’s degree from Baylor.

Ferguson has written extensively on Christian education and related issues and is currently co-editing a volume on board governance. He writes a weekly blog and is a regular contributor to Christian School Education and the ACSI and CESA blogs. He is an adjunct professor in school law and governance at Covenant College in Georgia, Gordon College in Massachusetts, and Baylor University and has served on the adjunct faculties of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and the Van Lunen Center at Calvin College.

Ferguson serves on boards of organizations at the local, state, national, and international level. He is Past President of the Texas Private School Association, Past Chair of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, and is current Chair of the Association of Christian Schools International.

Dr. Donna Harris has served since 2009 as President of Minnehaha Academy, a PreK-12 Christian school in Minneapolis, founded by Swedish immigrants in 1913. Previously Donna was Assistant Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer at Valley Christian Schools, a K-12 school in the Bay Area with an enrollment of 2,500 students.

Prior to her work in independent schools, Harris taught in public schools with a bilingual elementary and secondary teaching credential, twice receiving Intel Corporation’s prestigious Innovation in Teaching award. She has frequently presented at conferences on topics such as project-based learning, integration of technology, governance, strategic planning, leadership, and school improvement. She authored a chapter in the book, Building a Better School called “Diversity in the Christian School.” Harris has served on the Board of Trustees at North Park University (2010-2015), the Minnesota Independent School Forum (2013-2016), and currently serves as the Board Chair for the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS 2016-Current) and the Ordway Center of Performing Arts (2016-Current). Harris is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Matt Thomas, EdD, is the Head of School at Trinity Christian School. He has served in Christian schools, Christian higher education, seminaries, and pastoral ministry for more than 25 years. Most recently, Dr. Thomas served as the Executive Director of the Baylor Center for School Leadership. 

His experience and expertise include mentoring, the development of leaders within Christian organizations, and organizational culture and health. Motivated by the joy a person experiences when they invest in the life of another, Dr. Thomas aims to equip Christian leaders to lead from a posture of humility and Christ-like influence that catalyzes the leader to effectively help that institution fulfill its mission. Dr. Thomas is deeply committed to training leaders to purposefully engage the seismic shifts facing Christian institutions today and firmly believes that the effectiveness of an institution is most closely related to the quality, character, and training of its leaders.

Matt and his wife, Beth, have three daughters.

Katie Wiens is the Executive Director of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability. Along with her teaching at Kennesaw State University, Gordon College, and Cairn University, she has done extensive research and writing on independent and faith-based schools as well as single-gender education. Having worked in both public and independent schools, Wiens has served as Dean of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Admissions, and Science Department Chair, and has taught chemistry and biology. Her publications include a book on single-gender education and multiple journal articles, and she is co-editor of a book on school leadership. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Boston University. Katie lives in Marietta, GA with her husband, son, and Great Danes.

Dr. Timothy Wiens is headmaster of Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Georgia. He has spent the entirety of his 30-year career in education, having served as a history teacher, coach, dean of students, assistant principal, head of school, and college professor. He earned his Doctor of Education at St. Mary’s University, MBA at the University of Oxford, and Master of Education and Bachelor of Arts at Bethel University.

Wiens started his career in Minneapolis, Minnesota, teaching in independent schools and transitioned to public school administration after six years in the classroom, providing experience in both public and independent schools. He also spent three years as a professor at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., Wiens was head at Boston Trinity Academy (MA) for seven years, Delaware County Christian School (PA) for five years, and is in his fourth year at Mount Paran Christian School. He has served as the Co-chair of the Peabody Professional Institute for Independent School Leadership at Vanderbilt University and as the Co-director of the ADVIS-Penn Independent School Leadership Institute in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.