7 Questions with Leaders in the Education Sector

Name: Jason Huffman

Current title: Principal

Current organisation: Calvary Chapel High School

Father of 3 boys. Married for 27 years. Working at Calvary Chapel Schools in admin and classroom for 24 years. Masters in Education. Bachelors in Biblical Theology. Bachelors in Human Development. I enjoy surfing, family, and staying active.

Name: David Arrell

Current title: Director of Education/Superintendent

Current organisation: Grove City Christian School

I have served in Christian schooling for over 35 years in four states in three types of schools. All of them are traditional schools but their governance and structure differed. I have served in church-based schools, independent schools, and in a Christian school system. I have also co-created a ministry preparation pathway enabling students to learn through mentorships which resulted in college credit.

In addition to my work here at GCCS, I serve as an Accreditation Commissioner as well as on accreditation teams.

My wife and I have been married for over 31 years and we have two adult children. I have degrees from Lancaster Bible College and Johns Hopkins University.

Name: Mel Brandsma

Current title: Principal

Current organisation: King's Christian School

Educator for 33 years, the last 10 have been as a principal. 3 years of vice-principalship before the 10. I obtained my masters degree several years ago as well. I taught high school mainly in Math and P.E. Been an active coach in the school systems for all 33 years.

Name: Lannette Lozano

Current title: Superintendent of School Ministries

Current organisation: Great Commission Association

Born and raised on the coast of Santa Cruz County, I have worked in the Early Childhood Education field since 1991. I began as an assistant teacher, teacher, site director and now Superintendent of Schools. I attended a local junior college to receive my Early Childhood Education units and recently went through Christian Leadership Training for Non-Profit certification. I oversee 9 preschools and an elementary school. Developing leaders and developing two new preschool sites per year.

Name: Erik Hofsink

Current title: Principal

Current organisation: Emmaus Christian School Canberra

My career as a school principal started in South Africa as a twenty-two-year-old in Cape Town and since moving to Australian in 1995, my career as a principal in Australian schools started again in 2004. Since January 2016, I have been principal of Emmaus Christian School in Canberra and before that, I was principal of Launceston Christian School in Tasmania from Jan 2004 - Dec 2015. Alongside my role as principal, I have served as Public Advocate for the Australian Association of Christian Schools. I held positions in Principal’s Associations and Australian Heads of Independent Schools and from 2018-2020 served as an Executive Member of the Association of Independent Schools in the ACT. I have been married to Emmie for 33 years, and we have three married children and two grandboys. In 2018 I received the AIS ACT Excellence in Educational Leadership Award.

Name: Chad Haverkamp

Current title: COO/Principal

Current organisation: Jarvis Community Christian School

Chad Haverkamp is currently the COO/Principal at Jarvis Community Christian School. He has been in this role since September 2016. He was a teacher for 3 years in the Grade 7/8 classroom of the school before moving to the office.
Chad takes on the roles of leadership in his organization but is particularly fond of conflict management and conflict resolution. He and his wife, Karisa (Psychotherapist), are in the midst of starting a conflict mediation consulting company due to their varying areas of interest and expertise.
Chad is an alumni of Redeemer University (BSc), D'Youville College (MSc), and Dordt University (MEd).

Name: Dr. Brent E Betit

Current title: Head of School

Current organisation: The Fletcher School

Brent is a magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College (NH) in English Language and Literature. He later received his doctorate in Education at Fielding Graduate University (CA). With a long career in education, Dr. Betit's experiences have been comprehensive and impressive. Although he spent nearly three decades at Landmark College, the world's first college for students with learning disabilities, his experience in education has been wide-ranging. While at Landmark, Brent held many senior management positions, but he has also taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. His diverse career has included serving as director of operations for a construction company, founding a technology company, and working as a journalist for a national magazine. Prior to joining Fletcher, Dr. Betit held the position of Deputy Executive Director for Educational Affairs of the King Salman Center for Disability Research in Saudi Arabia, overseeing the Academic Training Division. Dr. Betit, a seventh generation Vermonter, joined the Fletcher community in July 2016. He and his wife, Julie, are the proud parents of two adult sons.

Name: alan sparrow

Current title: Head of School (just retired)

Current organisation: Rowland Hall (just retired)

Currently - Executive Coach and consultant on governance and administrative evaluation
Head of School - 28 years - Salt Lake City U; Rowland Hall, a PS-12 independent co-ed day school of 900 students.
Upper School Principal - 8 years - Cincinnati, Ohio; Seven Hills School, a PS-12 independent co-ed day school of 1000 students
Teacher, Coach, Middle School Principal - Rochester, NY, Harley School, PS-12, independent co-ed day school of 500 students.

Name: Chris Townsend

Current title: Headmaster

Current organisation: Felsted School

Headmaster at Felsted School, having previously been Deputy Head. Also worked at Stowe and Dean Close. Read Classics at Oxford, and also lucky enough to play a bit of cricket while there. Married to Mel, with two children and two Irish Setters!

Name: Duncan Lyon

Current title: Head of School

Current organisation: The Carey School

Duncan Lyon is in his tenth year as the Head of School at The Carey School in San Mateo, California. Duncan held administrative positions at Bentley School (Berkeley), and The Dalton School (NYC). Duncan taught at University High School in San Francisco, where he also attended as a student. Duncan holds an MA in history and an M.Ed in Education from The Klingenstein Center at Columbia University.

Name: Steve Walton

Current title: Principal

Current organisation: Cedars Christian College

Steve Walton BSc, Grad Dip Ed, MEd, MACE, JP.
It was during Steve Walton’s first teaching post in the Central West of NSW that he came to understand the true value of community.
Something as simple as a weekend game of touch footy would bring together everyone in the local area.
‘In a small country town everyone chipped in. We’d all celebrate together and if something went wrong there was a spirit of genuine care,’ says Steve.
Steve has worked hard to foster the sense of community since he joined the team at Cedars as Head of Science in 2006, before becoming Deputy Principal in 2009 and Principal in 2013.
And although leadership responsibilities may have taken him away from the classroom, Steve hasn’t drifted far from his first loves of Geography and Science, and he sees it as his priority to lead an innovative and forward thinking learning community.
‘I get great fulfilment and satisfaction from being an educator first. I see opportunities for learning in every aspect of life.’
A recent tour of exceptional schools in Europe further opened his eyes to the possibilities of learning.
‘I am always exploring new ways to encourage our students to love learning, God and others.’
He is particularly interested in developing leaders.
‘Leadership is a discipline on its own. If you can learn to do it well, you have the potential to change your world and influence people within it. I certainly believe that most students can learn it.’
Steve has established professional links with the University of Wollongong. After all, he completed all of his tertiary education there. He achieved a Bachelor of Science before working in the environmental and forestry fields, before returning to complete a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership. He has also been appointed to serve as a Member of the Christian Schools Australia State and National Councils.
In his down time, Steve is a keen fisherman and family man.
‘To relax I enjoy cooking, fishing and being with my wife Renee, son Cooper and daughter Sarah, and wherever possible, like to combine the three.’

Name: Alex van Donkersgoed

Current title: Executive Director and Principal

Current organisation: Nimbus Christian Education

A son and grandson of married Christian school teachers I married a Christian school teacher and became one too. But on the way I realized that my children don't fit into the traditional model of schooling. For that matter, no one's children do. And so I find myself still in the classroom but also leading a new kind of school.