2023 CCCU Diversity Conference

Rev. Enid M. Almanzar is the Executive Director for the First Bible Enterprise at American Bible Society, where she provides strategic oversight to programs that remove barriers to bible access in over 240 nations and territories. With a special focus on provision to marginalized communities, Rev. Almanzar has led with a vision of impacting the most difficult to reach areas of the globe.

Rev. Almanzar also currently serves as the Chairwoman of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, a consortium of over 3,000 Hispanic evangelical churches, not-for-profits, and cultural leaders committed to the common good and cultural transformation from a Biblical perspective. Rev. Almanzar is also an Elder and Associate Pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Primitiva (Primitive Christian Church) in NYC and is a member of the distinguished Board of Directors for the National Association of Evangelicals.

Berry serves as teaching pastor at The Bridge Church in Brooklyn, New York. He also is the Director of Partnerships & Content Development with Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Berry graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies and Sociology.

Berry is a sought-after writer on the intersection of faith and culture and had his work featured in Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, The Witness, and the book, Keeping The Faith: Reflections on Politics & Christianity. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Tamica, and their daughter.

Rev. Dr. Lena Crouso will serve as the CCCU Diversity Conference Pastor. She was the former vice president for intercultural learning and engagement and chief diversity officer at Southern Nazarene University, where she provided leadership for institutional inclusive excellence. Rev. Dr. Crouso also served as affiliate faculty in the School of Theology and Ministry and School of Graduate Education. She recently completed service with the CCCU as the Senior Advisor and Fellow for Diversity. Rev. Dr. Crouso is a sought after international presenter on issues of diversity, equity, and justice.

Octavio Javier Esqueda is a full Professor of Christian Higher Education and Director of the Ph.D. and Ed.D. Programs in Educational Studies at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He was born and raised in Guadalajara, México. He graduated with honors with a Licenciatura in Latin American Literature from the University of Guadalajara and two additional diplomas, one in Religion and Society and the second in Journalism. He graduated with honors from Dallas Theological Seminary and completed his Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of North Texas. He and his wife, Angélica, have two children, Darío and Salma. Dr. Esqueda has several publications on theological education, Christian higher education, and literature. Teaching is his passion, and he has had the opportunity to teach in several countries on different academic levels. He is an avid soccer fan. Personal Page: https://octavioesqueda.com/en/

Lisa Fields is one of the world’s most sought-after Christian apologist and combines her passion for biblical literacy with her heart for sharing God’s love to all those she meets. Lisa has received several honors, including recognition in Christianity Today for her work as an apologist in the African American community. She is the founder and President of the Jude 3 Project.

Lisa is also a graduate of the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Religious Studies, and Liberty University with a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology.

Brooke Hempell is SVP of Research for Pinkston, a strategic communications firm in the Washington, D.C.-area that helps Christian nonprofits as well as marketplace companies share their story through a full range of media. She is active in racial reconciliation work through several organizations in Atlanta, GA as well as nationally, and she co-hosts the podcast Race and Redemption. Brooke was formerly SVP of Research at Barna Group and led the Beyond Diversity study, the largest study of race and the Church, with Dr. Michael Emerson and Dr. Glenn Bracey, as well as the State of the Black Church study.

Dr. Norlan Hernández is a proud Nica/Nicoya– terms used to describe someone with Nicaraguan roots. He is the proud father to Aella Mia and husband to Isabel.

Dr. Hernández serves as the Director of the Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership at Vanguard University. He is the founder and president of Faithful Teachings, Inc. a nonprofit organization that aims to be a catalyst through partnerships with local faith-based communities on holistic initiatives for the transformation of society in Latin America. He is also CEO and Lead Consultant at Empowerfy Consulting, a consulting firm that provides a high-impacting, research-based,  data-driven, and culturally informed approach to professional development.

Shirley Hoogstra became the seventh president of the CCCU in September 2014. In this role, Hoogstra combines her zeal for the rule of law and her passion for Christian higher education as she promotes the value and purpose of high quality, Christ-centered liberal arts education that shapes students who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind. Prior to the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, Hoogstra served for 15 years as vice president for student life at her alma mater, Calvin University, and spent more than a decade practicing law as a partner at a firm specializing in litigation in New Haven, Connecticut.

Rev. Dr. Esther D. Jadhav is Associate Vice President for Intercultural Affairs at Asbury University.

As a researcher and practitioner, she has focused on developing initiatives and programs that elevate the critical role of theology in activating cultural responsibility as an institutional distinctive. In her current role, Esther provides institutional leadership, and guidance across the university in all areas of cultural responsiveness with primary responsibility for institutional outcomes rooted in Asbury’s commitment to be a Christian Community that practices hospitality, mutuality, redemptive social action, and grace-filled reconciliation. Bringing her academic background in Anthropology, Sociology and Theology, and experiences in diverse settings to this effort, Esther combines her passion for Christian higher education and the Church to help build bridges across cultures and communities.

Glen’s professional background includes diversity training for both secular and Christian institutions, serving ethnically and socio-economically diverse student populations, and creating learning communities for staff and faculty to engage on topics of diversity. He has previously served for 22 years as the director of multi-ethnic programs at Biola. Glen is currently an adjunct faculty member in the department of sociology.

He is the founder and current director of the Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR), a conference which occurs annually and hosts students, staff and student development professionals from across the country. He is also the author of several published articles, chapters and book reviews relating to diversity and diversity in higher education. 

Dr. Chip Pollard has been the president of John Brown University since July 2004. During his time at JBU, the university has been blessed to receive over $290 million in gifts and to grow its endowment from $50 million to over $165 million. JBU has  been named seven years in a row by the Chronicle of Higher Education to its “High Honor Role” in the “Great Colleges To Work For” survey (2015-2021). Dr. Pollard has published two books, “New World Modernisms” (2005) and “May It Always Be True: Educating Students in Faith” (2011).

Dr. Pollard was elected to the board of the CCCU in 2009 and served as chair of the board from 2013-2018 and as immediate past chair until 2022. He was elected to serve on the Council for Independent Colleges board in 2021.

He received his undergraduate degree in English from Wheaton College, a law degree from Harvard Law School, a master’s degree in English from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Vanessa Wynder Quainoo serves as Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer at Wheaton College. As Wheaton pursues a biblical vision of diversity across campus, she provides leadership for defining and meeting campus-wide diversity and inclusion goals, playing a central role in fostering and sustaining a vision for biblical diversity.

Dr. Aida Isela Ramos is the Dean of the College of Education and Social & Behavioral Sciences at John Brown University. She has extensive leadership experience in program management, student success, first-generation student retention, diversity, faculty well-being, and community building. A recognized researcher, her work explores the intersection of race/ethnicity, religion, and education. She recently co-authored the article “Summer Bridge Programs for First-Generation Students in the Christian College Context” in Christian Higher Education. Her other research theorizes Latinx communities’ construction of new religiously-based identities, and she is writing her second book, Faith on the Frontera: Race and Religion in the Texas-Mexico Borderlands. She holds a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Texas A&M University.