2024 Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institute (M-E LDI)

Keith Hall is a Middle Tennessee native who started his higher education career in 2001 and joined APU in 2012. As vice president for student belonging and chief diversity officer at Azusa Pacific, Keith is a member of President’s Cabinet and provides strategic leadership and oversight of the Athletics Department, the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Student Affairs.

Hall also leads ongoing efforts to further cultivate a university culture and climate that enable the diverse demography of faculty, staff, and students at APU to thrive and experience belonging. To accomplish this goal, Keith is committed to working collaboratively with administrative, curricular, cocurricular, and student leaders to employ strategic initiatives that enrich the holistic experience of all students across the university system.

Prior to moving to Southern California, Keith was a psychology instructor at Tennessee State University and director of multicultural affairs at Lipscomb University. He earned a BS in Psychology at Middle Tennessee State University, an MS in Counseling Psychology at Tennessee State University, and an EdD in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University.

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.

Irene Neller became Westmont’s first vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications in December 2017 after serving 26 years at Biola University and four years at Fuller Theological Seminary, building and redefining new functions of strategic enrollment and marketing and earning numerous industry awards. She graduated from Bethany University with a degree in communications and earned a master’s in communications promotions management at CSU Fullerton. A recognized leader in Christian higher education, she chaired the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) national committee for communication officers and serves on the commission. She is committed to mentoring young women, started a national annual conference for advancing women in leadership, and is passionate about issues of diversity. She and her husband, have two sons, and one is a Westmont graduate.

Dr. Ted Song has been serving as Chief Diversity Officer in the President’s Cabinet since 2021. He joined JBU in 2012 as a professor of electrical engineering and has served as Coordinator of Diversity, Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee, Director of Innovation, and Chair of the Engineering, Computer Science, and Cybersecurity Departments. In addition to his Chief Diversity Officer role, he started serving as Chief Innovation Officer in 2023.

Ted grew up both in the U.S. and Korea and is a CQ® (Cultural Intelligence) certified facilitator. He was an ROTC cadet during his undergraduate studies and served as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the Republic of Korea Army. He received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a law degree (M.S.L.) at Samford University, focusing on Higher Education Law and Compliance.

Outside JBU, Ted serves as Vice President of the Christian Engineering Society and Chair of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Diversity and Inclusion Commission. In addition, he serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and on the Board of Lifewater International. As a passionate teacher and leader in Christian higher education, he is a proud recipient of the 2012 Texas Exes Teaching Award, the 2018 JBU Faculty Excellence Award, and the 2022 Leading with Excellence Award from Black Action Collective. In 2023, Ted was selected as an inaugural CCCU Presidential Fellow.

Ted and his wife, Michelle, live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and have three daughters. They are members at Siloam Springs Bible Church (an Evangelical Free Church), where Ted leads the College Ministry and serves as an elder.

After serving as Interim President for six months, Dr. Taylor was unanimously elected to be the 7th President of Multnomah University. She is the first woman to hold the office at Multnomah and the first Black woman to become President in the entire Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).

Prior to her role as President, Dr. Taylor was a student at Multnomah in the first class of the Master of Arts in Counseling Program, and she later returned as the first Black woman to serve on the Board of Trustees. She was then hired as the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusive Development. She paved the way for the university to better live out its vision to be “a diverse community that equips students to love Christ and serve with neighbors through their lives and work.”

Dr. Taylor is no stranger to going first but endeavors to leave doors open behind her, believing that her work will pave the way for others God called to boldly lead.