Board Candidates
The following 15 people are the candidates for Regent College’s Board of Governors Election 2023.
Each candidate was asked to provide a brief biographical description (300 words or fewer), which you can read below.
Regent College degree holders can vote for two (2) candidates through the unique link sent via email from ElectionBuddy.
Voting begins on Monday, June 19, 2023 at 12:00 am Pacific Time.
Voting closes on Friday, July 7, 2023 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
Peter Andersen
My parents taught me well, Christ centered family. Realizing need for personal relationship, made commitment during Billy Graham conference. At 12 reality of Holy Spirit presence undeniably confirmed in ER after multi-car accident that ended my father’s life. God’s peace led me to tell surgeon stitching-up my head “need not worry.” High school & university explored deeper meaning of faith. Involved with variety of churches & parachurch organizations.
Studied architecture, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo: helped start “Christians in Architecture;” served Poly Royal Committee; played marching & symphonic bands; IVCF 1976 Urbana; Nazarene Choir.
Studied, Copenhagen Denmark: BS Arch with Honors; traveled widely; L’abri-Switzerland. Desire to understand faith without conflicting baggage grew.
Worked architectural firms three-years, then moved to attend Regent. Drawn by focus on lay-education, faith integration, diverse faculty, international community, solid doctrinal statement.
Pursued thesis critiquing architectural theory from Biblical world-view: Dip.C.S; MCS coursework; Interdisciplinary Prize: under Houston & Ley.
Met & married Helen, first son born, served as chaplain-GFStrong.
Moved Seattle 1986: three more children, six-grandchildren.
Continued architectural career, founded firm 1993 (commercial, educational, & government; +/-15 staff, $3-5.5M). Will retire as managing partner 12/2023.
Service Opportunities: (deacon, elder, teaching, pastor-nominating-committee).
Critical issue today: Biblical literacy (committed to teaching Bible 10+years).
Helped found crisis-pregnancy-centre-Vancouver and women’s-medical-clinic-Seattle. Held accountable by, men’s group for 20 years. Teamed with World Relief hosting refugee families: Kosovo & Somalia. Started & led parent support group: families with at-risk youth-14yrs.
Having children, and grandchildren, dedicated to shaping faith & education for next generation.
Family & firm: supporters of FareStart, non-profit training homeless to work in food service sector.
Personal interests: photography, travel, snorkeling, and reading.
Looking forward to next life phase, it would be a privilege to serve Regent College & the community that has been a steadfast influence on my own pilgrimage.
Peter Cheung
Peter is passionate about sharing the love of Jesus and the hope He brings. He has worked at tech companies and local churches and is currently serving as community ministries director and chaplain in Vancouver.
Peter was born in British Hong Kong in a non-religious home, but he grew up learning about Jesus from Methodist and Catholic schools through K-9. After immigrating to Vancouver, he was baptized during his high school years in a local Chinese Baptist church, trained by an Anglican ministry apprenticeship program, and is currently a senior soldier of The Salvation Army.
Called by God five years after he survived cancer, Peter left his career in tech and pursued full-time theological studies. Peter is an alumnus of Regent where he earned his GradDipCS (2017), MDiv (2019) with a concentration in Pastoral Ministry and ThM (2021) with a concentration in World Christianity. Since then, he has also earned a certificate in Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care from Booth University College and is now pursing DMin at Carey Theological College. Peter studied at University of British Columbia and completed Bachelor of Commerce in Combined Business and Computer Science with honours.
During Regent, Peter wrote The Immolated and Righteous Legacy, which were premiered and published by Fountain Theatre Christian Society and the Et Cetera, respectively.
Peter has previous and current board experience (both elected and appointed) with Christian and other organizations in the marketplace, and currently serves as citizen appointee by the city council for the Richmond Community Services Advisory Committee.
With a diverse background in business, computer science, drama theatre, pastoral ministry, and non-profit administration, Peter brings a wide range of skills and expertise to his work. During his downtime, he enjoys playing board games and video games, learning about history, and spending quality time with his wife, Jin.
Sarah Clarke
I am an artist, theologian and philosopher, lecturing in the gap between the secular and faith worlds. I am passionate about educating, equipping and supporting people to flourish as they live out their mission to serve God.
I believe my creativity, imagination, my thirst to learn and share knowledge and my desire to support and equip others is what makes me good at my job. I care about people’s development, and learning, and as a dyslexic student myself I find I advocate on behalf of those who can sometimes get missed. My background is in interior and graphic design, relief and development, and theology, which I bring to bear in each job by thinking about the voice of the edges, the design of a programme, the aesthetics of experience, and what might come next for both the students and our programme.
I am a keen hiker, kayaker, mountain biker, art and craft maker, in addition to preserve maker and furniture upcycler, and community builder.
I recently completed a week-long 115 mile hike, which I reflected on with a series of poems and paintings, which will be exhibited at an upcoming exhibition highlighting the beauty of creation.
Jenna Fabiano
Jenna Fabiano is a 2017 Regent graduate (MDiv) and currently lives in Coquitlam, BC, with her husband, Daniel, and their 7-month old son, Malakai (Kai). Jenna is currently on maternity leave but is employed as a pastor at Willoughby Church in Langley. She has a passion for studying and teaching Scripture, as well as leading and facilitating conversations regarding faith and discipleship.
Jenna’s four and a half years at Regent were some of the most transformative years of her life, and she is dedicated to giving back to the college however she can. Throughout those years Jenna was able to participate in various leadership roles, and she would be honored to join the Regent Board of Governors in seeking Christ’s guidance for the Regent community.
Regent College has always been a place where students from different backgrounds and traditions can study together, which is a unique quality that helped to shape and hone Jenna’s own sense of call into ministry. For herself and for many others, Regent was a ‘Peniel’—a place of great wrestling with God—so Jenna’s deep desire is to see the school continue to be a place where students can wrestle with their Maker, find community, deepen in faith, be uplifted in prayer, and thrive with Spirit-filled joy.
Jayson Gallatin
Jayson grew up in a small town in Montana, USA but nowadays calls Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA home. He has a paradoxically deep love of both the mountains and the Midwest, loves to hike and camp, find the perfect spot to hang a hammock, whip up some tasty treats in the kitchen, and read a good fiction book. He can often be found with a camera in hand at the end of a hiking trail.
He earned his BA in Biblical Studies from North Central University before finishing his MATS degree at Regent in 2019. He surprised both himself and his friends and family by picking up a corporate career that he now loves; his role as a Business Analyst was not on the radar even just a few years ago but he has greatly enjoyed working in agile web development.
He is active in Mill City Church and can be found participating in the full life of the congregation. He is exceptionally detailed and a thorough researcher who is known to occasionally complete the odd task such as reading the church constitution simply to look for typos (he found three).
Donald Goodhall
Donald is interested in the intersection of art and faith, and is passionate about cultivating creative contexts in which theology can be fruitfully explored. He desires to see people awakened to the reality of God’s redemptive work in the world and is excited by the way in which the arts, education, and hospitality can come together to curate conditions for the transformation of vision. Donald delights in drawing from the riches of the Christian tradition to help people develop a deep understanding of the Christian faith and the way it touches all aspects of life. He continues to be engaged in spaces of reconciliation between the Church and Māori, convinced that God is doing something unique in our time.
Donald’s early years cultivated a passion for making music. In time, this passion was coupled with an emerging love for the Church and led Donald to significant involvement in worship leadership within Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Following a brief career in Civil Engineering, Donald took up a pastoral role at his local church, where he served for 16 years. His pastoral and leadership responsibilities included worship, the arts, communications, and church governance. This tenure was temporarily interrupted when Donald and his wife, Janaya, responded to a growing call to theological study. With two children in tow (they now have four children), Donald and Janaya moved to Vancouver in 2012 to begin a Master of Arts in Theology at Regent College. They returned to Hamilton at the close of 2013, and Donald resumed his responsibilities within the local church and continued his involvement in numerous worship initiatives.
In 2018, Donald took up a position with Venn Foundation as Director of the Residential Fellowship, a unique full-time study programme for young leaders desiring Christian formation. He serves on Venn Foundation’s senior leadership team.
Bryan Halferty
I grew up in the Seattle area and attended a mid-sized state university where I met my wife. We attended Regent College from 2006-2008 and it was one of the joys of my life. My wife and I planted Anchor Church (C&MA) in Tacoma, Washington in 2018. Anchor is a church that is committed to continuously planting churches that are emotionally healthy and missionally engaged. I love to write and I’ve had the privilege of publishing prose and poetry in different publications over the years. I’m humbled to be considered for this board role and serving on it would be a profound honor.
Christopher Kibble
Chris grew up in Guildford in England and attended the local Grammar school. He studied Economics and Business Studies at Sheffield University where he also became a Christian through the Navigator group.
After graduating in 1971, Chris worked in the Sheffield steel industry. He then trained as a Chartered Accountant, qualifying in 1980, and he later became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He joined KPMG in London in 1980 and initially worked in audit, though he later transferred to Management Consulting. During his career with KPMG, Chris served a variety of UK and international clients in both the public and private sector, and his work involved spells in Beirut and Dubai. Chris was involved with All Souls, Langham Place where, amongst a number of roles, he served on the Church Council.
Chris decided to take a one-year sabbatical in 2000, and he came to Regent College in order to take the Diploma in Christian Studies. However, after several months, he felt that God was calling him to pastoral ministry, and he transferred to the Master of Divinity program, graduating in 2003. Whilst at Regent, he was a member of the Student Council whom he also represented on the Regent Senate.
Since graduation, he has served in a number of British Columbia churches, primarily Fellowship Baptist, as Lead Pastor, Executive Pastor and Interim Pastor. In his time as Fellowship Baptist Pastor in Smithers, he also assisted the town council with a review of councillor remuneration and wrote the final report. He also served on the Board of the local museum. Chris now lives in North Vancouver with his wife Gail.
Vincent Kong
I received a DipCS in 2005 and a MA degree in 2007 from Regent and have greatly benefited from both educational and transformational opportunities made possible by the faculty. Since then, I desire to help pass on these opportunities to the next generations. I share deeply the same conviction that lay Christians should have a chance to receive sound biblical teaching, acquire knowledge about church history and doctrines and ultimately our faith in life should be transformed towards Jesus Christ. I have this commitment towards Regent.
I have been actively participating in Regent Life and volunteered in different positions since my study time. I have kept close contact with Regent and remain active in the alumni circle as I value the sense of community with fellow alumni and faculty. I have contributed articles to Vocatio and a few other Regent publications. In Regent’s video series ReFrame, I was featured in Episode 6: “New Heavens and New Earth” and assisted the producer and his team with filming in Hong Kong.
I am serving/ have served in leadership and overseer positions in sectors as diverse as academia, church, real estate, community and consultancy. The skills involved in fulfilling these roles are relevant to the duties of the Board, particularly my depth of experience in governance, sustainability, real estate, education, strategic planning and stand setting. My selected roles include President of the University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Association Hong Kong Chapter; Member of the Christian Alliance International School Council; Head of the North Point Alliance Church Youth Department; Director of Hong Kong Green Building Council.
I am familiar with the North American context. I see Regent is strategically located in Vancouver, a meeting point between the East and the West. I desire to help further Regent’s impact from both strategic and practical perspectives.
Jacy Lee
Having retired from paid employment, I wish to continue to live my life loving God and loving my neighbours. I spent the first 2.5 years of my retirement providing care for my late mother who suffered from dementia. During that time, God impressed upon me deeply that love is not just an emotion: love is a decision to treat people with kindness and respect; the way that Jesus would treat people. I provide volunteer counselling services to clients from low-income groups. This role enables me to serve a community of people who are or had suffered injustice, abuse, broken relationships, etc. and are experiencing stress, anxiety, shame and need someone trained to listen to them.
I serve my local community on an Advisory Design Panel providing advice to the City Council on design merits of public and private development applications. Together with architects and landscape architects on the panel, I strive to do my part to care for God’s creation.
I also lead and shepherd a group of women under the Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) umbrella. During the 30 weeks of BSF with the help of the Holy Spirit, we study and discuss Bible passages and the application of God’s truths in our daily lives, pray for and encourage one another to live more fully human. God has been and continues to impress upon me the importance of the role of institutions such as Regent College in nurturing believers (regardless of their calling to become ordained ministers of God or become God’s servants in the marketplace), by giving them a good, solid foundation not only in Biblical knowledge and values but also in seeking to be transformed and to live out Kingdom virtues and Christ-centred lives while at Regent, and later in the communities where God would lead us to.
Justin Napier
Justin Napier, an alumnus of Regent College, holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies with a dual concentration in Systematic Theology and Old Testament studies. Justin went on from Regent to pursue further studies at ACTS Seminaries to complete a post-graduate certificate in Spiritual Care and served as a chaplain at the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope in Langley, BC, from 2017-2022.
Since 2018, Justin has been a Sessional Instructor at ACTS Seminaries and Booth University College, teaching courses within the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Program at both institutions. Justin is also a certified leadership coach, and is currently the Executive Director at the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope. Justin loves cooking, reading books, hiking trails, analyzing films, and discussing theology.
He is particularly interested in the role of faith in the public arena, ecumenism, and spiritual formation. Justin attends The Church of Ascension, a parish of the Anglican Church in North America, and lives in Langley with his wife Kaela and little dog Tanooki.
Julia Prins-VanderVeen
Julia lives in Vancouver with her husband, Trevor, whom she met while they were both completing the MDiv program at Regent College. Together they have 3 sons – Gideon, Levi and Philip, aged 15, 13 and 11, respectively – and have been pastoring together in East Vancouver for 16 years.
For nearly a decade, Trevor and Julia, both ordained Christian Reformed pastors, were co-pastors of the First CRC of Vancouver. Since 2016 Julia has served as campus pastor for the high school at Vancouver Christian School, where she participates on the Core administrative time for the high school, teaches senior humanities and co-coaches the cross-country running team. Julia is passionate about Christian education at all levels, and feels led to support Christian educators in their formation and understanding of their identity as they work with Christ in the classroom.
She has been deeply shaped by the vision and ethos of Regent College, still frequents the Bookstore even though her bookshelves are full, and is willing to support Regent by serving on the Board. Julia is currently working on a Doctorate of Ministry in Spiritual Formation at Tyndale University and occasionally writes devotional series for The Today Magazine.
David Stewart
I lived in White Rock until I was almost 18. Formative influences in my early life included family and friendships. For a large, deeply-rooted family like ours it was a big deal to relocate to Alberta, but it turned out to be a growth opportunity to re-settle in a fresh environment. Even when difficult it’s very useful to learn how to build relationships in a new setting, and see the opportunities at hand rather than focusing on what’s been left behind. That experience has served my own family well, as we (four adult children, all now married) had our share of relocations during earlier years.
I’ll never be sorry for the years spent in pastoral ministry, and am frequently surprised at how useful skills acquired during that phase turn out to be in my work in higher education for the past 25+ years. I’ve enjoyed the opportunities for leadership, writing, teaching, and mentoring, and am looking forward to finishing well as I retire during the next 6 months.
We’ve found a lot of fulfilment in being settled in St. Paul for almost twenty years, seeing our 4 children through college and into married life, with 4 grandchildren, etc. With less (or at least a different) responsibility for our children I’ve put a lot of effort into developing friendships with associates from work, church, etc.
For the past year or so we’ve been thinking more specifically about a transition to retirement, and this has involved some reflection on where we want to invest our time and energy during the next phase of life.
We’re seeing new opportunities for service and growth open up to us. We’re finding Arthur Brooks’ “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life” very helpful during this transition time.
Janet Tang
“A homeschooling mom of five kids” is the most succinct way of describing what I have done for the past couple decades. Along with motherhood, however, I also entertained dreams of practicing medicine and doing mission work in Africa. Neither panned out, but those interests bore fruit in unexpected ways years later when I became the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) advisor at our local state university. Supporting local and global mission work in various ways has been a mainstay throughout our marriage.
In addition, while working in contexts as varied as a New York law firm to our homeschool co-op, I often landed in positions of administration. I did not expect practicing communication and relational skills would make this a natural fit, but it has been effective. On the side, I also enjoy helping writers with editing work.
Amy Wen
Amy Wen currently serves as the Associate Director of Admission at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota (USA).
She was born and raised in Southern California, but has moved progressively farther and farther from home in pursuit of theological study. Aside from her biological mother, she counts the University of California Davis, Regent College, and the Virgin Mary among her maters (alma, alma, and spiritual, respectively). She moved to Minnesota to pursue a Master of Theology and to discern a vocation to the monastic way of life.
Amy gets excited over good CRM software, rare breviaries, Northern light sightings, and cenobitic monasticism. In her spare time, Amy enjoys live music and visiting small town historical museums. Her longest standing self-improvement project is the elimination of split infinitives from her grammar, but alas—all fall short of the glory of good grammar!