Enacting Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation on a Diverse Campus

The purpose of this conference is to gather faculty, staff, and administrators from Christian colleges in our surrounding region who, like us, are experiencing increasing diversity, with the aim of helping our campuses become places where all students feel a sense of belonging, particularly those who might feel they are marginalized or on the periphery. This conference intends to not just discuss the need for justice, mercy, and reconciliation on our campuses, but to move the conversation forward by exploring practical strategies on how to enact these biblical values better in our institutional culture, in classrooms, in athletics, in residential and student life, in chapel, in student success, and more.

Plenary Speaker

Andrea Scott, Ph.D.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Andrea Scott (Wheaton College, BA; Emory University, MBA; University of South Florida, PhD) joined George Fox University (GFU) in 2020 as provost and helped lead GFU through the tumultuous years of the COVID-19 pandemic. An effective public spokesperson who infuses her love for Christ-centered education with purpose and experience, Dr. Scott transitioned to her current role as Special Advisor to the President and Distinguished Professor of Marketing in summer 2023 and represents the university in various venues. Scott was also selected to join the Council of Independent Colleges’ Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission program 2023-24 cohort, which is supported by the Lilly Foundation. As a leader deeply devoted to pursuing kingdom diversity, she relishes the privilege of shepherding those who educate the next generation of principled contributors in all sectors of industry, government, education, and service and aims to champion the innovative and transformative approaches to higher education that life post-global pandemic mandates. Dr. Scott is committed to cultivating faith-based engagement and influence in local, regional, national and international conversations that matter. She previously served as dean and professor of marketing in the Jabs School of Business at California Baptist University (CBU) for four years. Prior to her time at CBU, Scott was a marketing faculty member in Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management for 12 years. She has served on the Wheaton Board of Trustees since 2015

Plenary Speaker

Brian Howell, Ph.D.

Brian Howell (Wesleyan University, BA; Fuller Theological Seminary, MA; Washington University in St. Louis, MA/PhD) is an anthropologist of religion at Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) who writes, researches, and regularly teaches on global Christianity, race in the United States, short term missions, and embodiment, theater, and ritual. After graduating from Wesleyan, Brian spent two years teaching fifth grade with the Teach for America program in Los Angeles County. There he taught in a school with over 80% free and reduced lunch and learned about educational inequality first hand. Following his years there, he moved to St. Louis for graduate school, attending a church focused on racial reconciliation and justice in the city. Since moving to Wheaton in the early 2000s, Brian has continued to work toward understanding racial justice in the context of the suburbs and in Christian higher education. In his teaching, he likes to explore the connections of anthropology and popular culture, tourism and travel, gender, race, and performance. Brian and his wife, Marissa Sabio, have three children, and currently reside in Wheaton. Some of his hobbies include improv comedy, volleyball, scuba diving, and piano.