Experts and Consultants
Experts in all areas of executive management in a Christian school are retained by the Center and readily available all year to advise and collaborate on the myriad of management issues faced by the Fellows.
Dan Beerens
Dan Beerens is an author, international speaker, and educational consultant in K–12 Christian education whose mission is to strengthen Christian day school education. Before starting DB Consulting in May 2010, he served as Vice President of Learning Services and Director of Instructional Improvement at Christian Schools International from 2006 to 2010, and as a building principal and then Director of Curriculum and Instruction with Holland Christian Schools from 1993 to 2006. He holds a master's degree in educational leadership from National Louis University in Evanston, Illinois.
Donald G. Distelberg
Through previous leadership positions with the United Way of Kent County, Calvin College and Seminary, and his own firm, Don has gained expertise in capital campaigns and pre-campaign studies, annual fund raising, planned giving, schools' enrollment growth plans, board training, development/organizational audits, strategic planning, major donor strategies, and church campaigns. A graduate of Calvin College, Don is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), a designation of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Robert W. Elliot
Robert W. (Rob) Elliott is a partner in Pondera Advisors, a leadership consulting practice based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rob's executive experience in sales and marketing, human resources, and finance in diverse business environments affords his clients access to a wealth of knowledge. A graduate of Michigan State University, Rob earned his master's degree in school business management from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Rob is certified to administer the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and developed with his partners a Web-based psychological assessment.
David L. Medema
David L. (Dave) Medema serves as a consultant in a comprehensive array of management and organizational development and training areas for businesses, the public sector, and nonprofit organizations. Dave launched his own consulting firm in 1999 after working for seven years as Senior Consultant with Direction Center, a nonprofit consulting group in Western Michigan. A graduate of Calvin College, David has a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University and attended New Brunswick Theological Seminary.
Robert Rogalski
Robert (Bob) Rogalski is a leading national expert on how Christian schools raise annual funds. Bob has served Christian schools his entire three-decade career, including two overseas assignments in Hong Kong and New Delhi, India. Bob has served as a principal or superintendent at Lutheran schools in Staten Island, New Orleans, and Phoenix. As a fundraising principal, Rogalski has been deeply involved with all aspects of fund development for over two decades. In 1983, he founded the Development Center for Christian Schools, a nonprofit organization to strengthen existing Christian schools and start new ones.