Organizers
Dan Beerens
Co-Chair
Dan Beerens is an educational consultant, author, international speaker, and educational leader. Before starting Dan Beerens Consulting in May 2010, he served as Vice President of Learning Services and Director of Instructional Improvement at Christian Schools International. Prior to that, he was the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Holland Christian Schools. Dan has also worked as teacher and principal in urban and suburban public and Christian schools in Wisconsin and Illinois. He serves as a Senior Fellow at CACE (Center for the Advancement of Christian Education), represents Curriculum Trak sales and professional development and serves as co-chair of the annual Christian Deeper Learning conference. He blogs regularly for CACE and is the author of Evaluating Teachers for Professional Growth: Creating a Culture of Motivation and Learning (Corwin Press) and co-editor of the recent book MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education (ACSI).
Steven Levy
Co-Chair
After 28 years teaching in classrooms K-12, and 16 years as a school designer for EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) Steven Levy is now an independent educational consultant and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education. He guides teachers in designing service-based curriculum, engaging instructional practices, student owned assessments, and spiritual formation. He was recognized as the Massachusetts State Teacher of the Year, and honored by the Disney American Teacher Awards as the national Outstanding General Elementary Teacher.
Steven was the recipient of the Autodesk National Award for his impact on project-based learning, and received the John F. Kennedy Prize for the teaching of history. Steven and his fourth grade students were designated “Conservation Heroes” by the National Park Service for their study of the effects of a local bike path on the environment and the community. Steven has written various articles for educational journals, and his book, Starting From Scratch, details some of the projects and students he has worked with in his elementary classrooms.
Krista Wallace
Co-Chair
Krista Adams Wallace is an international Christian educator and consultant. Krista spent 19 years in the Dominican Republic working in missions and educational development. In 2002, Krista launched the Doulos Discovery School, an expeditionary learning PK-12 international Christian school in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. Doulos was the first international Christian school to implement expeditionary learning practices. In 2009, Krista led Doulos to become the first internationally accredited ACSI school in the Dominican Republic.
In 2016, Krista launched InspirED, an educational consulting nonprofit, with Steven Levy and Dan Beerens. This collaboration led to them to create the Christian Deeper Learning conference.
Krista lives with her husband, Chad, in Denver, CO and is the Director of Learning Innovation for Elevate USA. They have two grown daughters and serve on their local Young Life committee. Krista and Chad have an organic coffee farm in the Dominican Republic and enjoy finding new places to sell their coffee around the world.
Tim Van Soelen
Organizer
Tim is also a professor of education at Dordt College, teaching courses in Educational Leadership, Philosophy of Education, and Research Methods to graduate and undergraduate education majors. Prior to his time at Dordt, he served as the head of school at Calvin Christian School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as an assistant principal for Redlands Christian School in Redlands, California, and a middle school math and technology teacher in Redlands.
Sara Espinoza
Organizer
With 20+ years of experience in both public and private education, Sara has gleaned from some of the best. She has has taught in two languages, four countries, eight grade levels, and ten content areas, and she has had the opportunity to closely observe and influence instructional practices in over fifty schools.
She holds a Masters in Educational Leadership, has served as a school board member, and has spent the past eleven years as an instructional coach. Sara is passionate about empowering others and building community.
She is currently working as a School Designer with “Teaching for Transformation”.