Board of Directors
Craig Anderson
Craig is currently a Sales Manager for Holsum Bread. He has over 35 years in sales and sales management for Holsum, Kraft Foods, and Nestlé USA.
Margaret Fippinger
Margret holds an M.Ed. in Leadership and a B.S. in Education with a minor in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University. She has worked with curriculum and state standards, conducted staff development, and taught grade four through college.
Brent D. Garrison, Ph.D.
Brent is currently Founder and President of By The Book Consultive Group and a Senior Mentor/Discipler with CEO Forum. He also serves as the
Board Chair for Music Serving the Word and is on the Board of Phoenix Seminary. Prior to these assignments, Brent's career involved serving as Vice President of External Studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, a three-year term as president of the Association of Christian Continuing Education Schools and Seminaries and 15 years as president of Arizona Christian University. Brent is the author of 'Leadership by The Book,' a book that speaks to
the importance of character first, vision, wisdom, service, and judgment for effective leadership.
Lois Hughey
Lois, a Certified Nutrition Specialist, is the Founder, Owner, and CEO of ‘Empowered Life Nutrition’. Lois graduated with honors from Concordia University, Portland, Oregon. She has taught middle school English, writing, science, and religion and served as Athletic Director and volleyball coach at Pilgrim Lutheran and Faith Lutheran Schools. Lois has also served on the school board and as Board Chair for the American International Schools in Tel Aviv.
Stephen Rituper
After serving 20 years as a fighter pilot in the USAF, Steve flew as a captain at Southwest Airlines until retiring with 22 years of service. He holds a BS from Lehigh University and an MBA from Embry-Riddle. Being married to a retired teacher from a family full of teachers, and having six grandchildren, has prompted Steve's keen interest to help enhance our community’s student success.
Chris Schoenleb (Ex officio)
Presently serving as the Head of School at North Valley Christian Academy since 2018, Chris has worked in Lutheran education for over 20 years. He is a former advertising executive and Army veteran who currently serves as a board member for the Arizona Christian Education Coalition (AZCEC), an ambassador for the Phoenix Rescue Mission, a member of the State of Arizona 529 Advisory Committee, and a member of the finance committee for the Sonoran Foothills Community Association. His education includes a B.A. in History, Kenyon College; M.B.A., University of Tennessee; M.I.M. Thunderbird; M.Ed. National Louis University; and Colloquy certification from Concordia University, Chicago.
Scott Seidler (Chair)
Scott serves as Senior Pastor of Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, having served small and large congregations in Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri through 26 years of pastoral ministry. After undergraduate work at Northeast Missouri State University, he received his MDiv from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and his DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. As an adjunct instructor, Scott has taught extensively in several disciplines: preaching, church administration, worship theory and practice, philosophy, and Greek while at Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.
Tom Shaeffer
Tom has experience as an executive leader in developing and implementing operating strategies, policies, and procedures for Fortune 100 organizations. He has held senior-level positions in sales, marketing, procurement, and finance at SYSCO Corporation and AEE Strategic Sales and Operations. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration graduating from the University of Central Florida.
Gary Yiatchos
Gary received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Seattle Pacific University and his M.B.A. from the University of Washington. Gary held senior leadership positions in both marketing and merchandising for marquee retailers Macy’s, Inc., and Saks Department Store Group. He also served as the Client Services Advocate for several national retailers in the area of CRM, customer loyalty, database management, and credit card programs. Gary served as NVCA Board Chairman from 2013-2018 and 2020-2024.
The NVCA Promise
Steadfast in faith, NVCA is committed to a Christ-centered education
that transforms lives and impacts communities.
Our role is to define and reinforce God-given value, purpose,
and meaning in the pursuit of knowledge and growth in Christ.
An NVCA education comprises the foundation for a lifetime of learning.