Expert Directory
To schedule interviews with Azusa Pacific experts, please contact:
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Rachel White
Associate Director of Public Relations Work: (626) 815-4502 Cell: (626) 533-5807 rewhite@apu.edu
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Maureen Taylor
Executive Director of Strategic Communication Work: (626) 815-4510 Cell: (626) 945-6172 maureentaylor@apu.edu
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Edgar Barron
Executive Director, Center for Student ReconciliationExpert on racial reconciliation, diversity, and Black male success initiativesBarron, who served as a senior and administrative pastor prior to his role at APU, has a passion for racial reconciliation. He leads a ministry to increase communication and understanding among people of all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. He also oversees programs on campus that embrace ethnic diversity through investing in the development of student leaders.
Expert Topics
- Promoting the value of ethnic diversity
- Racial, cultural, and socioeconomic reconciliation
- Student leadership
Media Experience
Television, radio, and print, including KNBC News, KBRT, Los Angeles News Group
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Joseph Bentz, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of EnglishExpert on F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and Harper LeeBentz teaches courses in American literature and writing, and is the author of five novels and four nonfiction books. His most recent books include the 20th anniversary re-release of Dreams of Caladria (Enclave, 2015), Pieces of Heaven: Recognizing the Presence of God (Beacon Hill Press, 2012), and God in Pursuit: The Tipping Points from Doubt to Faith (Beacon Hill Press, 2010). His novel A Son Comes Home (Randall House, 2007) won the Silver Angel Award, was selected for Guideposts Book Club, and was chosen as one of the Top Ten Christian Novels of the Year by Booklist magazine. His newest book, Nothing is Wasted, will publish this year. Bentz’s scholarly interests include American novelists Thomas Wolfe and Harper Lee.
Expert Topics
- American literature
- Fiction
- Thomas Wolfe
- Harper Lee
Media Experience
Radio and print, including the BBC, Pittsburgh Tribune Review and literary blogs
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Gary Black Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of TheologyExpert on the American Church, post-Christian culture, and HeavenPrior to joining APU, Black enjoyed a successful business career as a partner in an international Wall Street investment firm. As a result, he brings a unique blend of economic analysis and real-world corporate leadership experience to his field of theological study. Selected to extend the work of his mentor, the late Dallas Willard, Black is the author of several books, including The Divine Conspiracy Continues (Harper-Collins, 2014), coauthored with Willard.
Expert Topics
- American evangelical theology
- Church in post-Christian culture
- Dallas Willard
- Discipleship through spiritual formation, leadership development, and transformational scholarship
Media Experience
Television, radio, and print interviews, including FOX News radio, KKLA, Los Angeles News Group, Christianity Today, Christian Post, and Trinity Broadcasting Network
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Jim Burns, Ph.D.
Executive Director, HomeWord Center for Youth and Family; Adjunct Professor of PsychologyExpert on marriage, family, and parentingA renowned youth and family expert, an acclaimed author, and the founder of HomeWord, a radio program that reaches more than 1 million people across the country each day, Burns has a passion for healthy marriages and families. In partnership with APU, he established and provides leadership for the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family, a research and training institute offering biblically based resources for parents and youth. The center is the largest provider of Christian parenting and youth seminars in the United States.
Expert Topics
- Family relationships
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Youth ministry
Media Experience
Extensive television, radio, and print
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Thomas Cairns, DBA
Associate Professor, School of BusinessExpert on human resources and career planningCairns is a former senior vice president of human resources for NBC Universal and presidential appointee to Homeland Security under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He is known as a specialist in talent management, mergers and acquisitions, project management, leadership development, executive coaching, and strategic planning.
Expert Topics
- Job searches
- Career planning
- Resume building and interview skills
Media Experience
Extensive radio and print
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Bryan Clay
Gold Medal Decathlete and Assistant Track CoachExpert on character in athletics and health and fitnessClay, a 2002 graduate of APU, is a two-time Olympic medalist in the decathlon, capturing the silver in 2004 and the gold in 2008. Through the Bryan Clay Foundation and as a motivational speaker, he equips and encourages Fortune 500 companies, professionals, entrepreneurs, donors, families, and aspiring young people on the journey to success in work and life.
Expert Topics
- Christian character in athletics
- Health and fitness
- Mentoring and discipleship
- Team building
Media Experience
Extensive television, radio, and print
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Robert Duke, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, School of Theology; Professor, Department of Biblical StudiesExpert on Dead Sea Scrolls, the Old Testament, and the foster care systemDuke spent four years studying in the Middle East, which has highly influenced his perspectives and teaching. Duke received a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to study at Hebrew University in 2000–01, and was a fellow at the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in 2005. Today, Duke serves as the western region director and Distinguished Scholar of Hebrew Texts for the Green Scholars Initiative. He is also a foster care parent and advocate.
Expert Topics
- Dead Sea Scrolls
- Foster care system and adoption
- Old Testament
- Second Temple Judaism
- Service-learning and community-engaged teaching as tools to improve student retention
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Anita Fitzgerald Henck, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor, School of EducationExpert on Common Core State Standards and K–12 school system changesHenck has served in faculty and leadership roles in higher education for more than 30 years. Her areas of specialty are transformational leadership, effective leadership teams, leadership transitions, organizational culture and change, and generational differences in the workplace.
Expert Topics
- Common Core State Standards
- Leadership
- Historic changes facing K–12 school system
- Political and social challenges of Common Core
- Teacher training
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Samuel Girguis, Psy.D.
Program Director, Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology; Assistant Professor, Department of Graduate PsychologyExpert on treatment of traumatized children and adolescentsGirguis served as a supervising psychologist in the outpatient trauma treatment program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. His clinical work focuses on the treatment of traumatized children and adolescents, including children in foster care and children experiencing homelessness. He is certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.
Expert Topics
- Family homelessness
- Foster care
- Treatment of traumatized children and adolescents
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Ryan T. Hartwig, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Assistant Professor, Department of Communication StudiesExpert on church leadership and team buildingWith interests in group facilitation, teamwork, the development of collaborative communicative practices and organizational structures, leadership education and training, and qualitative research methods, Hartwig’s work aims to help nonprofits and churches leverage effective group and organizational communication practices, processes, and structures to fulfill their missions. He is the author of Teams That Thrive (InterVarsity Press, 2015).
Expert Topics
- Church senior leadership teams
- Group facilitation
- Organizational communication
- Small-group communication
- Teamwork and collaboration
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Stephen P. Johnson, DMA
Dean, College of the ArtsExpert on music and the arts’ impact on cultureJohnson is the founding dean of the College of the Arts. As a composer, his repertory includes various solo, chamber ensemble, large ensemble, and choral/ orchestral performing forces that have been performed in recitals, concert halls, and music festivals.
Expert Topics
- Art’s impact on culture
- Leadership in the arts
- Music history, composition, conducting, and orchestration
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Alexander Jun, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Higher EducationExpert on resilience and thriving, and Cambodian orphansAlexander Jun, Ph.D., is a TEDx speaker and the author of From Here to University: Access, Mobility, and Resilience Among Urban Latino Youth (Routledge Press, 2001). He has published extensively on issues of postsecondary access for historically underrepresented students in underserved areas. Jun recently completed a three-year research project on the educational mobility and academic resilience of Khmer orphans.
Expert Topics
- College prep programs for urban youth
- Diversity and social justice in higher education
- Resilience and thriving
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Robert Mullins, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biblical StudiesExpert on archaeology and the Middle EastMullins comes to APU after spending a number of years in Israel. His interests include the fields of archaeology, history, geography, and biblical studies in an effort to better understand the world of the Ancient Near East. Mullins serves as lead archaeologist at APU’s Abel Beth Maacah excavation site in Israel, one of the last remaining sites of biblical significance to be excavated.
Expert Topics
- Ancient Near Eastern history
- Archaeology
- Geographical and historical setting of the Bible
- Religious development of Israel
Media Experience
Television and print interviews, including The History Channel, Los Angeles News Group, and Trinity Broadcasting Network
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Barbara Nicolosi Harrington
Assistant Professor, APU Honors CollegeExpert on faith-based films and screenwritingA former nun turned screenwriter, producer, script consultant, and founder of a Christian screen writers’ program, Act One, Harrington believes in the art of visual storytelling as a means to impact culture. She frequently shares her opinions on Hollywood and its films in articles and blogs, viewing them through a lens of faith.
Expert Topics
- Challenges and responsibilities of Christian filmmakers
- Faith themes in film
- Hollywood’s interest in making biblical films
Media Experience
Radio and print interviews, including NPR, New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Christian Post
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Thomas Parham, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Cinematic ArtsExpert on superheroes and science fiction entertainmentParham teaches cinematic arts classes, including Introduction to Film, Screenwriting, and Television Writing. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and has written for the long-running CBS’ drama JAG and the Family Channel sitcom Big Brother Jake, and he served as a writers’ assistant for the third season of Touched by an Angel. Parham contributed chapters to the American Chemical Society’s anthology Hollywood Chemistry: When Science Met Entertainment; Doing Good, Departing from Evil: Research Findings in the Twenty-First Century; The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Popular Culture; and Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture.
Expert Topics
- Science fiction and fantasy
- Superheroes
- Screenwriting
- Popular culture
- Television history
Media Experience
Print interviews, including Yahoo News and Christian Post
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Stuart Strother, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Business and ManagementExpert on economic development in ChinaStrother has extensive experience in business and teaching in the United States and abroad. He spends a significant amount of time in China and other parts of Asia each year leading study abroad programs. He is the author of Living Abroad in China (Avalon Travel Publisher, 2006).
Expert Topics
- Economic development and policy
- Modernization of China and Western engagement
- Technological advancement of telecommunications
Media Experience
Print interviews, including CNBC and Global Post
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Jackie Slater
NFL Hall of Famer and Football Offensive Line CoachExpert on Christianity and professional sports, and coaching to build characterSlater is a retired National Football League offensive tackle who played his entire 20-year career with the Rams organization, playing 19 seasons for the Rams in Los Angeles (1976–94) and 1 season for the Rams in St. Louis in 1995. Slater appeared in seven Pro Bowls and broke a record for most seasons with one team. His jersey number was retired and he was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Expert Topics
- Adult education, returning to college later in life
- Christianity and professional sports
- Coaching to build players with character and integrity
- Segregation in 1960s Mississippi
Media Experience
Extensive print, radio, and television
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John M. Thornton, Ph.D., CPA
Graduate Chair and Professor, Leung Chair of Accounting Ethics, School of AccountingExpert on financial ethics and whistleblowingThornton strives to develop future accounting professionals with competence and character. His research interests focus on ethics and the accounting profession, auditor independence, auditor litigation, and whistleblowing. Thornton is a nationally recognized author and speaker and serves on several editorial boards for accounting ethics, forensics, public interest, and accounting education journals.
Expert Topics
- Accounting and business ethics
- Character and competence in the business/accounting world
- Corporate whistle blowers
- Money and the Bible
Media Experience
Television and print interviews, including Fast Company, Trinity Broadcasting Network, U.S. News & World Report, and Los Angeles News Group
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Kenneth L. Waters Sr., Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Division of Religion and Philosophy; Professor, Department of Biblical Studies; Associate ChaplainExpert on apocalyptic theology and prophecyWaters is an ordained minister in the Missionary Baptist Church, and he also served as a pastor in the Methodist Church for 28 years. His expertise involves the New Testament and early Christian literature, the book of Revelation, and other apocalyptic literature.
Expert Topics
- African-American religious thought and history
- Apocalyptic theology and prophecy
- Book of Revelation
- Christian and biblical ethics
- The personalities of Jesus and Paul
Media Experience
Radio and print interviews, including CNN, AP Radio
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Michael Wong, PT, DPT, O.C.S., FAAOMPT
Associate Professor, Department of Physical TherapyExpert on physical therapy and technology to diagnose and treat patientsWong became a certified orthopedic specialist in 2004 and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists in 2005. Along with teaching at APU, he practices at the Loma Linda University Medical Center Orthopedic Outpatient Clinic. He is the creator of an innovative physical therapy app that helps students and physical therapists diagnose patients and recommend treatment options.
Expert Topics
- Manual therapy and therapeutic exercises
- Physical therapy education
- Technology to diagnose and treat patients