About

About Summit Ministries

  • Mr. Aaron Atwood

    Mr. Aaron Atwood began working for Summit in 2011; he is a 1993 and 1994 alumnus of the Student Worldview Conference. Prior to his role as Director of Development, he worked for Focus on Family, Centura Health, and as a consultant to Christian ministries and other social sector organizations. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado and lives in Colorado Springs with his family. Aaron is an avid runner and golfer. He loves doing things that keeps his kids exploring Colorado.

    Director of Development
    Development
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  • Mr. Kevin James Bywater

    Mr. Kevin James Bywater is a Researcher, Author, Lecturer, and Director of Summit Oxford, a Summit Ministries Institute. Mr. Bywater holds a B.A. in Philosophy, a M.A. in Theology, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D in New Testament Studies at the University of Durham, UK. As a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kevin is dedicated to helping Christians understand and effectively reach members of pseudo-Christian religions. He has published articles on cults, worldviews, and Islam, as well as co-authored Clergy in the Classroom (with David Noebel and J.F. Baldwin). He and his wife, Angela, and their four children currently live in both Colorado Springs, CO, and Durham, UK. You can learn more about Mr. Bywater at his webpage. Please peruse his contributions to our store.

    Director of Summit Oxford
    Conferences, Curriculum, Speaking, Summit Oxford
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  • Miss Ashley Drayer

    Miss Ashley Drayer is a country girl from Indiana. Ashley traded family, friends and cornfields for mountains and new companions when she was hired full-time by Summit Ministries in the Fall of 2007. She first attended Summit in the summer of 2006 as a student, which is when she fell in love with the ministry. Now a rock-climbing Coloradan (or you could say "resident of Manitou"), she is very excited to be a part of it. She can often be found on the peak of Red Mountain, watching movies or playing games with the Summit folk, traveling to visit distant friends, or simply reading a book in her cabin. While she enjoys her work at the Summit, her favorite role to play is that of aunt to Sydney and Brant!

    Assistant to the Business Manager
    Accounting
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  • Mr. Roy Faletti

    Roy Faletti joined the staff of Summit in 2011 as the Director of Customer Support and Sales. Since coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in his mid teens at a ministry serving troubled teens, he has had a lifelong passion for reaching youth with the Gospel message. He has been involved in Christian education for over 23 years. He was the administrator of a church based Christian school in Idaho for 14 years, at which time he also served as a regional consultant for an educational ministry that specialized in differentiated education. Prior to coming to Summit, he held various leadership positions for nine years at a major Christian curriculum publisher where his primary focus was serving Christian schools. He and his lovely wife Mary have three daughters, Rebekah, Isabelle and Abigail, and three male cats (names withheld) and reside in Rock Rapids, IA.

    Director of Customer Support and Sales
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  • Mrs. Trudy Friesema

    Mrs. Trudy Friesema has worked for Summit since 1995. She works in the accounts payable, accounts receivable, and order processing departments. She grew up on the mission-field with the Navajo Indians in New Mexico and in various locations in Ecuador, South America. She attended Northwestern Bible College in St. Paul, MN. She lives in Woodland Park, CO with her husband Bill and has two grown children. Her interests include reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.

    Administrative Assistant
    Accounting
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  • Dr. Darrell Furgason

    Dr. Darrell Furgason is currently the International Ministry Director for Summit Ministries. Dr Furgason has a B.A. from the Australian National University, and a M.A. in International Relations and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Sydney. He has been involved in Christian education for more than 20 years. He has taught in Christian high schools in Australia, the U.S., and Canada, and was Dean of the College of Humanities & International Studies at the University of the Nations, Canberra, Australia from 1994–1997. He has also taught in the Political Science department at Trinity Western University, Langley, BC. He also lectures extensively in seminars, schools, churches, and Christian organizations in North America and overseas on topics such as Worldview Comparison and Islam.

    International Ministry Director
    Conferences, Speaking
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  • Mr. Jason Graham

    Mr. Jason Graham has worked for Summit since 2001. He is the director of Summit's Curriculum Department and editor for Summit's high school and middle school curricula: Understanding the Times and Lightbearers. He holds a business degree from Oklahoma State University and an M.A. Philosophy of Religion from Denver Seminary. He lives in Manitou Springs, CO with his wife Rebecca. On the weekends, Jason can be found hiking with his dog Plato, taking photos, or playing volleyball.

    Director of Curriculum
    Curriculum
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  • Mrs. Paige Gutacker

    After growing up in Destin, Florida, Paige attended Summit’s summer program in Tennessee as both a student and a counselor. Paige studied communications and music at Bryan College and has earned her certification as a professional life coach through The Center for Coaching Excellence. After college, Paige and her husband, Paul, both worked for Dr. Jeff Myers’ non-profit organization, Passing the Baton International, assisting with the creation of various mentoring projects and co-authoring Cultivate: Forming the Emerging Generation through Life-on-Life Mentoring. Since 2011 Paige has worked remotely for Summit Ministries as the Project Manager forThe Cultivate Project – a professional development program for Christian educators that infuses life-on-life mentoring in the DNA of their schools. On a personal note, Paige loves to “make things” – food, songs, décor, earrings, bouquets, sentences, laughter – and has a deep desire to nurture and develop others. With a penchant for looking at the bright side and caring about how things and thoughts affect real people in their real lives, Paige sees her life mission as one which involves hospitality in relationship. She and Paul currently live in Vancouver, Canada, where they are doing graduate studies at Regent College.

    Project Manager, The Cultivate Project
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  • Mr. John Hay

    Mr. John Hay is Summit's Director of Elementary Curriculum. He joined the Summit staff in 1998 as a curriculum writer and educational consultant. His focus is writing Summit's elementary worldview curriculum, Building on the Rock. He is a frequent international speaker in the area of Christian education and since 1987 has worked extensively in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa. He holds B.S., B.S.Ed., and M.S. degrees and is a graduate of Texas Tech University. He and his wife Nancy are avid bicyclers, and when not on the trail or in the office, they can be found in the kitchen trying out or creating new recipes!

    Director of Elementary Curriculum
    Curriculum, Speaking
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  • Dr. Nancy Hay

    Dr. Nancy Hay joined the curriculum department of Summit Ministries in 2003 as a part-time editor for Building on the Rock, Summit’s worldview and Bible survey curriculum for grades 1 through 6. She joined the full-time staff in 2007 and continues to edit curriculum as well as other Summit publications. She earned a B.A. in literature from Wheaton College, an M.A.T. in English from Stetson University (DeLand, Florida), and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida. Before moving from Florida to Colorado with her husband John, she was Assistant Professor of English at Barry University. She enjoys the beach (now from a distance), biking, hiking, cooking, reading, and gardening.

    Elementary Curriculum Author and Editor
    Curriculum
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  • Mrs. Mary Hines

    Mrs. Mary Hines has been employed with Summit Ministries since July 1993. She is the Business Manager and head of Human Resources, the Accounting Department and assistant manager of Summit Village. She lives in Green Mountain Falls, CO where she enjoys walking, reading, gardening, and playing with her grandkids. She attended Vincennes University, Indiana University/Purdue University in Indianapolis and University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse majoring in Education and Business.

    Business Manager
    Accounting
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  • Miss Jennifer Honken

    In 1995, Jen left the moss-draped oaks and sandy beaches of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to join in the amazing work that is the Summit’s life-changing summer program, having attended herself as a teen. Now the Colorado Summer Program Director, Jen coordinates myriad speaker, staff and program details, in addition to working directly with a crew of 40 summer staff as Summer Staff Director. She served as Dr. Noebel's personal secretary for 12 years until his retirement (and remains President of his fan club if you’d like to join). Jen especially loves any time spent with her crazy-amazing family (including 30 nephews and nieces!), fun people, firefighting, travel, being outdoors whenever possible, running, photography, and driving Bus #3.

    Colorado Summer Program Director
    Conferences
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  • Mr. Dustin Jizmejian

    Mr. Dustin Jizmejian is the Director of Summit Semester. Since 2003, Dustin has been working on Summit’s Summer Staff while pursuing an undergraduate degree from Biola University and a graduate degree from Denver Seminary (in the field of Leadership). After graduation from Seminary, Dustin took a position at Philadelphia Biblical University as a Resident Director, only to be called back by Summit Ministries to Direct their Semester Program. Dustin and his wife Ruthann have two children, Rafferty and Cosette, and call Pagosa Springs their home.


    Conferences, Summit Semester
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  • Dr. Jeff Myers

    Dr. Jeff Myers is president of Summit Ministries. He also serves as Distinquished Service Professor and Senior Fellow for Leadership Studies at Bryan College in Dayton, TN. Dr. Myers speaks to more than 50,000 people each year in corporations, schools, homeschool conferences, parent groups, and youth-serving organizations. Over the last decade, Dr. Myers has worked with Summit Ministries to develop cutting-edge leadership experiences in Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alberta, Canada. Dr. Myers’ many books and video courses include Of Knights and Fair Maidens, Playpen to Podium, Secrets of Great Communicators, Secrets of the World-Changers, Secrets of Everyday Leaders, For Such a Time as This, Handoff, and Cultivate. Dr. Myers earned a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Denver. He and his wife Danielle have four children—Graham, Emma, Cate, and Stuart—and live in Manitou Springs, CO. Please peruse his contributions to our store.

    President
    Conferences, Development, Speaking
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  • Dr. David A. Noebel

    Dr. David A. Noebel is founder and former president of Summit Ministries. Dr. Noebel has been a college professor, college president, and candidate for the U.S. Congress. Dr. Noebel has a B.A. from Hope College in Holland, a M.A. from the University of Tulsa, and was a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin. He is an Author, Editor, Public Speaker, and Ordained Minister. He is recognized as an expert on worldview analysis and the decline of morality and spirituality in Western Civilization. He travels worldwide lecturing in high schools, universities, and churches. David has been a guest on numerous national radio and television programs. He has authored a number of books and has written extensively on the subject of Western Civilization's moral and spiritual decline. His most popular works include Understanding the Times (which has sold over 500,000 copies), the New York Times' best selling Mind Siege (co-authored with Tim LaHaye), and Clergy in the Classroom (co-authored with Kevin Bywater and J.F. Baldwin). He and his wife Alice live in Manitou Springs, CO. They have two children and five grandchildren. You can learn more about Dr. Noebel at his blog From the President's Desk. Please peruse his contributions to our store.

    Founder
    Conferences, Curriculum, Development, Speaking
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  • Miss Tosha Payne

    Tosha Payne spent her youngest years in Iowa, then lived in the Chicago area, and has traveled extensively before coming to Colorado as summer staff here at Summit in May of 2011. A Summit weekend worldview conference came to her area when she was a teenager and she keenly remembers how hungry she was to take in those words that rang with truth and begged her to live life intentionally. Mission trips, work, and friends have taken her to faraway places, but her love for travel was ignited early on by visiting National Parks with her family. Tosha has a B.A. in Counseling and M.A. in Business Administration and now enjoys taking advantage of the adventures to be had in CO camping, hiking, swimming, skiing, skating, kayaking, and hosting visitors.

    Executive Assistant to the President
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  • Mr. Michael Reneau

    Michael Reneau joined the staff of Summit Ministries in 2011 as communications manager. He writes for, manages and edits Summit’s monthly newsletter The Journal, manages Summit’s website content, and handles Summit’s social media outreach. A proud native of Tennessee, Michael holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from Bryan College (Dayton, Tennessee). His passion is crafting messages, polishing sentences, and communicating well with specific audiences. Prior to working for Summit, Michael was the news editor of a community newspaper. While not working, Michael can be found spending time with his family, hiking, reading, or cheering for the Atlanta Braves and Tennessee Volunteers. He and his wife, Julie, welcomed their first child, Jesse Thomas Reneau, on Easter Sunday 2011.

    Communications Manager
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  • Mr. Eric Smith

    Mr. Eric Smith loves to help students know God through a thorough understanding of the Bible. Since joining Summit in 2000, Eric has spoken to numerous groups on worldview, Bible, and Christian living topics. He teaches the Bible course at Summit’s Colorado Student Conferences and Summit Semester. In addition to teaching, Eric enjoys his role in program and staff development. He launched and led Summit Semester from 2006 to 2010, and has been on the leadership team of Summit’s Colorado Student Conferences since he joined the Summit. Currently Eric serves as the Summer Program Director for Summit’s Colorado Conferences and is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Bryan College, Dayton, TN. He holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Denver Seminary, and a B.S. in Business Administration from Miami University (OH). Eric and his wife Sara, along with their four children, Elsie, Alden, Liam, and Evelyn live in Manitou Springs, Colorado.


    Conferences, Speaking, Summit Semester

  • Mr. John Stonestreet

    John Stonestreet's passion is to illuminate a biblical worldview for today's culture. He's a speaker, writer, cultural commentator, and collaborator of worldview initiatives. In his shared role with the Colson Center and Summit Ministries, John directs conferences and curriculum projects, speaks to groups nationally and internationally, consults on worldview education for schools and churches, and appears frequently on web and radio broadcasts. As the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, John provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. He and his wife Sarah have three daughters and a dog, and live in Colorado Springs, CO. Please peruse his contributions to our store.

    Executive Director of Operations
    Conferences, Speaking
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  • Allison Tirjan

    Allison came on staff with Summit in 2003 after having attended twice as a student, and worked as a summer staffer. Her role at Summit has grown from small group leader to female staff coordinator to director of non-Colorado conferences. She also works as an assistant to John Stonestreet and handles his speaking schedule and coordinates special projects. To add to the variety Allison represents Summit at various conferences around the country throughout the year. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Interdisplinary Studies with an emphasis in Psychology and Sociology from Tennessee Technological University and her Master’s degree in Counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University. Being a native of Tennessee, Allison is a fan of the South and its Southern comforts – hospitality and sweet tea!


    Conferences
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  • Miss Olivia Updike

    Miss Olivia Updike grew up in Mississippi. Olivia made the move to Colorado in June of 2006 after four years on summer staff with the Summit. She attended Mississippi State University for three years in the Fitness Management program. Sports (especially softball) have always been high on her list of fun things to do with her brother, Patrick, throughout the years. Anything outdoors, photography and traveling to California are her top three loves in life! She loves to be "Auntie Livi" to five boys and two girls out there as often as she can.

    Administrative Assistant
    Accounting, Development
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