Christian Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors

Rick R. Marrs, President

Rick R. Marrs is Professor of Religion at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. Previously at Pepperdine, Dr. Marrs as chair of the Religion Division, associate dean, and dean of Seaver College, and provost and chief academic officer at Pepperdine. His teaching areas are Old Testament studies and ancient languages and his primary research areas are the Prophets, Psalms, and Wisdom Literature of ancient Israel.

Kindalee DeLong, Vice-President

Kindy De Long is a professor of religion and associate dean of Seaver College at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. As an administrator, her areas of focus are faculty development, student success and development, pedagogy, technology, and equity and belonging. Her primary teaching interests are in the New Testament, including the book of Acts, Paul’s writings, women in the New Testament, and identity in Christ. Her research focuses on early Christian and Jewish narrative, particularly Luke-Acts. She has been a member of the Conejo Valley Church of Christ for twenty-five years, where she periodically teaches and preaches.

Jo Ann P. Stubblefield, Secretary

Jo Anne Stubblefield, a retired real estate lawyer, had a 40-year career providing legal advice and assistance to developers in the creation and operation of master planned communities, resorts, mixed-use developments and clubs as well as the nonprofit corporations that administer them.  She is a member of the state bars of Georgia and Texas and a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.  For over 25 years, she has been a member of the board of directors of Decatur Church of Christ Senior Housing, Inc., a 501(c) organization devoted to providing affordable housing for seniors, serving on its executive committee since 2005.  She also served for over 15 years on the board of directors of Seven Oaks Foundation, Inc., a charitable foundation established to award college scholarships to high school students and fellowships to graduate students in nonprofit studies.  Jo Anne and her husband, Neal, reside in Tucker, Georgia and are active members of Northlake Church of Christ, where they have both served in various leadership roles.

G. Hilton Dean, Treasurer

Hilton Dean, a retired CPA, had a 36-year career with Ernst &Young which included positions of Vice Chairman-Finance, Technology and Administration, Regional Director of Computer Auditing, Regional Director of Human Resources, and Area Managing Partner-Florida. He chaired the firm’s Retirement Investment Committee and served as a member of the Americas Executive Board. He served on the Board of Trustees of Lipscomb University for 14 years – Chairman for 8 of those years. Mr. Dean is Treasurer of the CSF Board of Directors.

John Beyer

Dr. John Beyer is Professor of Psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center, board certified in general adult Psychiatry (1995) and Geriatric Psychiatry (1996).  He completed his medical degree from Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in 1989, and subsequently served on faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center while directing the inpatient psychiatric program at the Nashville VA Hospital.  He has been at Duke since 1999 working as a clinician, educator, and researcher.  Dr. Beyer’s research focuses on mood disorders and cognition, with a special emphasis in neuroimaging.  He has also conducted many clinical trials for treatments in Major Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, PTSD, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s Disease.  He has served as an elder at the Cole Mill Road Church of Christ in Durham, NC since 2008.

James O. Browning

The Honorable James O. Browning is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. Judge Browning served as a law clerk to Judge Collins J. Seitz on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and clerked for Justice Lewis F. Powell of the Supreme Court of the United States. He entered private practice, served as a Deputy Attorney General of New Mexico and then returned to private practice until his appointment to the federal bench in 2003.

Carl R. Holladay

Carl R. Holladay is Emeritus Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament at Emory University, Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, GA. Dr. Holladay’s current research focuses on Luke-Acts; Hellenistic Judaism, or Judaism in the Greco-Roman world; and Christology. He is a minister in the Church of Christ. Dr. Holladay was one of the founding members of CSF and served as Executive Director until 2012, when he became a member of the Board of Directors.

Gail Hopkins

Gail E. Hopkins is a former major league baseball player and coach. Upon his retirement from professional baseball in 1977 he pursued his early interests in theology and biology earning advanced degrees in Master’s in Religion, Master of Divinity, Doctorate in Biology and an M.D. Dr. Hopkins engaged in the private practice of orthopedic surgery in CA, IL and WV and has served as adjunct professor of both bible and biology at Ohio Valley University.

Carolyn Hunter

Carolyn Hunter retired from the faculty of Pepperdine University in 2007. She is currently employed as a part time Researcher for the Seaver College Office of the Dean. She has served on the boards of various arts organizations in Arizona. She is a lifetime member in the Church of Christ, and her primary interest in Biblical Studies at present is in scripting materials for oral presentation.

Linda King

Linda King has had two careers. With early education at Oklahoma Christian University (B.A.) and the University of Oklahoma College of Law (J.D.), she practiced oil and gas law in Oklahoma City for 42 years, retiring from the firm of GableGotwals in 2018. Her second career has been in ministry. She earned a M.T.S. and Ph.D. from Brite Divinity School, served as an adjunct instructor for Saint Paul School of Theology and elsewhere for a number of years, and is currently a visiting assistant professor of religion at Pepperdine University. Her interests focus on biblical interpretation and hermeneutics. Linda previously served as ethical ombudsman at Oklahoma Christian University and continues on the board of editors of Dialogismos, a peer-reviewed biblical ejournal. She has been active in Churches of Christ, including serving as an elder of the Dayspring Church of Christ in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Rhonda Lowry

Rhonda Lowry is a career educator. She is currently at Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN serving in numerous roles including senior fellow for the Institute for Christian Spirituality and assistant professor of spiritual formation in addition to leading other initiatives. She has also been on adjunct faculty at Fuller and Pepperdine. Ms. Lowry is a frequent speaker nationwide focusing on personal ministry.

Alice Mankin

Dr Alice Mankin is the Regional Physician Executive for Primary Care for Mercy, a nonprofit member of the Catholic Health Care Association.  She completed her medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and is board-certified in Family Medicine.  She continues to see patients and serve on several ministry wide committees, helping to create innovative ways to deliver health care with the help of AI.  Prior to Mercy, she worked in long-term care facilities for a decade, after earning her Masters of Science from Abilene Christian University in gerontology.  She and her spouse, Dr. Scott LaMascus, have been long-term members of the Memorial Road church of Christ, but for the past 4 years have been members at Brookline Church of Christ in Boston.

Jim Martin

Jim Martin served as Vice President of Harding School of Theology in Memphis from 2014 – 2024.  Prior to this appointment, he served as a preaching minister for 36 years for congregations in Alabama, Missouri, and Texas.  He served the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas for 20 years (1993 – 2013). He also serves as a partner with Hope Network ministries for many years and is on the Advisory Board of the Center for Christian Studies. He is a certified ACC coach with the International Coaching Federation. His regular coaching clients are typically church leaders from throughout the United States. For many years, he has helped mentor numerous ministers. He leads a mentoring group of ministers who serve churches in the Memphis area. He and his wife, Charlotte, presently live in Germantown, Tn (Memphis area).