Julie Bailon, her husband Bryan, and 3 children moved near the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs from Olympia, WA, in the summer of 2019. Julie spent 13 years in Washington serving in camping ministry with her family at Black Lake Bible Camp, as well as leading women in Bible studies, and investing a couple years loving on families and children in her community as a preschool teacher at a private Christian school. The most precious ministry to Julie has been during her time staying home with her own children in their early years, homeschooling. She loves spending time outdoors hiking, reaching out to her neighbors with the love of Jesus, and CrossFit. Julie has an associates degree in Business Administration.
Behind every great leader are gifted mentors and teachers.
Faculty
Os Guinness is an author, social critic, and great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer. Os has written or edited more than 30 books that offer valuable insight into the cultural, political, and social contexts in which we all live.
John Stonestreet serves as President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He’s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetics. John is the daily voice of BreakPoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on the culture founded by the late Chuck Colson. He is also the voice of the Point, a daily one-minute feature on worldview, apologetics and cultural issues. Before coming to the Colson Center in 2010, John served in various leadership capacities with Summit Ministries and was on the biblical studies faculty at Bryan College (TN).
John has co-authored four books: A Practical Guide to Culture, Restoring All Things, Same-Sex Marriage, and Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN). He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO. Connect with John at BreakPoint.org, or follow him on Twitter (@jbstonestreet).
Jennifer A. Marshall was a senior visiting fellow for the Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity at The Heritage Foundation.
Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview.
Dr. Glenn Sunshine
Professor of History, Central Connecticut State University | Author | Speaker Fellow, Colson Center
Since 1979 Joni and Friends has committed to reaching and serving people with disabilities with practical help and the saving love of Jesus.
Dr. Christopher Yuan is a passionate speaker, delivering life-changing messages to audiences young and old. Communicated with raw honesty, his journey from tragedy to triumph has moved and warmed countless hearts. But it is the combination of his authentic life experiences and a sound exegetical and theological underpinning that sets him apart, making him a unique and much-needed voice for such a time as this.
Kristen Waggoner
Senior Vice President, Alliance Defending Freedom
As the CEO, president, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Kristen Waggoner leads the faith-based legal organization in protecting fundamental freedoms and promoting the inherent dignity of all people throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Scott Klusendorf
Author | Teacher, Life Training Institute
Scott Klusendorf travels throughout the United States and Canada training pro-life advocates to persuasively defend their views in the public square.
I am a philosopher, a scholar, a teacher, a husband, and father. Most importantly, I am a follower of Christ.
Neil Shenvi
Apologist
Christian apologetics from a homeschooling theoretical chemist.
Alisa Childers
Author and Speaker
Christian apologetics from a homeschooling theoretical chemist.
Carl Trueman
Author and Theologian
Christian apologetics from a homeschooling theoretical chemist.
Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager
Center for Biblical Unity
Christian apologetics from a homeschooling theoretical chemist.
Staff
S. Michael Craven
Vice President, Equipping & Mobilization
Michael is an accomplished executive, worldview expert, cultural apologist, and author. Ever since leaving his career as a corporate CEO in 2001, Michael has been working to equip the Church in America with a robust Christian life and worldview.
In 2007, Michael founded the Center for Christ & Culture where his popular weekly commentaries grew to reach more than two million readers through Crosswalk.com, Christianity.com, The Christian Post and numerous other web-based outlets. In 2009, Michael authored his critically-acclaimed book, Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity (NavPress). He also contributed to the 2014 book, Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for Marriage by John Stonestreet and Sean McDowell.
Michael has been a featured speaker at many venues including, the University of California at Berkeley, the National Conference on Christian Apologetics, and numerous churches across the country. He served as an adjunct professor at Western Seminary where he was invited to teach on Cultural Apologetics. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC, and many other national television and radio programs.
Prior to joining The Colson Center, Michael served for five years as the president of BridgeBuilders, an inner-city ministry in South Dallas, where he pioneered a missional strategy for transforming the “culture of poverty” into a culture of flourishing, breaking the cycle of poverty that dominates America’s inner-city communities.
Michael lives in the Dallas area with his wife and three children.
Brooke Colon
Director, Colson Fellows Program
Brooke Colon has a B.A. in English from Cedarville University in Ohio. Upon her graduation in 2004, she went on to serve at her alma mater as the chapel coordinator and later as the executive assistant to the Vice President for Student Life and Christian Ministries. While at Cedarville, she also worked with over 40 CU graduates teaching in China by assisting them with all of the behind the scenes logistics. After ten years at Cedarville, God opened the door for her to join the Colson Center as the Colson Fellows program manager. Two years ago, this role took her from the cornfields of Ohio to the mountains of Colorado.
Brooke’s favorite aspect of her role is getting to know the Colson Fellows by learning their stories and how she can pray specifically for them as they journey together through the program. She is humbled to work for an organization with such a rich legacy that is doing work that is essential in this cultural moment. Her desire is to represent the Colson Center and our Lord well in the work that she does. Brooke completed the Colson Fellows program in 2017, making her a C12.
Dr. William Brown
Senior Fellow, The Colson Center
For over twenty years Dr. William E. (Bill) Brown led two Christian universities as President. He is the Senior Fellow of Worldview and Culture at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He also serves as Dean of the Colson Fellows Program, an international Fellowship program equipping professionals to engage their culture for Christ.
A nationally recognized speaker and expert in culture and worldview, Dr. Brown has written several books and more than a hundred articles for journals, magazines, encyclopedias, and newspapers. He is the author of Making Sense of Your Faith, Where Have All the Dreamers Gone? Observations from a Biblical Worldview, and Making Sense of Your World (with Gary Phillips and John Stonestreet), a book used by many colleges and universities as an introductory text to worldview/philosophical thinking.
Dr. Brown is the Executive Producer and speaker for the multiple award-winning DVD series, re:View worldview study. re:View equips Christians to discern and engage contemporary culture from a Christ-centered perspective.
Dr. Brown and his wife, Lynne, have been married since 1976. They have two children – April and Alex, and four grandchildren. They live in Mars Hill, North Carolina.
Julie Bailon
Colson Fellows Administrator
Steve Hunter
Training Director
After a long and successful career with Nordstrom, Steve retired early in 2015, so he could follow the Lord’s calling to serve in his home church as an associate pastor and be the dean for a start-up Bible Institute. A theme in his journey from lay church leadership to his most recent roles that continues with the Colson Fellows program is to develop future leaders for the kingdom of God who understand the times and know what to do.
After going through the Colson Fellows program in 2013, Steve became the Seattle regional director in 2015 and has been involved in coaching and mentoring regional and online directors. His current roles are leading training and technology with the Colson Fellows program and is the director for the Pacific Online, South Korea, and ADF International cohorts.
Steve and his wife are childhood sweethearts, having known each other since they were five years old, and are empty-nesters living in Snoqualmie, WA, 25 miles east of Seattle. They have two grown daughters that married great guys and have four grandkids.
Jessie Zebroski
Editor of Alumni Newsletter and Special Projects, Association of Colson Fellows
Jessie Zebroski has a B.S. in Human Resources and Small Business Management. After graduating she went on to earn her SPHR designation and work professionally as a HR Director for 8 years. After 13 years in the Midwest, she was excited when a job opportunity allowed her and her family to move back to her home state of Wyoming. Upon returning, Jessie immersed herself in service to the community; volunteering at the local pro-life pregnancy center and helping found a parachurch ministry called Sheridan KidsLife. Having a heart for winning over the next generation, Jessie dedicated her next few years to growing and building the new youth ministry, including the opening of a new community center. The new facility was completed in 2019, and opened to youth ages 3rd-12th grade, free of charge. In her spare time, Jessie enjoys being in Bighorn mountains and spends any free time with her family! You’ll find her running trails, downhill skiing, and hiking, as well as coaching a girl’s travel soccer team.
Tiffany Granderson
Senior Relationship Manager, Church Affiliates
Ami Chapman
Administrative Coordinator
Ami Chapman is a native Tennesseean and has a B.S. in Marketing. After receiving her degree, she moved with her husband to Dallas, where he began his work as a student pastor. Ami worked in the nonprofit sector most of her time in North Texas, serving the ministry BridgeBuilders, an inner-city ministry in South Dallas, doing both administrative work for the president as well as stepping into the operations side of the ministry later on. She is passionate about helping everyone truly understand the nature of the Gospel–from those she served in the city to students in the church. After having two children and spending 8 years in Dallas, in 2019, Ami and her family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas for her husband to continue ministry at a new church, Immanuel. She began work with the Colson Center in 2022 after taking a couple years to be with her children. When she is not working, Ami helps teach students at her church every week and is currently obtaining her certificate of Biblical Counseling. She loves being in the Natural State and enjoying all it has to offer in the outdoors.
Bryan Bailon
Director, Association of Colson Fellows
Bryan serves at the Director of the Association of Colson Fellows. Bryan has a B.S. in Business Administration and has enjoyed a variety of work experiences from radio to youth ministry to business and ministry management. Recently, Bryan and his family spent 13 years at a Christian camp and conference center in the Pacific Northwest, where he spent the last six of those as the executive director and the following four years at Christian Camp and Conference Association in Colorado Springs.
In 2019, his wife Julie came on board with the Colson Center, and this is where Bryan became familiar with the Colson Fellow’s team and with the program itself. He and Julie were commissioned as Colson Fellows in 2022.
One of the things that came out of his Colson Fellows experience was not only a love for learning and growing in his Christian worldview but to be together with the body of Christ; discussing, learning, and growing together in areas that were hard to find within the walls of the church. Then God did something only He could do, and that was a to instill within Bryan a desire for Colson Fellows to find greater connection so they too may love and serve one another well, to have a greater ability to equip the church, and ultimately impact our communities for the kingdom of God.
Bryan is ever grateful to now serve with the Colson Fellows team and to seek God’s vision for what Colson Fellows can accomplish in their churches, families, neighborhoods, and communities.