Who We Are

 CiRCE Staff

Andrew Kern, is president and founder of the CiRCE Institute. He graduated from Concordia University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he was mentored by Dr. Gene Edward Veith and was graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts. Shortly afterward, Dr. Veith and Andrew co-authored the best-selling Classical Education, The Movement Sweeping America, now in its second edition. Andrew has been directly involved in the establishment of three classical Christian schools, has trained teachers in over 50 since 1996, has consulted with still more on institutional development and start-up, and has been directing the CiRCE Institute full time since the summer of 2000. Andrew Kern is married to Karen. They are the parents of three boys and two girls: David, Matthew, Katerina, Larissa, and Andrew. You can email Andrew at akern@circeinstitute.org. To view Andrew's schedule, click here.

David Kern is the Creative Director of the CiRCE Institute, which means he works in marketing, public relations, communications, audio/visual, and as the occasional bus boy. He is a managing editor of Quiddity, the CiRCE blog, as well as The CiRCE Papers, the Institute’s free email newsletter, which you can sign up for here. A freelance writer, David works as a copywriter, film and music critic, and part-time PR guy for independent musicians and artists. Additionally, he worked as the editor-in-chief of the arts-in-review website, intothehill.com. He writes about the arts and faith at his personal blog, Beside the Queue. You can reach him via David@circeinstitute.org. David and his wife, Bethany, live in Charlotte, NC with their cat, Wilco.

Bethany Kern joined CiRCE as Office Manger in fall 2009. A free-lance photographer, Bethany also provides graphic design and photography for the Institute. Should you have questions regarding financial matters, you can email Bethany via bethany@circeinstitute.org. Bethany and her husband, David live in Charlotte, NC.

CiRCE Consultants

Andrew Kern is president and founder of the CiRCE Institute. See bio above.

Deborah Harris graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies (with a California K-8 certification) and has worked for eight years as a classroom educator, primarily in the elementary grades. She has taught at Foundations Academy in Boise, Idaho and Hope Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She lives in Oakdale, Minnesota with her husband and two sons. Since 2002, Debbie has focused on mentoring teachers in classroom management strategies and classical techniques. She is available for teacher in-services and individual time with the teachers in their classrooms throughout the year.

CiRCE Board

Greg Roe lives with his wife Julann in Tampa, where they home school their three children, Sydney, Luke, and Rebecca; and where they attend St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Greg grew up in Tampa, graduated from the University of South Florida with Accounting and Finance degrees, and has worked in the insurance industry for the past twenty-seven years. He currently serves as board chair where he provides oversight and direction for the CiRCE Institute. Greg believes that the public and private education system in our country are broken and that we need to return to our theological roots, remembering that God is the creator of all things and that through the study of the historical (classical) writers we can come to know God and how best to serve Him.

Martin Cothran, is the author of Traditional Logic, Books I and II, as well as Aristotle’s Rhetoric: A Traditional Course in Speaking and Writing, both published by Memoria Press. He is also logic and rhetoric instructor at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky and is Master Teacher at Mars Hill, Lexington. In addition to being editor-in-chief of Classical Teacher magazine, he serves as senior policy analyst for The Family Foundation of Kentucky, where he directs legislative and media relations. He holds a B.A. in economics and philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. degree in Christian Apologetics from the Simon Greenleaf School (Now a part of Trinity University). He lives with his wife and four children in Danville, Kentucky.

Silvano Ferazzo lives in Weddington, North Carolina (a Charlotte suburb), and is Business Development Manager for Green Turtle Americas, Ltd., a company focused on providing engineered wastewater solutions for commercial and industrial clients. As a CiRCE board member, Silvano advises the organization on marketing, promotion, and communication issues, and assists in business planning. He says he serves on the CiRCE board because, “As a parent committed to homeschooling our three children, I recognize the need for a clear approach to classical education based on conservative Christian principles. The CiRCE Institute has the vision to provide the philosophy and the tools to regain what has been lost in education, and to regain excellence.” Further, he says, he “would like to help CiRCE to equip our next generations to strive for that excellence, to love learning, and to not settle for the lukewarm education that prevails today.”

Steve Elliott is the headmaster of Christ Covenant School in Winterville, NC. He is married and the father of four young men. Steve heads the CiRCE Institute's President Support & Evaluation Committee. He has attended with great delight the last five Circe Conferences and enjoys having the notebooks from them lined across his book shelf. He is excited to see Circe pushing for the right conversations about the truly important ideas.

Dr. Peter VandeBrake received his B.A. in Philosophy from Calvin College where he also was an All-American Decathlete from 1985-1988. In 1992 he earned his Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. While attending Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Vande Brake was a research assistant to John. H. Leith. In September of 1996 he began his career at North Hills Classical Academy. At that time he taught Latin, Worldview and Church History at the secondary level. In 1998 he became Headmaster of the school. In the year 2000, Peter finished his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Calvin Theological Seminary. During his time of study at Calvin Seminary, he also served as a graduate assistant to Calvin Van Reken. Dr. Vande Brake became an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in June of 2001.  With the years of experience and vast knowledge of the classical movement, Dr. Vande Brake is nationally respected as one of the leading administrators in classical-Christian Education. His eloquence and knowledge is in demand on the speaking circut throughout the classical-Christian movement. Dr. Vande Brake serves on the board of directors for the Society for Classical Learning (SCL) and in 2005 began serving on the board of the Circe Institute. He is also a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers. Dr. Peter Vande Brake currently serves as Headmaster of North Hills Classical Academy and teaches Logic, Rhetoric,, and Worldview/media at the secondary school. Along with his teaching career he also coaches the track and cross-country teams. Peter is married to Susan Vande Brake and has two children.

Joe Calkins received his bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech where he focused his research on robotics and measurement uncertainty. He is one of the founders of New River Kinematics where he serves as the President of the company as well as one of the principal software developers of the SpatialAnalyzer metrology platform. Joe lives in Williamsburg, VA with his wife and three children. It is in Williamsburg that he first encountered Classical Education at Providence Classical School (PCS). Joe is currently chairman of the school board that is currently working to add the Rhetoric school for PCS. Joe became acquainted with CiRCE when Andrew came for teacher/board training several years ago. Joe currently serves on the board at CiRCE and is trying to keep up with all the talk of classical literature from which engineers are typically sheltered.