Centennial Institute
Leadership
John Andrews
Director, Centennial Institute
John Andrews is Director of the Centennial Institute and a CCU cabinet member, as well as a Denver Post columnist and a TV/radio commentator. He was previously president of the Colorado Senate, chairman of the State Policy Network, and director of TCI Cable News. He has also served on a foreign scholarships commission for President George W. Bush, was a speechwriter for President Nixon and an education appointee under President Reagan, and founded the Independence Institute, a free-market think tank in Golden, Colorado.
As a state senator from 1998 to 2005, Andrews served as minority leader and led the GOP back to majority control. As Senate President, he helped pass bills establishing education vouchers, expanding charter schools, extending tort reform, cutting the capital gains tax, reducing union control of state employees, requiring parental notification when a minor seeks an abortion, and restoring the Pledge of Allegiance in classrooms. He was honored as National Legislator of the Year by the American Legislative Exchange Council and as Family Legislator of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Family Council. The Colorado Union of Taxpayers saluted him as a defender of TABOR, the state’s tax limit.
In higher education, he was a Hillsdale College vice president and editor of Imprimis for four years, and a member of the adjunct faculty in public policy at the Colorado School of Mines for 18 years. He and his wife Donna, who met at a summer camp in the Rockies in 1960, have three grown children and a grandson. "I’m committed to defending the permanent things," Andrews states. "We must reassert the timeless political principles of the American founding, together with the moral and spiritual truths of our Judeo-Christian heritage."
William Armstrong,
Chairman, Centennial Institute
President, Colorado Christian University
William Armstrong served for 18 years in the nation’s capitol, six in the House of Representatives and 12 as a U.S. senator. He was a member of the Senate Banking, Senate Finance, and Senate Budget committees and for six years was chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee.
A successful businessman, he has started or purchased four mortgage banking firms and was formerly chairman of Cherry Creek Mortgage Company, which grew 4,000 percent under his guidance. Armstrong has been a director of six public companies and chairman/owner/operator of 13 private companies, including radio and television stations, a daily newspaper, investment firms, a real estate brokerage company, and a title insurance company. He is the chairman of both the Denver-based Oppenheimer Funds and software developer Blueberry Systems, director of oil and gas drilling contractor Helmerich & Payne, and was for 17 years a board member of Campus Crusade for Christ.
During his years in the Senate, Armstrong established a reputation as a principled, issue-oriented legislator and was prominently “mentioned” as a potential candidate for the U.S. presidency or vice presidency. Relentlessly opposed to big government and excessive regulation, he championed lower taxes, political reform, balanced budgets, and the G.I. Bill. The New York Times described him as “a man whose restless intellect is admired by his foes as well as his friends” and The Denver Post praised his service in the Senate, pointing out that his decision not to run in 1990 came despite the fact that “reelection was virtually guaranteed.”
Armstrong became president of Colorado Christian University (CCU; Lakewood, Colo.) in 2006. "I feel a great sense of destiny about the opportunity to help educate a new generation of leaders," he says. "It is the most significant, energizing, and rewarding work I have ever undertaken."
Centennial Institute Fellows
The Centennial Institute Fellows serve as a policy advisory board in support of the Institute’s mission and CCU’s strategic objectives. They assist with writing, speaking, research, teaching, outreach, and strategic planning. The Fellows are appointed annually and receive no compensation. Each has a major area of policy specialization, as indicated.
Hon. Richard V. Allen
Former National Security Advisor to President Reagan
Fellow in National Security - Allen is the man to whom Ronald Reagan, seeking the presidency, said the outcome of the Cold War should be, “We win, they lose.” The candidate’s chief foreign policy adviser from 1977, he was National Security Advisory for President Reagan from 1981 to 1982. Allen was previously a top adviser to President Richard Nixon. He is now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, with which he has been associated since 1966. The holder of a master’s degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame, Allen divides his times between homes in Colorado, New Jersey, and New Zealand.
Mr. Jay Ambrose
Former Editor, Rocky Mountain News
Fellow in Media and Journalism - Now a nationally syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard, Ambrose formerly edited their dailies in Denver and El Paso and covered the New York State Capitol for their Albany paper, where he was also editorial page editor. He has been a member of the ASNE board and judge for the Pulitzer Prizes. By age 23 he was already running a country weekly in his native Kentucky, where he graduated from Transylvania University. Over the years he has also studied or taught at Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, and Virginia Commonwealth University. His other think tank affiliations include PERC, the Hoover Institution, and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Mr. James C. Bennett
Historian, Entrepreneur, and Technology Consultant
Fellow in American Heritage - Politics, economics, civics, and history are not rocket science, but even if they were, James Bennett would still be uniquely suited to analyze and practice them all. His 30 years of business experience in commercial space exploration and high technology, along with his studies at the University of Michigan and Paideia University and his vast original research, laid the groundwork for Bennett's notable 2004 book, The Anglosphere Challenge: Why the English-Speaking Nations Will Lead the Way in the 21st Century. He has been a columnist for UPI as well as a research contributor to the Hudson Institute and the Reason Foundation.
Dr. Alan Crippen
Executive Director, John Jay Institute
Fellow in Founding Principles - Crippen is founder and president of the John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law, a para-academic center dedicated to developing principled public leadership and based in Colorado Springs. He previously helped lead the Witherspoon Fellowship and the Family Research Council. A former Army officer, he holds degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary and Philadelphia Biblical University. He and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of five children.
Dr. Douglas Groothuis
Author & Professor, Denver Seminary
Fellow in Worldviews - Groothuis has taught at Denver Seminary since 1993. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Oregon. He is the author of ten books, including Truth Decay and On Jesus. He has published numerous articles in scholarly and popular publications on the rationality of the Christian worldview and public policy. His comments on religion and culture have been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, Time, The Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News, and other publications.
John Guandolo
Strategic Threats Consultant
Fellow in Islam & the West - Guandolo operates a consulting practice in Washington DC, advising senior government officials on strategic threats to the United States, especially as it relates to radical Islam. He became one of the FBI's leading authorities on counter-terrorism and Muslim Brotherhood subversion during 12 years of distinguished service in the Bureau's Washington field office, 1996-2008. He twice received the US Attorneys' award for investigative excellence, and was honored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (D) and Jon Kyl (R) with their Defender of the Homeland in 2007. Guandolo saw combat in Operation Desert Storm, 1991, after taking his commission as an officer of Marines from the Naval Academy in 1989. He is the founder of Destination Cure: The Race Against MS.
Hon. Mark Hillman
Former State Treasurer & Former State Senate Majority Leader
Fellow in State Policy - Hillman is a wheat farmer in Burlington, Colorado, as well as a political leader, newspaper columnist, and radio commentator. He was to elected two terms in the Colorado State Senate and served as Majority Leader, as well as Colorado State Treasurer. He currently represents Colorado on the Republican National Committee. He and his wife, Heidi, have two young sons, Lucas and Matthew.
Ms. Krista Kafer
Education Consultant & Member CCU Accreditation Team
Fellow in Education Policy - Kafer is a writer and consultant specializing in education reform, on contract to government agencies and think tanks. She returned to her native Colorado in 2004 after a decade in Washington, working as a policy staffer for Rep. Bob Schaffer and a senior expert on education at the Heritage Foundation. She is the author of a book on school choice and a frequent cohost on Backbone Radio. Her other affiliations include the Independence Institute and the Claremont Institute, where she was a Lincoln Fellow.
Mr. Stephen Keating
Former Business Editor, Denver Post
Fellow in New Media - Stephen Keating is the founder of Keating Media, which provides business development, media strategy and consulting services. He is a former business editor of the Denver Post and the author of Cutthroat, a book on strategy in the cable and satellite TV industries, which won the Colorado Book Award for nonfiction. During the past decade, Keating has also helped launch a research foundation, co-produce a TV show pilot, and led the creation of political media websites.
Dr. Charles King
Dean Emeritus, School of Business and Leadership, CCU
Fellow in Business and Law - King is Dean Emeritus of the School of Business and Leadership at CCU. Prior to receiving his J.D. from the University of Denver, he earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. He was an attorney in private practice for over 20 years, a senior executive in human resources and labor relations for Samsonite Corporation, and an FBI agent. He has directed VALS, the annual Values-Aligned Leadership Summit, for CCU, and has conducted seminars throughout the United States and Asia.
Dr. Thomas Krannawitter
Professor of Politics, Colorado Christian University
Fellow in Political Philosophy - Tom Krannawitter brought his keen intellect and flair for teaching to the CCU faculty in July 2010 after having previously taught at Hillsdale College, Claremont McKenna College, Azusa Pacific College, and Ashland University. He has been a fellow at the Heritage Foundation and the Claremont Institute. He published Vindicating Lincoln: Defending the Politics of Our Greatest President in 2008, and co-authored A Nation Under God? The ACLU and Religion in American Politics in 2005. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in political science from Claremont Graduate University, along with two bachelor's degrees from Fort Hays State University in his native Kansas.
Dr. Vincent McGuire
Political Scientist, University of Colorado at Boulder
Fellow in Citizenship - McGuire teaches American government and political theory at CU-Boulder in the university’s Kittredge Honors Program as well as its as well as its small, British-style Farrand Academic Program in the residence halls. Originally from the East Coast, he earned his B.A. from CU in 1979, then returned to New York where he taught high school social studies and earned a master’s in political science from New York University. Later returning to CU, he took the Ph.D. in political science in 1995. “My interests,” he says, “are films as metaphor for American society and politics, bringing broader intellectual diversity to the university, and debunking received academic wisdom.”
Mr. Kevin Miller
Educator & Business Consultant
Fellow in Freedom and Virtue - Miller is president of Whitestone Miller, a consultancy on business turnarounds and new ventures. A native of Burlington, Colorado, his undergraduate and graduate degrees are from Oklahoma State University. He taught at Colorado Christian University from 1994 to 1999 and was founding dean of the CCU School of Business. His book Freedom Nationally, Virtue Locally – or Socialism will be published by Denali Press in late 2010. He leads seminars on the Vanguard process for Christian citizenship and the competing stewardships model for executives. A goal in all this, Miller says, is to "help Christians see ourselves from the outside looking in," as he previously did before becoming a Christian. He and his wife Cathy have two children.
Hon. William Moloney
Former Colorado Education Commissioner
Fellow in Conservative Thought - Education reform keyed to competition and choice was Bill Moloney's signature as chief school officer from 1997 to 2007, a decade in which he worked with governors, legislators, and state board members of both parties to foster a nationally-recognized climate of excellence in Colorado classrooms. Moloney's doctorate in educational management is from Harvard; he also did graduate work in history at Oxford and the University of London. He has been a teacher, principal, and superintendent in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Rhode Island, as well as his native Massachusetts. He is a past member of the National Assessment Governing Board and co-author of two books on school reform.
Hon. Marilyn Musgrave
Former Member of Congress
Fellow in National Policy - Musgrave served in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009, elected from Colorado’s rural 4th District. Born in Greeley and a graduate of Colorado State, she was a businesswoman and teacher before winning election to the Fort Morgan School Board in 1990, energized by the life issue. She went on to the state House in 1994 and then the state Senate in 1998. While in Congress she was noted for standing up to her own party and the White House on tax and spending issues, and for leadership on the Federal Marriage Amendment. She now helps direct Susan B. Anthony’s List, a pro-life political action committee.
Dr. Jerry Nelson
Senior Pastor, Southern Gables Church
Fellow in Spiritual Formation - Ordained with the Evangelical Free Church of America, Nelson retired in 2009 after 31 years as senior pastor of Southern Gables Church in Lakewood, Colorado. In addition to his doctorate of ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, he holds degrees from Denver Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, and the University of Minnesota, as well as an honorary doctorate from Trinity College, India, where he has taught summer theology courses since 1997. The parents of three grown daughters, he and his wife Barbara are now raising an adopted son.
Dr. Paul Prentice
Economist, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Fellow in Economics - Prentice graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. He served as an economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Reagan. He was later a visiting scholar at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He currently teaches in an adjunct capacity at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and is a local civic leader with such groups as the Pikes Peak Urban League and the Limited Government Forum.
Mr. Gregory Schaller
Assistant Professor of Political Science, CCU
Fellow in Constitutional Government - Schaller brings his specialization in constitutional government, classical republicanism, and the American Founding to the Colorado Christian University faculty. He completed his M.A. at Villanova and B.A. at Eastern University; he is currently completing a Ph.D. at Temple University in Pennsylvania. Prior to joining CCU, Schaller taught at Villanova, St. Joseph's, and Seton Hall; held an Earhart fellowship; and provided research and writing services for the Pennsylvania legislature. He and his wife, Rachel, have two daughters and enjoy hiking the Colorado 14ers.
Mr. Lee Strobel
Author, Lecturer, and Teacher
Fellow in Apologetics - Atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel, the former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, is a best-selling author of nearly twenty books, including The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. For two seasons, he hosted the weekly national network television program Faith Under Fire. He has also appeared on such national radio programs as The Bible Answer Man and Focus on the Family. He has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Yale. Formerly on the pastoral staff at Willow Creek Church in Illinois and Saddleback Valley Church in California, he now lives in Castle Rock, Colorado, with his wife Leslie.
Dr. William Watson
Professor of History, CCU
Fellow in Western Civilization - Born in California, Watson saw military duty in Berlin during the Cold War, then earned a B.A. in Ancient History from Cal State Pomona, an M.Div. from Talbot Theological Seminary, then an M.A. and Ph.D. in History from the University of California. He met his wife, a native of New Zealand, while completing graduate work at the University of London. They have two children. He has taught at Colorado Christian University since 1996.
