Each year, the CCU Alumni Association shines a spotlight on graduates who embody the highest ideals of Colorado Christian University. These honorees — leaders, innovators, kingdom builders, and faithful Christ-followers — are recognized through the alumni awards. Among the highest honors the University confers, these awards highlight the remarkable ways our graduates are living out CCU’s mission to “…impact the world with grace and truth.”
On October 2, 2025, the University honored three outstanding alumni who have achieved extraordinary success in their fields and have made lasting contributions to the kingdom. These graduates represent artistic achievement, ministry leadership, and business innovation, and are a living illustration of CCU’s educational mission. Their accomplishments demonstrate that CCU prepares graduates not only for meaningful careers but for lives marked by purpose and impact.
Recognizing our outstanding graduates also reinforces the importance of a strong alumni community and the power of inspiring current students to lead with purpose and conviction. Each award recipient reflects the enduring value of a CCU degree, as well as the spiritual formation that occurs at the institution. Their lives remind us that every graduate carries the potential to shape the future in significant and transformative ways.
CCU’s Alumni Charge, read at every Commencement, reminds us: “The University is not the campus, not the buildings on the campus, not a line on your resume, and not a piece of paper. The University is all of us, and it is you. You are her ambassadors, and you will carry her influence and knowledge wherever you go to impact the world in your callings.” The 2025 Alumni Impact Award recipients have carried the influence of their CCU experience, expanded on it, and stayed faithful to Jesus Christ. As you read their stories on the following pages, be inspired by their work and their wisdom.
Greg Stier, B.A. '88
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Greg Stier graduated from CCU in 1988 with a degree in youth ministry. He is an evangelist, author, speaker, and founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries International. Yet his favorite roles are husband to fellow CCU alumna Debbie (Hein) (B.A. ’90) and father to Jeremy and Kailey, who is a current CCU student.
In 1991, Stier founded Dare 2 Share (D2S) with a vision to equip teens to share their faith confidently. That mission intensified in 1999 after the Columbine High School shooting, just minutes away from the ministry’s
headquarters. Deeply convicted that young people needed the hope of Jesus like never before, Stier resigned from a local pastorate to pursue Dare 2 Share full time. Since then, he has spoken, trained, and written extensively about youth ministry and evangelism, and millions of lives have been impacted by his ministry.
“As the Casting Crowns song goes, ‘I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about the Somebody who can change anybody.’
“One of my favorite verses is Acts 20:24: ‘However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.’
“Although I am super grateful and humbled by this award, I too consider my life worth nothing to me, and my aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me to mobilize a generation to evangelize the world.
CCU is where the trajectory of my life changed.
“CCU is where I got my solid theological foundation under Jonathan Smith, who led the theology department at the time. This is where I learned my solid youth ministry philosophy under R.J. Koerper, who was the head of the youth ministry department at the time, and where I took preaching class under Dr. Frank Aimes.
“This is where I met my wife — in those old row apartments that look exactly the same as when we were students. CCU is where the trajectory of my life changed. This is where I received the training I needed to launch a global ministry that has now reached millions of teenagers with the gospel. And now my daughter is here at CCU, being shaped just as her parents were.
“But the job is not done. There are one billion teenagers in this world who desperately need the hope of the gospel. And this award serves as a reminder to me of the ultimate reward I’m looking for…straining for — 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
To learn more about Stier’s ministry, visit dare2share.org.
Ryan Clark
(B.S. '12)
Ryan Clark graduated from CCU in 2012 where he played on the men’s baseball team and graduated with a degree in business administration. Today, he is the CEO and partner at Reach The Lost and is a purpose-driven leader known for his ability to build and grow mission-minded businesses. With a career forged in sports and leadership, his early professional years were spent leading marketing teams at various companies, sharpening the strategic and organizational skills that now define his work. During the pandemic, Clark sensed God’s call to leverage these abilities for kingdom impact, applying his business expertise to ministry.
In 2021, Clark took the helm of what was then just an idea from his now-business partner: “I think we can intercept searches for churches on Google.”
Today, Clark and his team now help support some of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the United States, reaching more people online and leveraging digital strategies such as Google Ad Grants, SEO, Google Paid Ads, and other engagement tools.
Clark’s driving force is a passion to see people who are far from Christ come to know Him, to help churches flourish in their calling, and to blanket communities across the nation with the hope of Jesus Christ through the local church.
“CCU shaped my faith, and I am forever grateful for that," Clark stated at the award ceremony. "It also introduced me to my amazing wife, Shaylee (Pyle) (B.A. '12), and we now have two awesome kiddos — Adalee and Brantley. The words that have been put on my heart for me to share come from the book of Esther… ‘for such a time as this.’ And I want to share three points with you:
“First: Fifteen seconds of courage can change your life — be bold. In 2011, I attended a VALS conference, and summoned the courage to speak with a gentleman I did not know. He turned out to be Gary Armstrong, a trustee of CCU. He introduced me to his son, Brad, and then to his friend Chris Coughlin — who was in the sports industry. Chris had a major impact on my career arc and is now a business partner of mine at Reach The Lost. Everything that followed began with 15 seconds of courage to say hello to a stranger. So, be bold.
“Second: Hustle, prepare, and build trust. At CCU, there was a quote — 'Competence is the pioneering witness for Christ in the workplace.' At age 25, I learned to start thinking like an owner, which means to work hard and always be prepared, which then built trust. These habits paved the way for the seat I am in today. I liken this to the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-30, where we find encouragement to hustle and act on what God has entrusted us with, so we are prepared when Jesus returns. God wants to trust us with so much more, and some day we all want to hear: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’
“My last point is: Pivot! What got you here won’t get you there. In each season, your work and leadership have to look different as you level up. Things are changing at a fast pace in our careers, families, and the world, but Scripture gives us guidance for every transition. This is why Mark 2:22 encourages us to ‘pour new wine into new wineskins.’ We must continually renew our minds as we walk through changing landscapes and seasons.”
Be bold. Hustle, prepare, and trust. Pivot to new things with confidence.
To learn more about Clark’s work, visit: reachthelost.com.
Héctor Jardon
(B.A. '16)
Héctor Jardon was nominated for showing exceptional promise in his early career. He is a conductor, saxophonist, and educator originally from Toluca, Mexico. He currently serves as the assistant conductor of the Littleton Symphony Orchestra, affiliate faculty in saxophone and music education at Colorado Christian University, music director and worship leader at Providence Bible Church, and music director and conductor of the Denver Rock Orchestra.
Jardon has been the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions from the University of Denver and Colorado Christian University, and he has conducted ensembles throughout the Denver Metro area, as well as in Mexico. He is married to fellow CCU alumna Emily (Webb) (B.A. ’16), and when he is not rehearsing or performing, he enjoys cheering on the Nuggets and the Broncos.
“The biggest musical influence on my life was my father, Héctor Jardon Sr., a Toluca-based singer and performer," Jardon explained at the awards ceremony. "Since I was young, my musical talents have been apparent, and I started taking piano lessons at the age of six. By the time I was 14, after I had several years of musical education, my father bought me a saxophone, and I entered the Conservatorio de Música del Estado de México (Conservatory of Music of the State of Mexico), where I earned an associate degree in jazz studies.
The story of the gospel can be beautifully told through music.
“I have released two solo albums, with a third on the way. My most recent album, Mil Ideas, features all original songs, written and performed by me. Throughout my career, I have performed with several bands and artists — including Jorge Romano, Tom Wopat, and Big Band Jazz Mexiquense — and I have participated in various recordings as a soloist and as a sideman with my father.
“All of this to say: The story of the gospel can be beautifully told through music. In addition to my life in Colorado, I am currently working in music and performing in and around Central Mexico. I stay busy
producing and performing in concerts of varying genres and settings, from jazz combos to joint concerts with international artists. On top of this performing career, I am jump-starting a music ministry that will use the native musical roots of other cultures to share the Christian message around the world.”
To learn more about Jardon, visit: hectorjrmusic.com