Faculty of the School of Leadership and Development

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Program Directors

	Dr. David Bronkema, Director of International Development, Associate Professor of International Development, Templeton Chair (Ph.D., Sociocultural Anthropology & M.A., International Relations – Yale University; B.A. Political Science – Swarthmore College) Dr. Bronkema comes to Eastern with a strong blend of academic and practitioner background. His publications, writings, and talks have explored the intersection between religion and development. Dr. Bronkema’s additional research interests include the use of NGOs as proxies for political battles in the international arena; methods of accompaniment of social movements by NGOs; theories of practice and change within development NGOs, including the ongoing attempt to professionalize them; and engaging with the public sphere from an evangelical perspective. Dr. Bronkema’s academic and practitioner interests have deep roots from his upbringing in a missionary family. Growing up in Portugal and Italy he attended public schools in both places and grew to have a keen appreciation for and enjoyment of other cultures and perspectives. Brought up by parents who were dedicated to pursuing justice based on their reading of Scripture, he and his three younger brothers were enveloped in dinner conversations that combined intense political discussions with memorization of Bible verses. After graduating from Swarthmore College in 1983, he spent the next five years working as the Assistant Communications Coordinator of a Honduran Protestant community development organization, the Christian Commission for Development (CCD). During this time, he also worked closely with peasant, labor, and human rights organizations in Honduras who were deeply affected by the political conflict in that country and the rest of the isthmus. In 1988, Dr. Bronkema returned to the United States and spent the next three years on the faculty of Swarthmore College’s Athletic Department. In 1993, sandwiched between his M.A. and PhD program at Yale, David worked for a year at an environmental consulting firm, the Eastern Research Group. In 1998, he joined the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) as the Program Coordinator for the Latin America and Caribbean Region. For the last eight years, Dr. Bronkema was in charge of supervising and coordinating ASFC’s staff and programs on economic justice, peace building, demilitarization, and human mobility. The main focuses of the programs were first to Central America and then also in the Andean Region.
	Dr. Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe, Associate Professor of Leadership (Ph.D., Political Science – Temple University; M.A., Public Administration – University of Pennsylvania) Dr. Gramby-Sobukwe has served as Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, Camden. From 1997 to 2005 she taught in the Department of political science and in the Department of Public Policy and Administration. Dr. Gramby-Sobukwe has taught a wide range of courses in public management and international development as well as comparative and international politics. Her research combines study of African political economy with religion and politics, focusing on the political impact of contemporary African-American churches in poor communities in both the U.S. and Africa. She is the author of “Africa and U.S. Foreign Policy: Contributions of The Diaspora to Democratic African Leadership,” and “Race, Class and Community Development: The Role of the African American Church in Civil Society”. She is currently working on a book length manuscript assessing the influence of dynamic changes in race, class and religion within the African-American community, on the political involvements of African-American churches. She has served as a Special Assistant to the Managing Director, Assistant Managing Director and Deputy Director of the Minority Business Enterprise Council of the City of Philadelphia from 1984 to1989. Dr. Gramby-Sobukwe is a woman of faith, active in various ministries and community development programs. She is active in her church, First Corinthian Baptist and a member of the Board of Directors of the First Corinthian Community Center. She is the Chairperson of the U.S. Board of Directors of Mwamba Church Ministries International and an Advisory Board member of the Bright Lights Initiative. In addition, Dr. Gramby-Sobukwe has worked with the Committee for the Advancement of Pan-Africanism (CAPA) for thirteen years serving most recently as an Executive Committee member and co-chair of the Women’s Section.
Associate Faculty
	Dr. Connie Ostwald, Associate Professor of Economic Development (Ph.D., International Economics – University of Denver; M.B.E – University of Colorado; B.A. Economics and Environmental Studies – University of California) Dr. Ostwald comes to Eastern University from Colorado Christian University where she was a professor as well as coordinator of the Global Studies program. She has enjoyed teaching economics to both adult and traditional undergraduate students in the Denver area, and will now focus primarily on teaching Economic Development at SLD. Her research analyzes the social justice aspects (with emphasis on questions of inequality) of the development process. Her research has focused on the countries of Mexico and Ireland, both countries in which she has had the opportunity to work and live.
Interdisciplinary Faculty
	Dr. Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus of Sociology (Ph.D. – Temple University) Dr. Campolo is a graduate of Eastern College and holds a Ph.D. from Temple University. Before becoming a faculty member at Eastern, he served a ten-year term teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Campolo is founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE). Through the association he has worked to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries. He is the author of many books, including his most recent "Speaking My Mind."
	Tom Coghlan, Instructor of Financial and Managerial Accounting (M.B.A – LaSalle University; B.Sc., Business Administration – Drexel University) Mr. Coghlan brings over 20 years of consulting and financial leadership to his role as an instructor of Managerial and Financial Accounting. He holds his Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. Mr. Coghlan acts as the Vice President of Consulting Services for FirstQuarter, Inc. His major responsibilities include project implementation, client service, and business development. Prior to joining FirstQuarter, he assisted DuPont Inc. with the divestment of INVISTA, a $4 billion textile and fiber businesses. He was also a Manager for CIBER Inc. an Information Technology consulting firm, where he assisted clients that included Aramark and Reuters. Prior to joining CIBER, Mr. Coghlan acted as Controller and Information Technology Director for Imperial Chemical Industry's (ICI) Aerospace and Automotive Business. At ICI, he was responsible for the financial operations of a $250 million business group with significant operations in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, and Belgium. Mr. Coghlan is also a Principal with Financial Education Group, a provider of professional development in Accounting and Finance.
	Dr. J. Nathan Corbitt, Professor of Cross-Cultural Studies (Ph.D., Musical Arts - Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) He served both as a musicologist and cross-cultural communication strategist in Eastern and Southern African between 1982 and 1992. During this time he assisted a broad variety of ministries including the management of a multi-national media center. As an interdisciplinary professor, he has taught widely across the curriculum chairing the Department of Communications Arts between 1994-2000. He is the author of The Global Awareness Profile (Intercultural Press 1998); The Sound of the Harvest (Baker 1998) and co-author of Taking the Gospel to the Streets: How the Arts Are Transforming Communities (Baker 2003). In 2001 he directed a national research project funded in part by the Louisville Institute, investigating the role of artists of the Christian faith in urban community transformation. In 2000 he co-founded BuildaBridge International. BuildaBridge is a cross-cultural and arts education organization committed to using the arts in education, healing and reconciliation with primarily vulnerable populations in urban contexts. Dr. Corbitt regularly consults and trains on cross-cultural issues in business, education, missions, community organizations, children and youth, and overseas living. He has lectured or researched in over 30 countries. He has studied at the post-doctoral level in several areas including linguistics, anthropology, leadership, cross-cultural communications and research (Daystar University, Nairobi), and Swahili (Baptist Language School, Kenya).
	Moses Dombo, Adjunct Faculty (M.B.A., Leadership and Development – Eastern University; M.Sc., Social Development Planning and Management – University of Wales, UK; B.Sc., Agriculture – Makerere University) Mr. Dombo has been an adjunct faculty member of the School of Leadership and Development since 2003, with a special focus on Policy analysis, advocacy and social justice. He has a Certificate in Policy Analysis and advocacy from the International Advocacy Institute and School for International Living in Vermont. Mr. Dombo has worked in development with various organizations including: Family Health International, World Vision International, The Anglican Church of Uganda and the Young Women’s Christian Association. Among others, he has managed programs in HIV/AIDS, community development and rehabilitation of children in especially difficult circumstances. Mr. Dombo has served as National Evaluation & Training Coordinator, HIV/AIDS National Coordinator for World Vision Uganda, Director of Communications and Advocacy and was the African Region focal person for HIV/AIDS advocacy. In this role he served as World Vision's representative in networks and alliances for policy dialogue on various issues related to HIV/AIDS, poverty and children. He helped develop networks with other NGOs to engage government and donor agencies in policy dialogue. He has provided technical support to FBOs, NGOs, CBOs, Governments and Development partners including UNICEF and the World Bank in designing and evaluating OVC programs. Mr. Dombo is now the Executive Director and CEO of Hope for African Children Initiative (HACI); a Partnership initiative of seven International and Pan African NGOs, working together to scale up the OVC response.
	Nicole Kamaleson, Adjunct Faculty (M.A., Human Resource Development – Azusa Pacific University) Mrs. Kamaleson holds the position of Director, Human Resources/Organizational Development for World Vision Kenya. Her tenure with World Vision began in the fall of 1991 in the Partnership Office (PO) located in California. She worked in the HR Division as a member of the Staff Development Team. Prior to working with World Vision, Mrs. Kamaleson worked in various capacities with IBM and Eastman Kodak in Marketing. In 1995, the Kamaleson family moved to Eastern Europe and spent the next six years working and serving in Romania where her husband, Mano, acted as Chief Executive in charge of developing a Micro-finance Institution (MFI) with World Vision Romania. Mrs. Kamaleson continued making her contribution in the field of HR, leadership development and regional capacity building in Romania and the Middle East/Eastern Europe Region (MEERO). Most recently, she was involved with the International Programs Group (IPG) of World Vision United States – based out of Washington, DC as the HR Generalist. Presently, the Kamaleson family attends the Karen Vineyard Church in Nairobi and are also youth leaders in their church. They teach Sunday school and co-lead the “Pre-teens Together” group that meets in their home once a month.
	Rev. Stan LeQuire, Instructural Designer and Adjunct Faculty (M.Div., - Gordon-Conwell Seminary; B.A., Sociology – University of Tennessee) As an adjunct faculty, Rev. LeQuire teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. His favorite courses to teach are Cross-cultural Skills and Understanding and the Theology of Creation. Prior to Eastern University, he was director of continuing education for Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and the past director of the Evangelical Environmental Network, a creation care ministry of Evangelicals for Social Action. He has also served as a missionary in Europe, Africa and Asia and as the pastor of churches in Maine and Massachusetts. Rev. LeQuire is certified in On-line Learning and Course Development through Temple University. He is also a certified Internet Webmaster Associate and a certified Web Specialist.
	Robin Lowery, Instructor of Accounting and Finance (M.B.A., Nonprofit Management – Eastern University; B.Sc. Accounting – Drexel University) Ms. Lowery has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1986. She was appointed full-time Instructor in Accounting and Finance beginning in the fall semester of 2001 following a five year career as Eastern's Assistant Director of Economic Development and Adjunct Professor of accounting. Previously, she served in senior accounting capacities with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, and a national public accounting firm. Her community service activities includes being an officer of the board of both Arab World Ministries and Explorer Girls, Inc.
	Dr. Eloise Meneses, Associate Professor of Anthropology (Ph.D., M.A. – University of California, San Diego; B.A. – University of Washington) As part of her graduate fieldwork, Dr. Meneses studied the South Indian marketplace examining the strategies and ethics of business dealings. More recently, she has investigated the lives of Hindu trading women who are providing for their children's futures through urban micro businesses. Her studies demonstrate the inextricable links between culture, faith and business. Dr. Meneses has developed strong ties to the Mennonite Central Committee, a missions and development agency, through her service on their U.S. board. Her contribution to the Eastern University program involves providing anthropological tools for Christian service and ministry.
	Dr. Mike Mtika,Professor of Sociology (Ph.D., Sociology – Washington State University; M.Sc., Agricultural Extension and Rural Development – University of Reading, UK; B.Sc., Agriculture – University of Malawi) Dr. Mtika worked as an Agriculture and Rural Development Officer for the Ministry of Agriculture in Malawi for eight years. Following this ministry, he then joined World Vision (Malawi) and worked for nearly six years in many roles including Projects Coordinator, Technical Services Director, and for some three years as Operations (Projects) Director. His expertise is in community development, social problems, social inequality and oppression, poverty and social change. His research examines why and how people help each other in dealing with problems and in responding to opportunities. His particular research focus has been on the impact of AIDS and how people draw on their social relations and ties (social capital) in dealing with the epidemic.
	Leonard K. Mutesasira, Adjunct Faculty (M.B.A., International Economic Development – Eastern University) After graduating from Eastern University, Mr. Mutesasira worked for two years with the U.S. Small Business Administration in Albany, New York. From 1997-1999, he worked with UNDP in MicroFinance and Enterprise Development based in Uganda. During this time and until 2003, he worked with MicroSave, a multi donor initiative that offers technical assistance to financial institutions focusing on domestic savings mobilization. Currently, he works as an independent consultant and entrepreneur in financial services as well as teaching part time for Eastern University.
	Eduardo Ramirez, Adjunct Faculty (A.B.D., Education – University of Buenos Aires; M.A., Cross Cultural Communications – Wheaton College; M.A. and B.A., Education and Philosophy – Universidad of Moron; B.Th., - Buenos Aires Bible Institute) Mr. Ramirez was born in Argentina to Christian parents, and was led to love the Lord and recognize Him as Lord in his early childhood. He responded to God’s calling to full-time Christian ministry to children and teenagers. Mr. Ramirez took his first pastorate in 1971 with the C&MA churches and served in different churches since. He worked for 24 years with Scripture Union as youth worker, in Argentina first and then throughout Latin America. He also taught in seminaries and universities, and was a frequent lecturer on subjects related to youth ministry and leadership development.
	M. Thomas Ridington, Senior Vice President (Ph.D. (ABD) Education - Stellenbosch University; M.A., Religion – Eastern Baptist Seminary; B.A. Sociology and Education – Eastern University) He joins the School of Leadership and Development in his role as interim dean. His main activities include: Institutional & program assessment, Grant seeking, Major-gift fundraising and strategic thinking & planning. He has served Eastern University in many capacities including Executive Director of Development, Director of Foundations & Corporations and Acting Dean of Admissions. Mr. Ridington has completed Doctoral coursework towards a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Mr. Ridington has assisted in the development of several Christian organizations that has allowed him to travel extensively. Such organizations include: World Vision, El Shaddai Ministries, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and Beyond Borders.
	Greg Smerdon, Adjunct Faculty (M.A. Organizational Leadership - Eastern University) Greg currently serves as Team Leader/CEO of African Enterprise South Arica and has facilitated the Servant Leadership course in the overseas delivery of SLD's programs.
	Alex Snelgrove, Adjunct Faculty (M.A., Economic Development – Columbia University) Ms. Snelgrove comes to Eastern with a background in the field of trade promotion and business development in both the private and public sectors in Malaysia. She currently works at MEDA as a Consultant/Project Leader in the Production and Marketing Linkages Department. In this role, she is contributing to projects focused on enterprise development, sub-sector analysis, and value chain enhancement. At present, she is assisting in the management of two projects: a fruit and vegetable sub-sector development program in Tajikistan, and a project linking homebound rural embroiderers and urban garment makers into higher value markets in Pakistan. Ms. Snelgrove completed her Masters in Economic Development at Columbia University in New York City, where the focus of her work was on business approaches to long-term economic development. Previous development projects include work in the vegetable sub-sector in Cambodia and an analysis of the global cashew industry and possible marketing strategies for cashew processors.
	Dr. John E. Stapleford, Professor of Economic Development (Ph.D., Urban and Regional Economics – University of Delaware; M.A., Government and Planning – Southern Illinois University; B.Sc. Chemistry – Denison University)Dr. Stapleford is currently the director of faculty and student research for the School for Social Change. He has served as the Chair of the Department of Business and the Director of Business Programs at Eastern University. Dr. Stapleford was formerly the Director of the Bureau of Economic Research at the University of Delaware. In addition, he was the co founder and served as the acting Director of the Delaware Small Business Development Center. Over the past two decades, Dr. Stapleford has completed more than 50 applied research projects involving various aspects of regional, state and local economies. This research includes such topics as labor market projections and labor market discrimination, minority entrepreneurship, economic impact analysis, highway cost allocation, development of distressed communities, state level econometric modeling, and self sufficiency programs for welfare mothers and welfare reform. Dr. Stapleford's research has been used as a basis for economic development strategies at the town, planning district, county and state levels. His current research focus is on the integration of Christian ethics and economics, and urban community development. Dr. Stapleford is a trustee emeritus of The Independence School, a former member of the Board of the Delaware Academy for Youth, the Board of the Methodist Action Program, the Board of the Delaware First State Community Action Agency, and past President of the Board of Greater Wilmington Youth for Christ. He has been inducted into the United Way of Delaware's Hall of Fellowship. He is currently a member of the Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Philadelphia. Dr. Stapleford has taught in the University of Delaware's Department of Economics and has published in professional journals including Growth and Change, Journal of Public Budgeting and Financial Management, Christian Scholar’s Review, The Journal of Markets and Morality, and The Journal of Biblical Integration in Business. His most recent book is Bulls, Bears & Golden Calves: Applying Christian Ethics in Economics. Prior to instructing at Eastern University and the University of Delaware, Dr. Stapleford was a research economist in the office of the Governor of the State of New Jersey.
	Judith Tshibangu, Adjunct Faculty (M.Sc., Marketing and Advertising; B.A., German and Russian Language – University of Illinois) Mrs. Tshibangu comes to Eastern with over 25 years of corporate experience in leading start-up and turn-around efforts for large financial services firms such as CIGNA and Prudential. By combining growth-oriented strategic vision with successful marketing executions she has help foster the growth of such firms. Mrs. Tshibangu has been chief marketing officer for AARP's 3.5 billion revenue generating business. She has traveled extensively and speaks five languages. In her church, she is involved with the interfaith homeless program and is a trained mentor for preparing engaged couples for marriage.
	Dr. Van B. Weigel, Professor of Economic Development (Ph.D., Ethics and Society - University of Chicago; M.Div., Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary; B.A., Oral Roberts University) Dr. Weigel’s doctoral dissertation explored the ethical dimensions of the Basic Needs Approach to economic development, and the preliminary findings of his research were published in World Development. He is the author of A Unified Theory of Global Development (Praeger, 1989). After the publication of A Unified Theory of Global Development, Dr. Weigel focused on the challenges associated with facilitating strategic institutional change and promoting global environmental responsibility. In 1993 he published an article in World Development, with Elizabeth Morgan and Grant Power, which presented a six-fold typology of action programs for global change. This typology became a basis for a study commissioned by UNICEF that examined UNICEF’s own approach to global change in connection with the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations. He is also the author of Earth Cancer (Praeger, 1995)—a book that critiques ethics and economics in light of the concept of ecological interdependence. More recently, Dr. Weigel has focused his work on the role of technology in nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Working under a grant from CoreStates Bank in Philadelphia (now Wachovia Bank), he developed the SmartGrant software package, designed to help nonprofit organizations and community groups do strategic planning, proposal writing and project budgeting. Dr. Weigel is also the author of Deep Learning for a Digital Age: Technology’s Untapped Potential for Higher Education (Jossey-Bass, 2002). The centerpiece of the book is the “knowledge room”—a virtual space where students work collaboratively on research projects, practice skill development, hold discussions and debates, and express themselves creatively. A selection from the book was published as the lead article in September-October 2000 issue of Change (“E-Learning and the Tradeoff Between Richness and Reach in Higher Education”), and his more recent work in this area was featured in the May/June 2005 issue of Educause Review (“A Capabilities Approach for the Next-Generation Course Management System”).
On Sabbatical
	Dr. Beth Birmingham, Assistant Dean (Ph.D., Leadership and Change – Antioch University; M.B.A., International Economic Development – Eastern University; B.Sc., Marketing – West Chester University) Dr. Birmingham helped found the School of Leadership and Development (SLD) for Eastern University. From 2006 to 2008 she is on sabbatical from Eastern University, serving as a visiting lecturer at Cornerstone Christian College in Cape Town, South Africa. At Eastern she has been responsible administrative and academic oversight of numerous graduate programs and organizational partnerships that make up SLD. Those include an MBA and MA in Organizational Leadership, and MBA in International Economic Development and an MA in International Development. As part of the core values of SLD, Ms. Birmingham has served as the designer and relationship point person for a number of organizational relationships SLD has engaged in including World Vision International, Habitat for Humanity International, Cornerstone Christian College, English Language Institute of China among others. Her work has taken her to over 15 countries. In addition to administration, her teaching responsibilities have included courses in ministry partnerships, development strategies, servant leadership and organizational dynamics at the graduate level and leadership, management, community research and project management at the undergraduate level. Her dissertation and research interests include value creation in non-profit partnerships, collaborative leadership and organizational structures and collaboration for holistic community development. Prior to moving to academia, Ms. Birmingham served as marketing director at a number of product companies and advertising agency in the Philadelphia area. Ms. Birmingham has held leadership positions in her church in the areas of missions, chairing the mission board for four years.
	Dr. David Fraser, Professor of Sociology and Christian Studies (Ph.D., M.A., Theological Ethics – Vanderbilt University; M.Div., Theology and Missiology – Fuller Seminary; B.A., Biblical Studies – Columbia University) Dr. Fraser has been on the faculty since 1986. He is a tenured faculty in the departments of Sociology and Christian Studies. Between the years 2000-2006 he has served Eastern University as the Dean of the Arts and Sciences, the School of International Leadership and Development, and as Provost. In his role as Professor of Sociology and Christian Studies, Dr. Fraser teaches graduate courses in the School of Leadership and Development and undergraduate courses in the Arts and Sciences. He is an occasional visiting Professor at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Kenya where he is involved in the Ph.D. and M.Div. programs, teaching in areas of hermeneutics and social worlds (of the Bible and Africa). His current research work focuses on the use of social science models in understanding the social worlds of the Bible. His areas of interest include management and leadership, Christian ethics, and hermeneutics. He is author or editor of seven books and a number of articles.