Center for Leadership Studies Faculty

Dissertation Title: “Superintendent Turnover in Relationship to Incumbent School Board Member Defeat in Washington from 1993-2000: A Quantitative and Qualitative analysis.”

Dr. Thomas L. Alsbury served 22 years as a tenured, Full Professor of Educational Leadership at Iowa State, North Carolina State, Seattle Pacific Universities, and Northwest Universities and is founder and president of Balanced Governance Solutions. He served 18 years as a high school science teacher, principal, and district administrator and for 8 years as Director of the national UCEA Center for Research on the Superintendency and District Governance. Dr. Alsbury’s dissertation is entitled Superintendent turnover in relationship to incumbent school board member defeat in Washington from 1993-2000: A quantitative and qualitative analysis which earned the AERA dissertation of the year award. Dr. Alsbury has chaired over 50 doctoral dissertations using quantitative and mixed methods analysis. Five of Dr. Alsbury’s students won the AERA dissertation of the year award.

Dr. Alsbury is listed as one of the foremost experts on school governance by the Associated Press and has been interviewed and quoted in over 150 news publications including NPR radio, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Alsbury is a featured speaker, consultant, trainer, and evaluator of school governance issues in 12 countries and across the United States. He has over 50 academic publications on school board and superintendent research. His book “The future of school board governance: Relevance and revelation” earned Dr. Alsbury the UCEA Culbertson Award for the best research among research universities nationally. Dr. Alsbury shared the NSBA Shannon Award for individual most impacting school boards nationally. His 2015 book by Harvard Press entitled Improving local school board governance: A Balanced Governance approach introduced Dr. Alsbury’s Balanced Governance™ model and is the top selling School Board book in the U.S. The Balanced Governance™ model is unique amongst school governance models, in that it is developed from 50 years of research on exemplary school boards and the findings from the only national and international studies of school board members.

Dissertation Title: “Exploring Leadership Style, Organizational Culture, and Financial Performance in Family Firms.”

Dr. Conant is a Professor in the School of Business at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington where he serves as Chair of Business Administration and Economics. He earned undergraduate degrees from Northwest University in Kirkland and from Leiden University in The Netherlands. He earned an MBA from Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, and a Ph.D. from Gonzaga University in Spokane. He currently serves as a member of the Washington State Health Benefit Exchange Board and as Chairperson of the WAHBE Audit and Compliance Committee.

Dissertation Title: “The Conspiracy Argument as Rhetorical Genre.”

Dr. Creps founded and directed the Center for Leadership Studies for five years (2017-2022). He also served as a nationally appointed US missionary with the Assemblies of God to work with university students. He founded and pastored 360church in Berkeley, CA. from 2008-2016. He taught and directed the Doctor of Ministry program at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary from 2001 to 2007. Dr. Creps has a wealth of leadership experience pastoring Assemblies of God churches in Vermont, Maryland, Florida, Missouri, and California. He has written two books, Reverse Mentoring: How Young Leaders Can Transform the Church and Why We Should Let Them. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2008; and Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders. San Francisco: Leadership Network/Jossey-Bass, 2006.

Dissertation Title: "Managing Black Swan Uncertainty: A Grounded Theory Examination of Portfolio Managers’ Assessment of Unknown Risk."

Dr. Davis teaches for the Center for Leadership Studies and the College of Business. He has 9 years of engineering experience training NASA Space Shuttle Astronauts and Mission Control personnel, 12 years of experience providing technical, program management, and leadership training to executive and non-executive audiences, 27 years of experience as a project manager, 15 years in management (NASA, Boeing, and Starbucks), 5 years of experience collaborating with fortune 500 firms as a management consultant, and 4 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the education industry.

Dissertation Title: Interpretive Transcultural Storytelling Method: A Contextual Narrative Approach Interpreting Transcultural Relationships.

Dr. Kent Mankins is Lead Pastor of Valley Assembly in Spokane Valley, WA, an adjunct faculty member at Northwest University, and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Kent leads the Northwest Christian Counselors Network and serves as a General Presbyter for the Northwest Ministry Network. Kent and his wife, Toni, have two wonderful sons. Kent enjoys reading, hanging out with his family, and enjoying nature.

Dissertation Title: The Integrated Life: Cultivating Discipleship in the Marketplace.

With one foot in the workplace and one foot in the church, my goal is to help change the culture of the workplace so that work is not just a place to earn money, but it brings out the best in people and creates space in their life for God's voice to be heard. Imagine a workplace where people feel valued, they all push for the same goal, and they have the communication skills and heart posture to bring out the best in one another. That is the future I work for. I am the Metro area Executive Presbyter, the groups pastor at Shoreline Community Church, owner of Resolve Consulting, and the operations manager for a Washington nonprofit. Along for the ride, are my husband, four grown children, mastermind sisters, and prayer team. I could not do life without them.

Dissertation Title: “Theological Hermeneutics in the Classical Pentecostal Tradition: A Typological Account.”

Dr. Bill Oliverio teaches faith integration courses for Northwest’s graduate programs beyond the College of Ministry. He is a philosophical theologian that specializes in hermeneutic or interpretation theory, theories of knowledge, and the relationship of Christian faith to the modern world.

He is co-editor-in-chief of Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, the author of Theological Hermeneutics in the Classical Pentecostal Tradition: A Typological Account (Brill, 2012/2014), which was a finalist for the Pneuma Book Award (best new book in Pentecostal studies), of Pentecostal Hermeneutics in the Late Modern World: Essays on the Condition of Our Interpretation (Pickwick, 2022), and of other articles, book chapters, and reviews. He has also co-edited, with Craig S. Keener, The Spirit throughout the Canon: Pentecostal Pneumatology (Brill, 2022), and, with Kenneth J. Archer, Constructive Pneumatological Hermeneutics in Pentecostal Christianity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). He is a member and on the executive committee of The Society for Pentecostal Studies, and he is a member of the American Academy of Religion.

An Assemblies of God minister, prior to coming to Northwest in 2020, he was Associate Academic Dean at The School of Urban Missions in El Dorado Hills, California (2017-2020), Pastor of Immanuel Church (Assemblies of God) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2011-2017), and Lecturer in Theology at Marquette University (2007-2017).

He resides on Seattle's Eastside with his wife and their two sons. He enjoys sports, especially soccer, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Tony Pizelo has been an executive in the financial industry for over 25 years. He currently holds the rank of Professor in the College of Business at Northwest University. He also teaches in the Center for Leadership Studies, and the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in industrial organizational psychology at Seattle Pacific University. For fourteen years, Tony served as the CEO and chairman of Pacific West Financial Group and its subsidiary companies. Pacific West was a Top 50 Independent Financial Firm in the U.S. with 65 home office staff, 345 independent brokers, and over 200 branch offices. Sales topped $1.2 billion. During this time, Tony earned over 10 financial licenses. In 2012, Pacific West went through a successful merger with Cetera (a nationally-based financial firm). Just prior to joining Pacific West, Tony worked for Great Northern Financial Services helping them become an NASD and SEC broker-dealer. Tony served as the treasurer of the board of directors of Northwest University for three years and was on the board for six years.

Tony holds the Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional designation (SHRM-SCP), is a certified director through UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and a former Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA) through the University of Pittsburg.

When not at work or school, Tony enjoys spending time with his family including his wife Bonnie, and their six children: Hannah, Samuel, Giovanna, Stephanas, Allen (and wife Ariel), and Esther. Tony is an active member of New Covenant Fellowship and enjoys being a hobby farmer.

Dissertation Title: “The Effects of Self-efficacy and Spirituality on the Job Satisfaction and Motivation to Lead Among Redeploying Soldiers as Moderated by Transformational Leadership”

Dr. J.P. Smith has served as an ordained minister with the General Council of the Assemblies of God since 2004 and as an ecclesiastically endorsed Army Chaplain and senior/executive pastor since 2005. In 2020, he joined Northwest University as an adjunct professor, teaching courses for the School of Business and the Center for Leadership Studies. He has also taught for Wayland Baptist University and the College of Graduate Studies at Central Michigan University.

Dr. Smith is a visionary and strategic leader in higher education, with more than 30 years of service as a national practitioner, educator, and advisor—both in the military and academic sectors. His broad expertise spans executive leadership, strategic planning, academic and administrative operations, human resource development, financial stewardship and budgeting, donor engagement, fundraising, and community relations. He is also deeply experienced in organizational coaching and spiritual formation.

In 2016, Dr. Smith was named Alumnus of the Year by the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He was inducted into the Elk City Oklahoma Leadership Hall of Fame in 2020. Over the past 15 years, he has authored and co-authored several books and articles and has served as a keynote speaker for numerous national and international organizations. Notably, he authored Acts 2: Spirit-Empowered Leadership (Emerging Leadership Journeys, Vol. 1, 2008) and The Image of My Father: Awakening the Champion Within (Xulon Press, 2016).

Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. His academic credentials also include a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, a Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University.

He and his wife, Veronica, have three children: Brianna, a Psy.D. student at Northwest University; Gabrielle, and Jaxton.

Dr. Andrea Tejada was born in Peru and came to the States with her family in 1996 to establish a Hispanic church to reach Latinos in the U.S. The church, Centro de Vida, grew from 10 people to over 1,000 attendees. Centro de Vida serves over 15 different nationalities and holds services in English and Spanish. After nineteen years of service to the Hispanic community, Dr. Tejada’s education led her to work at Life Center, where she currently works as an associate pastor, serving the church and school in discipleship and leadership development.

Dr. Tejada has served as a presbyter for the Northwest Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God. Her educational qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, a master’s degree in Applied Leadership Theory, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.

Andrea lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband, Ezequiel, and two children. Dr. Tejada’s passion is providing life-giving tools for healthy living and healthy organizations./<

Dr. David Troupe has spent much of his professional life in the aerospace sector, developing the effectiveness of organizations, their teams, and their leaders. Having experience as an HR manager and organizational change leader, Dr. Troupe is a competent coach and facilitator. He enjoys applying experiential learning into pedagogical strategies.

David is fascinated by organizational behavior and hummingbirds. He enjoys nature photography, island living, and golf. Any author who helps him update his assumptions and who instills new, transformative mental models is his favorite.