Faculty & Staff

 

Dr. John Mark Reynolds is the President of The Saint Constantine School. He is also a faculty member at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, a Fellow of the Center For Science and Culture at The Discovery Institute, and the former provost of Houston Christian University. He was the founder and director of the Torrey Honors College, the Socratic, great books-centered honors program at Biola University. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester, where he wrote his dissertation analyzing cosmology and psychology in Plato’s Timaeus. Dr. Reynolds is the author of numerous books, including When Athens Met Jerusalem: an Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought and is the editor of The Great Books Reader. He is a frequent blogger and lecturer on a wide range of topics including ancient philosophy, classical and home education, politics, faith, and virtue.

 

John Mark attends St. George Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas. An avid technophile, the lights, thermostat, speakers, and computers in his house can all be controlled by his phone and voice control, to both cool and disastrous effect. He loves Disneyland, Star Trek, and the Green Bay Packers. John Mark and his wife Hope have four adult children: L.D., Mary Kate, Ian and Jane.

 

Dr. Bartel holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts from University of St Andrews and an MFA in Poetry from Seattle Pacific University. His poems and essays have been published in numerous periodicals, including Christianity and Literature, First Things, and The Hopkin's Review. Dr. Bartel’s academic specialty is the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and he is the author Glimpses of Her Father’s Glory: Deification and Divine Light in Longfellow’s “Evangeline” (Wipf & Stock, 2019). He has also published three collections of poems, most recently Aflame But Unconsumed (Kelsay Books, 2019).

Timothy and his wife Hope have three children: Gwen, Roman, and Nina. They attend St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Houston.

 

Deacon Timothy Rask is School Chaplain and Campus Spiritual Director at the St. Constantine School, as well as Administrative Assistant at St. Joseph Orthodox Church where he serves as a deacon.

He loves teaching and reading about theology, and celebrating the Divine Services. He has a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, and previously spent 7 years as missionary in Nepal with his wife Abigail. They have 6 children, one dog, and a yard full of turtles. In addition to being a dad and a caretaker of turtles, Dn. Timothy enjoys canoeing, martial arts, and going fishing.

 

David J. Gilbert is the College Dean of Student Life and an Assistant Professor of Great Texts at Saint Constantine College. Mr. Gilbert received his Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology, and a BA in Philosophy from the University of North Texas. He spent several years teaching philosophy and religion to sailors on board deployed United States Navy aircraft carriers with the Navy’s College Afloat program. Before coming to Saint Constantine, he was most recently a founding faculty member and the Associate Director of The Academy at Houston Christian University.

 

As a native Texan and identical twin, David defends the use of “y’all” and constantly refers to himself as “we.” He cares about the history of cinema, loves books by Dostoevsky, and can’t resist a solid joke. When he’s not reading for pleasure or to prepare for classes, he enjoys going to the movies, completing puzzles, playing with his four young children Galen, Theodore, Virginia, and John David, and spending time at home with his wife Cate.

 

 

 

Nick Dalbey is the Head of School at The Saint Constantine School. He received an MA in English literature from Middle Tennessee State University, and a BA in English literature from Biola University where he’s also a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors College. Academically, he’s drawn to all things medieval. He spent most of his graduate studies researching the overlap of classical philosophy, Christian theology, and medieval literature in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. And he is currently working on a doctorate in English literature at University of Houston.

 

Nick is a California transplant by way of Tennessee, and has enjoyed working a wide variety of jobs in his life: he’s been a high school English teacher, a barista, a groundskeeper, and a deckhand for an Alaskan commercial fishing boat. He's also married to TSCS college registrar Justine Dalbey and is a father of three children. When he's not working, he's usually reenacting the Nutcracker Ballet or Swan Lake with his kids, having been unanimously appointed the "Bad Guy" in both stories.

 

Cate Gilbert is the Vice President for Schools and Instructor of Great Texts at The Saint Constantine School. She had the honor of designing the PreK – 12th grade curriculum and culture for Saint Constantine as one of the founding leaders of the school, and has grown more and more passionate about the power of a classical education rooted in love, play, and the work of God. Caitlin has a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from Talbot School of Theology, and a degree in English Literature from Biola University, where she is a perpetual member of The Torrey Honors College. Before helping start Saint Constantine, she was the founder and director of The Academy, an innovative, great books-based, dual-credit program at Houston Christian University. She writes and speaks regularly on education, the priorities and significance of childhood, personal growth, and helping kids grow into mature Christian adults. Alongside her duties as Head of School, she teaches great books and literature in The Saint Constantine College.

 

Cate loves going to work everyday with her husband David and their four young children, Galen, Theodore, Virginia, and John David. She loves cooking, reading, and long family road trips, and can’t wait for the day when they’re able to live just a little outside the city again.

 

The Lord led Zach Harris to Saint Constantine after a period of religious and priestly formation with a small Catholic religious community in Kansas City, Kansas and at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, where he completed a MA in Theology. Prior to this stint in religious life, Zach received a Master of Engineering in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University and Bachelor’s degrees in physics and aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame. A former STEM-elitist, Zach was exposed to the beauty and rigor of the liberal arts while in college and has become steadily convinced of the need for and power of a classical education like that provided at TSCS.

 

A native Dallasite, Zach has found Houston a great home and he is grateful to be close to family both in Houston and elsewhere in Texas. For leisure, Zach enjoys playing sports, spending quality time with family and friends, singing in the faculty choir, and reading; in addition, he regularly remembers that he wants to make more time to practice the piano - may this be the year!

 

Reyna Johnson is a Ph.D. candidate at Baylor University. Originally from Los Angeles, she holds a B.A. in English from Regent University. Her dissertation is a transnational examination of the imagery of motherhood and Marian devotion in the works of three medieval female authors: Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, and Christine de Pizan. She proposes that, though the arguments and goals of these authors differ widely, all the women use Marian identification in some capacity to strengthen the authority of their claims.

 

When not dissertating, Reyna often dabbles in creative writing. She enjoys camping when the weather is good, baking when inspiration strikes, and tabletop gaming when the chance arises; however, her enjoyment of settling down with a purring cat and an engrossing novel is constant, unaffected by weather, inspiration, or chance.

 

Dr. Kilgore holds a Ph.D. in English from Baylor University, and an M.A. in English from the University of Dallas. She has taught literature and writing for ten years at colleges across Texas and worked as a writing consultant for graduate students and faculty. A scholar of the 18th and 19th century British novel, she has presented at conferences across the nation. Her most recent publication compares Jane Austen’s character Fanny Price to the Psalmists and appeared in Religion and the Arts in August 2020. Her interests include the rise of the western novel, the Bible as literature, the phenomenology of reading, and Jane Austen.

 

Rachel lives with her husband, Tedros Areguy, and her little dog, Peanut. She enjoys crocheting, listening to audio-books, homemaking, and rambling around lakes and woods while having really great conversations.

Dr. Melanie Augustus holds undergraduate degrees from Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Rice University, where she studied hormone signaling pathways. Her academic specialty is in the field of molecular genetics. Dr. Augustus also completed five years of post-doctoral work at Rice University, studying the role of peroxins in plant cells. She spent seven years as adjunct faculty teaching Biochemistry, Genetics, Anatomy & Physiology, and General Biology at the college level and spent ten years homeschooling her own children. Dr. Augustus has presented her work at numerous conferences and has published her work in several journals, including the Journal of Biological Chemistry, PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) USA, Genetics, Plant Cell, and Plant Molecular Biology. She is an instructor of sciences in TSCS’s upper school and Saint Constantine College.

 

Dr. Augustus has been married to her husband, David, for twenty-six years. They have three daughters, Emily (TSCS graduate), Natalie (TSCS senior), and Ella (TSCS 8th grader). They are members of Houston’s First Presbyterian Church.

 

Nathan Mueller is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Great Texts at Saint Constantine College in Houston, TX and a Doctoral Candidate at Baylor University in Waco, TX. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he holds a BA in Philosophy from Creighton University and an MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Biola University. While his research interests include philosophy of religion and philosophy of education, Nathan’s primary areas of research focus on issues in epistemology and metaphysics, and, in particular, social epistemology. His dissertation defends the thesis that our epistemic norms can vary from one social context to another; a position he terms Epistemic Norm Contextualism.

 

When he is not doing philosophy you can find Nathan riding his bike, drinking dark coffee, working in his yard, sharing shows with his wife, or standing in as jungle gym for his four kids and dog.

 

Melissa Neacsu has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with departmental honors from the University of Oregon and the Donald Clark Honors College. She has taught lab classes in Statistics for Business Majors, College Algebra, and General Math at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, and as a 5-year homeschool veteran has taught elementary-level classes in Math Games, Math Facts Memorization, and Poetry at the Cypress Homeschool Association Co-op. She is the author alongside Dr. Shlomo Libeskind of the text Non-Euclidean Geometry Topics to Accompany Euclidean and Transformational Geometry, a supplemental geometry text that has been used at the University of Georgia.

 

In her elusive spare time Melissa enjoys expertly solving Sudoku, reading books with her children, and practicing classical ballet.

 

Justin Novotny holds a B.A. from Indiana University, a Master’s in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, and is a doctoral candidate in Medieval and Byzantine Studies at The Catholic University of America. Prior to teaching, he served in the U.S. Air Force.

 

When not teaching, he enjoys gardening, reading, and hunting. Justin and his wife have three kids. They attend St. Paul Orthodox Church in Katy, TX.

 

 

 

Daniel Reynolds has taught in Christian classical and conventional education at Torrey Academy at Biola University, Pacific Bay Christian School (Pacifica, CA), and Providence Classical School (Spring, TX). He has an undergraduate degree in History from Roberts Wesleyan College, a Master of Arts degree in Practical Theology from Regent University, a Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, a Master of Philosophy degree in Moral Theology from The Catholic University of America, and is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is currently an Adjunct Faculty member in Anglican Studies at Azusa Pacific University and a member of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Katy, TX.

 

Dan enjoys all things theological, philosophical, political and historical. He spends a great deal of time thinking about British history, genealogy, the history of languages, and ancient cultures. He enjoys travel to exotic locations like Middle Earth, Narnia, ancient Anatolia and medieval England. He is a sucker for a good old Victorian adventure story. He also has frequent stimulating conversations with his family, friends and his cat Lucy.

 

Laura Nicol is an Instructor of Great Texts at Saint Constantine College. She also teaches History and Theater in the Lower and Upper Schools, respectively.

 

Laura graduated magna cum laude with degrees in Creative Writing and Theater from Wheaton College, IL, where she was a member of the Workout Ensemble of Arena Theater. Following graduation, she studied Theology in the inaugural cohort of St. Paul’s House of Formation in Chicago, and served as her church’s Director of Arts and Communication until TSCS lured her south. A former Californian with an incurable love of Western land and lore, she is currently pursuing an M.A. in History at Houston Christian University. She will talk your ear off about the Donner Party, if given the chance.

 

When not at (or in) school, Laura enjoys writing, sketching, gardening, supporting local theater, and playing highly competitive games of Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit with her husband, Galen. They attend Missio Dei Anglican Church in Houston.

 

Lauren Henderson-Turner began her vocal music studies at the University of Kansas where she studied with Mezzo-Soprano Joyce Castle before beginning her graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. While studying at the University of Kansas, Lauren participated in over 20 operas with the KU Opera Theater and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Lauren attended the prestigious Seagle Music Colony for two seasons where she performed the roles of Arete/Megeara in Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata, Mrs. Wintry in the premiere of Stephen Schwartz’s first opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Amy in Sondheim’s Company, and Piti-Sing in the Gilbert and Sullivan delight, The Mikado. Lauren is an accomplished oratorio performer including multiple performances of Liszt’s Via Crucis, Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. In 2014 Lauren added the comedic role of Katisha in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado to her resume which she performed with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre along with her first of two Encouragement Awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council.

 

Since relocating to the Houston area, Lauren has performed with Operativo Houston as well as the Houston Grand Opera. Lauren maintains a private voice studio and is a frequent sacred music soloist and recitalist in the greater Houston area. Mrs. Turner is the Director of Fine Arts at The Saint Constantine School where she teaches 5th grade choir, 6th grade choir, 7-8th grade choir, Upper School Choir as well as the Faculty and College Choir and is also a House Head for House Elizabeth.

 

Matthew Namee is a lawyer and historian who has run OrthodoxHistory.org since 2009. He’s given numerous talks on church history over the years at most of the major Orthodox institutions and venues in the United States. He authored the book Lost Histories: The Good, the Bad, and the Strange in Early American Orthodoxy (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2024). Matthew is an attorney working exclusively on Orthodox Church matters for a nonprofit ministry. He lives in Washington state with his wife Catherine and their seven children.

 

 

Jesse Cone is the Head of School of the Saint Constantine School of Pittsburgh. He has an M.A. and a PhD. from the University of Dallas, both in Philosophy. He did his undergraduate studies at Biola University (Psychology) and is a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors College. 

A veteran teacher, Jesse has taught at a wide range of schools but has spent most of his time teaching Great Books and English in classical schools. Before moving to Pittsburgh, he taught for two years in the Philosophy department at the University of Dallas. His academic interests are in Ancient Philosophy, Ethics, and Patristic Theology, though he also enjoys working with poetry and fictional literature.

Jesse goes to school alongside his wonderful wife, Kelly, and their four boys. He attends St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (OCA) in McKees Rocks, PA.. He enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading books, discussions that go on for a long time, and friendships that go on even longer.

 

Dr. Christopher Krampe serves as Executive Director of OYM.  Prior to OYM he has served as Director of Humanities at a Midwestern private Catholic liberal arts college and as Executive Director at an organization dedicated to bringing cathedral culture to Midwestern audiences through art, music, literature and liturgy.  He holds multiple degrees from Drake University and the University of Kansas. His wife Emily and their four children reside in Omaha, NE and attend All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church. 

 

 

Justine Dalbey graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Anthropology & Archaeology from Biola University, and is a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors College. After spending her college career excavating sites in Greece and working in paleontology labs, she began her professional career in education. Justine loves working in academic support roles and has helped students from preschool through graduate programs pursue education with clarity and joy. She currently serves Saint Constantine College as the Registrar.

 

Justine is married to TSCS Head of School, Nicholas Dalbey, and is the mother of three young children who beg for the Saint Constantine Troparion as their bedtime song. In moments of leisure she enjoys reading poetic literary fiction, taking toddler-paced strolls through the neighborhood, and watching Jeopardy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bio coming soon.

 

Ennie Hickman graduated magna cum laude in 2001 from Franciscan University of Steubenville receiving his BA in Theology with a minor in Communication Arts. After eight years of parish Youth Ministry, he founded Adore Ministries Inc, in Houston and served as President until 2019. He is a sitting member of the KSBJ President’s Council and the Board of Directors for the Pines Catholic Camp.

 

Ennie and his wife Cana are the founders of Del Rey Collective and are frequently sought after to speak across the country. They have eight children at The Saint Constantine School and have been married for 21 years. The Hickmans love all kinds of music, Saint Francis of Assisi, and tacos. They live in Southwest Houston and their hearts live in Guatemala Central America.

Ed Taussig serves as the Vice President for Operations at The Saint Constantine School and College. In his role he oversees the both the day-to-day functions of campus facilities, IT, and security, as well as the long-term development and implementation of the organization's strategic plan.

Ed has professional experience in both the for profit and non profit sectors. He previously worked in Houston at Phillips 66 in its energy trading division, and before that he served as a high school minister to students in Budapest, Hungary. He received his Master of Business Administration from Rice University and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management from the University of Texas at Austin.

Bio coming soon