Midwest Educators Seminar

Dr. John Piper is the founder and lead teacher of Desiring God, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary, and former pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where he served for nearly 33 years.

Influenced by the writings of Jonathan Edwards and C.S. Lewis, he has devoted himself to celebrating and persuading others that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Dr. Piper has preached thousands of messages and written dozens of books—most recently, Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy—to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.

John and his wife, Noël, have been married for 58 years and live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Together they have five children and a growing number of grandchildren.

Eric Cook is the President and CEO of the Society for Classical Learning (SCL), an organization dedicated to fostering human flourishing through the advancement of classical Christian education. He provides executive leadership for SCL, overseeing the organization’s vision, strategy, thought leadership, and fundraising efforts. Eric plays a pivotal role in the classical Christian school movement, seeking to revive timeless principles to reform education, renew culture, and promote human flourishing.

Eric and his wife, Liz, have six children and live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Jim Reynolds, now retired, was the Dean of Faculty for the Geneva School, Orlando, FL, and the Head of the Lower School for the Veritas School, Richmond, VA. Earlier, Jim worked in elementary school publishing with Harcourt School Publishers and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company. He was an Educational Consultant, a Product Manager, and the Vice President/Editor-in-Chief for elementary and middle-school mathematics. As an educational consultant, Jim trained teachers throughout the Midwest Region in the pedagogy and content of newly adopted curricula. As an editor in chief, Jim presented to the President’s National Mathematics Panel. He also led an international editorial team in bringing Math in Focus (a Singapore Math program) to the United States.

For the past 3 years, Jim has led and served on accreditation teams for the Society for Classical Learning (SCL). He also served on the team to revise the indicators and playbook for SCL accreditation Standard II: Classical Commitment.

Jim has volunteered at the Veritas School both as a coach for the Moot Court Team and as a consultant for the Fellows Program. Jim and his wife Nancy have three sons. Jim and Nancy met while helping to establish an ecumenical Christian school in Ann Arbor, MI. Currently, Nancy works at–and Jim volunteers for–the Imago Dei Neighborhood School in Richmond, VA, whose mission is to provide a Christian liberal arts education for families of all income levels.

An author and educator with a lifelong commitment to literacy and classical education, Tammy Peters earned her BA in elementary education, with a minor in English, from the University of Wisconsin in 1982, and her MA in reading from Cardinal Stritch University in 1987.

Over the course of her career, she has taught at the elementary, undergraduate, and graduate levels, and served as a district reading specialist. She recently retired from Mars Hill Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, where since 2000 she taught third grade, developed grammar curriculum, and mentored elementary faculty.

Tammy is the co-author, with Dr. Daniel Coupland, of Well-Ordered Language, a grammar series for students in grades 3–6.

Erik is Principal Partner and President of Arcadia Education, with extensive experience in classical school leadership and growth. From 2008 to 2022, he helped build Great Hearts Academies into the nation’s largest network of classical schools, serving in roles that included teacher, founding headmaster, leader of headmasters, and executive overseeing strategic expansion and external affairs. He was President of Great Hearts Arizona from 2017 to 2022.

In recent years, Erik has partnered with SCL President Eric Cook and the board on strategic planning and the development of the Generations Fund. He holds degrees from Trinity University in political science and from Oxford University in theology and philosophy, and his writing on education and culture has appeared in outlets such as the Washington Examiner, First Things, RealClear Education, and CiRCÉ.

Keith Phillips is the Head of School at Schaeffer Academy in Rochester, Minnesota. He has served the academy for 29 of its 33 years, helping to establish the upper school grades and programs and to develop the 37-acre campus and facilities. Schaeffer Academy is named in honor of Dr. Francis Schaeffer, who lived in Rochester at the end of his life and ministry.

Schaeffer Academy is a charter member of the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), and Keith is a permanent member of the ACCS board of directors. Prior to Schaeffer Academy, Keith served as a teacher and administrator at Kauai Christian Academy on the beautiful North Shore of Kauai and earned a Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University.

Keith has been married to Ramie for 35 years. They have two adult children and one grandson and are members of Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA).