Dr. Kerry Fulcher was elected the 15th president of Point Loma Nazarene University on July 1, 2024. Prior to the election, Dr. Fulcher served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at PLNU from 2010-2024.

He began his PLNU career in 1994 as a faculty member in the Biology Department and served as Biology Chair from 2002 to 2008. He became Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and Provost and Chief Academic Officer in 2010. His publications have appeared in journals such as Christian Higher Education, Biology of Reproduction, Aquaculture, and Developmental Biology.

In total, Dr. Fulcher has dedicated 30 years of service to PLNU, helping to shape the university's academic vision and fostering a community of excellence. Under his leadership, the university has made significant advancements in academic programs, coupled with campus facility expansions. Dr. Fulcher's dedication has not only enhanced the educational experience at PLNU but has also solidified the university's reputation as a leading institution of higher learning.

Dr. Fulcher and his wife, Robyn, reside in Point Loma and are the parents of three daughters, Jordanne, Hailey, and Maddy, and are the proud grandparents of Judah and Eleanor.

https://www.pointloma.edu/offices/office-president

Dr. Ron Benefiel serves as the Director of the Center for Pastoral Leadership at PLNU. He was the eighth president of Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri and also served as the Dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry at Point Loma Nazarene University. While serving as a PLNU professor from 1996 to 2000, Benefiel co-founded and co-pastored Mid City Church of the Nazarene. From 1982 to 1996, Benefiel served as pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, a multi-congregational church. He also founded and served as the executive director of the P.F. Bresee Foundation, a nonprofit community center in LA's Mid-Wilshire district.

Benefiel has always had a passion for serving his community, and his name has been highly respected within the Church of the Nazarene. Over the past 40 years, he has served the denomination on numerous councils and boards related to education, research, and youth ministry. His work in the community has included serving on the board of directors of the Kansas City Urban Youth Center and of rescue missions in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Kansas City.

https://viewpoint.pointloma.edu/qa-with-dr-ron-benefiel/

JC Hurtado-Prater serves as Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Leadership. He joined the Fermanian School of Business (FSB) as an adjunct professor in 2020 and was hired as a full-time associate professor of leadership in 2022. A veteran of the United States Army, he came to PLNU with more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizations and management consulting. Hurtado-Prater has provided training and consulting services for Fortune 500 organizations and large governmental agencies, including Johnson + Johnson, Cisco, US Department of Interior, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Navy, Park Hyatt and more. Hurtado-Prater is currently in the process of completing his D.B.A. in Management at Indiana Wesleyan University.

https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/jc-hurtado-prater-mba

Dr. Samuel Stoneburner is a computational chemist specializing in electronic structure theory, which means calculating the properties of atoms or molecules based on the quantum mechanical behavior of their electrons. Dr. Stoneburner selected this specialty in part because it is underrepresented in undergraduate settings, and teaching undergraduate chemistry has been his career goal since his coursework at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. After completing an associate's degree there, he got a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics at Hillsdale College in Michigan, followed by his graduate work in Prof. Laura Gagliardi's lab at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. His graduate research featured the prediction of transition metal candidates for gas separations using metal-organic frameworks. Dr. Stoneburner loves physical chemistry because it is where he best sees the patterns of God's work in nature, and he most loves sharing that experience with students.

https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/samuel-stoneburner-phd

Karah Lain received her MFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft, and has shown her collage and painting work throughout the country in such locations as the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, Illinois, Third Room in Portland, Oregon, and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She has also served as an artist in residence at Portland Garment Factory and In Cahoots Residency, and as a University Fellow at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. She is currently Assistant Professor of Visual Art in Painting and Drawing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

Any Links:

https://www.karahlain.com/

https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/karah-lain-mfa

Professor Jon Manning is a New Testament scholar who is particularly interested in Paul, Luke, Acts, and the history of the canon. In addition to teaching in the School of Theology & Christian Ministry, he directs the LEAP program at PLNU, which provides a select group of incoming first-year students with academic support and shared learning experiences as a foundation for future academic success. When he is not teaching classes, Manning spends time outdoors with his family, and he endlessly enjoys reading science fiction and playing board games.

https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/jon-manning-ma

https://lomabeat.com/faculty-spotlight-jon-manning/

Dr. Arnel Aguinaldo ("Dr. A") has taught at Point Loma Nazarene University since 2013 as an adjunct and part-time instructor but was promoted to a full-time professor of Kinesiology in 2018. He also serves as the Director of the Kinesiology Biomechanics Lab in the Rohr Science building. Dr. A was also an adjunct professor at San Diego State University in the Department of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences where, since 2005, he has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses in Biomechanics of Human Movement, Statistics in Kinesiology, Research Methods, Electromyography, and Functional Human Movement. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. A maintains a busy research load having performed and extensively published studies in the areas of baseball biomechanics, footwear research, gait analysis, and sports medicine in reputable journals such as Sports Biomechanics, Journal of Biomechanics, Gait & Posture, American Journal of Sports Medicine, and Journal of Applied Biomechanics.

He holds a PhD in Health and Human Performance from Concordia University Chicago. In addition, he holds a BS in Bioengineering from University of California San Diego and a MA in Biomechanics and Athletic Training from San Diego State University, where he was also first certified as an athletic trainer (ATC) in 2000. Dr. A is a man of faith as a follower of Christ. He is an active member of Eastlake Church in Chula Vista, CA, where he and his family of 4 serve in various capacities to help the local community and those in need through Hand Over Hand, Feeding America, Doctors without Borders, and UNICEF. He speaks English, French, Tagalog, some Spanish, and Sarcasm (fluent)! In his spare time, he enjoys DJing, travel, sports, coffee, and quality time with family and friends in beautiful San Diego.

In 2023, Dr. Aguinaldo orchestrated a partnership between PLNU and the San Diego Padres and founded the Biomechanics Laboratory at the Balboa Regional Campus.

https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/arnel-aguinaldo-phd-atc

https://www.pointloma.edu/schools-departments-colleges/college-health-sciences/biomechanics-lab

Professor Colleen Jensen Cook has been at PLNU since 2008. As a generalist social worker she brings a broad knowledge to the department as she teaches courses in social work and sociology as well as supervises student interns. Her professional background has primarily focused on macro social work with an emphasis on policy education/advocacy; however, she also has direct practice experience with children and families in day-treatment facilities, child welfare services, and wraparound services. Professor Cook earned a B.A. in Social Work from Northwest Nazarene University and an MSW from Boise State University.

https://www.pointloma.edu/faculty/colleen-jensen-cook-asw-msw