Join us for the Interconnectivity of Character and Faith Webinar Series, a transformative exploration of how integrating faith and character development can inspire human flourishing and enrich educational practices. Running from February to May 2025, this series offers dynamic sessions led by esteemed researchers and practitioners who will provide actionable strategies, insights, and resources for fostering character and faith in educational settings.
- Participants will engage in topics ranging from the philosophical underpinnings of character formation to practical applications in leadership, community building, and curriculum design.
- Each session is designed to equip educators, administrators, and leaders with tools to inspire ethical decision-making, nurture student development, and create vibrant, value-driven communities.
- At the conclusion of the sessions, attendees will receive a certificate of professional development hours as recognition of their commitment to personal and professional growth.
Session 1
February 13th, 9AM AZ MT: Purpose, Faith, and Character Formation
James Arthur, Director Emeritus of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues
The only way to understand and construct our character virtues is to have a clear picture of what is the purpose and meaning of human life. This talk will highlight the importance of engaging with moral issues and makes the case that, for Christian educators, human flourishing is inseparable from God’s active relationship to human beings. The talk will explore the teleological approach to character education goals. To educate the whole person in the light of an all-embracing Christian worldview is challenged by secular and liberal ideology and is often seen as irrational to the modern mind. I argue the case for the educational potential of Christian character education.
Before the lecture participants may wish to look at Chapter Six of James Arthur’s book – A Christian Education in the Virtues: Character Formation and Human Flourishing
Purpose, Faith, and Character Formation PPT
Professor James Arthur is Director Emeritus of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues and was Director between 2012-2023 in the University of Birmingham. James was Head of the School of Education from 2010-2015 and Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor from 2015-2019. He was previously Editor of the British Journal of Educational Studies for ten years and has holds numerous honorary titles and Fellowships in the academe, including Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow, Faculty Affiliate at Harvard University, Senior Fellow of Boston College, Visiting Senior Fellow of the University of Virginia, Visiting Professor at Rome’s Pontifical Angelicum University and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He was also a Senior Fellow of Westpoint Military Academy and became the 15th Distinguished C. J. Koh Professor of the National Institute of Education in Singapore. James was made an Officer of the British Empire by the Queen in 2018 and in 2020 won the internationally prestigious Expanded Reason Award from the Ratzinger Foundation in the Vatican. He has written widely on the relationship between theory and practice in education, particularly the links between character, virtues, flourishing, religion, and education. James chairs the national Society for Educational Studies and has served on many UK governmental education committees, as well as the Step Up to Serve Advisory Council chaired by HRH the Prince of Wales (2013-2020). In 2023 his Centre won the prestigious QS Global Award in Education from 1,200 international entries together with the first ever Ethics in Education Award. He received the 2017 Ferdinande Boxberger Prize in Germany. In December 2024 he received the Sandy McDonald Award, becoming the first non-American to receive it. James advises several international charities, particularly the Kern Family Foundation of which he is Consultant and a Senior Fellow. James graduated with a master’s and doctorate from the University of Oxford and is to receive an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Glasgow for his work in education.
Session 2
February 20th, 10AM AZ MT: Discovering Individual Vocation and Leading Change with Character and Faith
Lance Forman, Assistant Dean, Education Specialties, Lipscomb University
The idea of “purpose” in K-12 education has evolved in recent years to almost singularly focus on achievement and “college and career ready”. While achievement and preparation for post-secondary opportunities are certainly important, is there, though, a deeper purpose for us as educators and the students we serve? Is there deeper meaning to the idea of vocation and, if so, what is the role that character and faith plays in the discovery of vocation? In this session we will explore the intersection of character and faith that can be adopted and applied in any educational setting.
Discovering Individual Vocation and Leading Change with Character and Faith PPT
Dr. Lance Forman is the Assistant Dean for Education Specialties and an Associate Professor of Education in the College of Education at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. As Assistant Dean, he oversees all graduate education programs in the College including Certificate, M.Ed., Ed.S., Ed.D., and Ph.D. programs. He previously served as the Director of Educational Leadership at Lipscomb University, leading the program to partner with over 40 school districts and charter schools across the state to build leadership pipelines for school leadership development. While his official capacities involve working with graduate school candidates across multiple programs, he serves the College of Education in a number of ways in including training current school leaders in partner districts across the state and providing educational content and resources for the Ayers Institute for Learning and Innovation. Forman is the co-founder of Novastone Learning, an organization focused on promoting character development and decision-making skills through cinematic-quality educational dilemma films.
Forman previously served as a teacher, assistant principal, and executive principal in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School district for 13 years prior to joining the College of Education in 2017. He earned his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Ed.D. in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca Nazarene University. Forman is passionate about developing great school leaders of great character and helping districts build an internal pipeline of leadership talent. His areas of professional expertise include school leadership, culture development, talent acquisition, development, and retention.
Session 3
March 6th , 9AM AZ MT: Let Your Light Shine and Find Peace Within: Ensuring Integrity is the Foundation of Practice
Nathan Hollis II, Assistant Professor, College of Education, Grand Canyon University
Educators have a wide-ranging scope of practice that includes various roles and responsibilities. Not only should educators be competent in their discipline, but they must also be highly effective with meeting the diversified needs and interests of their stakeholders (i.e., students, parents and families of students, colleagues, public, etc.). Additionally, respected educators must exemplify consistency in their beliefs and actions no matter the circumstances. This can be especially challenging if conflicting values and misaligned worldviews exist between the educator and those they are intended to lead and serve.
In this session, participants will identify their personal strengths. To do this, participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own values, behaviors, and decision-making processes. Also, participants will examine strategies for demonstrating their integrity in settings and situations that challenge their morals and ethics. As stated in Matthew 5:16, your light must shine before others. Therefore, the goal for the session is for participants to possess a framework that incorporates actionable principles of integrity that challenge ethical dilemmas and support the ethical decision-making needed both in and out of the classroom.
View Presentation HERE
Nathan Hollis II has served in a variety of capacities across private, public, and non-profit settings for over 25 years. He has been a classroom teacher (grades 1-4), mentor teacher, curriculum designer, and administrator in higher education. Currently, Nathan is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, Arizona.
In addition to his professional roles, Nathan has diverse service experiences in the field. He has actively participated on and led several, state executive boards including the American Lung Association of Arizona (ALAA), the Arizona School Association (ASA) Higher Education Division, and The Education Coalition. Additionally, Nathan has mentored novice teachers as a member of Profound Gentlemen, which is a national organization focused on retaining and nurturing male educators of color. Also, he has provided presentations at several national, state, and local conferences on a broad range of topics.
Nathan has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s in early childhood education, and a master’s in business administration. He is state certified as an elementary public educator and endorsed in early childhood education. Nathan is currently pursuing a PhD in psychology with an emphasis cognition and instruction from Grand Canyon University. His dissertation topic explores how African American fathers describe their influence on their sons in post-secondary education.
Session 4
March 20th, 9AM AZ MT: Faith-Animating Character: Integrating Faith Language and Commitments into Character Development
L Gregory Jones, President, Belmont University
How do emphases on character formation and virtue, often associated with Aristotle and other moral philosophers, relate to Christian faith commitments, including language about discipleship and holiness and the Fruit of the Spirit? Or in other words, what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem? We will explore the deep connections that can and should exist, showing how Christian commitments serve to animate a life-long commitment to the formation of character and a flourishing life that is faithful to God.
View Presentation HERE
L. Gregory Jones is President of Belmont University, a position he has held since June 1, 2021. He was educated at the University of Denver (B.A. and M.P.A.) and Duke University (M.Div. and Ph.D.). Prior to serving at Belmont Greg served in a variety of leadership roles at Duke, including two stints as Dean of Duke Divinity School (1997-2010 and 2018-21), as Vice-President and Vice-Provost for Global Strategy and Programs, and as the Williams Distinguished Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry (now emeritus). He has also served in executive leadership as Provost and EVP at Baylor.
Greg is known as a leader and strategist whose creative engagement has helped institutions across the world and in local communities to create transformational resource models. He is known for an entrepreneurial mindset as well as emphases on character and purpose in higher education, emphases in his leadership at Belmont.
He is the author or editor of 19 books and has authored more than 200 essays/articles. He is known for books on forgiveness (Embodying Forgiveness and the co-authored Forgiving as We’ve Been Forgiven), Christian leadership (the co-authored Resurrecting Excellence) and social innovation (Christian Social Innovation). His most recent book is the co-authored Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas (2021).
Greg serves on the Boards of the John Templeton Foundation, the McDonald Agape Foundation, and the India Collective, as well as several boards in the Nashville community. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. He is married to The Reverend Dr. Susan Pendleton Jones, also an ordained United Methodist minister who currently serves in a variety of capacities at Belmont and in Nashville (including on the boards of The Store and The Next Door). They have three children, all married, and four grandchildren.
Session 5
April 10th, 11AM AZ MT: Developing Leadership and Building Community with Faith and Character at the Foundation
Amberly Neese, Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
This seminar explores the essential connection between faith, character development, and effective leadership while building strong, purposeful communities. Participants will discover how spiritual principles and values can enhance their leadership abilities, foster authentic relationships, and create lasting positive change in their organizations and communities. Through interactive discussions, research, and practical action steps, attendees will learn strategies for integrating faith-based principles with modern leadership practices, developing moral courage, and building strong support communities.
View Presentation HERE
Amberly Neese is a popular speaker, comedian, author, speaker coach, coffee aficionado, and all-around encourager dedicated to helping educators to foster grit and grace in their students.
With a Master’s Degree from Biola University, she has served as an adjunct online professor for Grand Canyon University for 23 years. In addition, she is a full-time instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, after over two decades of working with elementary and junior high students as a teacher and coach. Her published works include “The Belonging Project”, “Common Ground: Loving Others Despite Our Differences”, “The Friendship Initiative”, and “Untangling Faith”.
Amberly is a featured speaker and comedian for two national tours. She and her husband have two adult children and live in Prescott, Arizona, where they enjoy the great outdoors, the Food Network, and all things Star Wars.
Session 6
April 24th, 10AM AZ MT: Integrating Character Development into Course Content
Nancy Winfrey, Assistant Director, Curriculum and Pedagogical Design Program for Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools, Wake Forest University School of Law
Underlying the application of any course content is a foundational worldview of the student who is doing the work. This workshop explores a simple method, WISE Interventions, for integrating traits of character, in a non-prescriptive way into existing course design. Targeting students at the moment where the affective learning domain is best addressed, and when that interior work is relevant to performing at a high level with personal integrity, students see the rationale for, and practice using tools toward, aligning who they are with the work they will ultimately do.
View Presentation HERE
Dr. Nancy Winfrey, PhD is Director of Curriculum and Pedagogical Design, Program for Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools, at Wake Forest University. Her experience spans 25 years of work with adults in Nonprofit Management, Leadership Development, and Higher Education. She holds a PhD in Adult Learning and Development, an MEd in Training and Organizational Development, a BA in English and American Language and Literature, and Graduate Certificates in Counseling in Education, Advanced Dialogue Education, and ACUE Effective College Instruction. She is currently pursuing an MA in Character Education and designs and delivers DEI training for Inspirus Consulting. Her teaching and research interests include Dialogue Education, small group processes, authentic leadership, and designing for brain-based learning. Her work has been published in two edited volumes and in academic journals such as Deeper Learning Journal of Practice, Learning and Teaching Journal, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, and Adult Learning. She was also the Founding Director of a 501©3 nonprofit supporting education in a Guatemalan squatter community for fourteen years and led humanitarian service projects in five additional countries. Her primary volunteer work has been with Girl Scouts USA as a National Volunteer Partner in Adult Learning and Organizational Development.
Session 7
May 8th, 10AM AZ MT: Developing Leadership and Building Community with Faith and Character at the Foundation
Dr. Michael Sivertson, Principal, Youngker High School, GCU Alumni
This presentation focuses on how schools and organizations can nurture leadership skills and a strong sense of community by embedding faith-based principles and character education into their culture. Educators and administrators will discover practical strategies to inspire school communities to lead with integrity, collaborate effectively, and contribute positively to their school and beyond. By fostering values such as community, pride, innovation, diversity, leadership, communication, and character, this session provides actionable insights to create a supportive and impactful learning environment focused on developing a culture of excellence.
View Presentation HERE
View PPT Presentation HERE
Dr. Michael Sivertson has been an educational leader for 34 years, serving in a variety of roles. His career includes positions as a social studies teacher, department chair, high school and college coach, athletic director, assistant principal, district director of athletics and operations, and high school principal. Throughout his career, Dr. Sivertson has been committed to student success and community building at the various school communities he has served. Dr. Sivertson has led teams, developed programs, and fostered a culture of excellence in the various roles he has held. He is currently the principal of Youngker High School in Buckeye, Arizona. Youngker has been designated an A-Rated school by the Arizona State Board of Education for the past two years.
Session 8
May 22nd, 9AM AZ MT: The Transformation of Character through the Experience of Awe
Dr. Liz Gulliford, Associate Professor, Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK
In this virtual session the interconnectivity of faith and character development will be explored by means of examining the powerfully transformative emotion of awe. That people are changed by the experience of awe is very much in the ascendant in world religions. We might call to mind Saul’s life-changing experience on the road to Damascus, for example. In contrast, character education (and perhaps more specifically Aristotelian character education) does not currently ascribe a place to the role of awe and wonder in our moral transformation.
Aristotle regards human beings as characterised by a range of rational activities, specifically theoretical reflection, practical deliberation and the cultivation of virtuous emotions and good habits. For Aristotle, thinking, wisdom, and reflection do the heavy lifting in terms of becoming a virtuous person. While Aristotle’s view of human personhood is profoundly rational, he has little understanding of the human person as spiritual, and while he foregrounds the importance of cultivating virtuous emotions, he does not have the emotion of awe within his sights.
The aim of this session is to facilitate a learning experience that simulates reflection on character strengths that can be promoted through the experience of awe. For instance, people’s sense of responsibility, caring and stewardship of the planet could be enlarged through a sense of awe at the wonders of the world – whether they hold a religious view of creation or not.
The session will explore ways in which character education (and more specifically, the Aristotelian character education promoted by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues and others) could be enriched by incorporating the experience of awe in secular and faith contexts. Participants (faculty, students and members of the audience external to GCU) will learn more about what awe is and how it transforms us, discovering some research-supported recommendations about how to experience more awe in our lives and how we might use this as a catalyst for developing our character.
View Presentation HERE
Dr. Liz Gulliford is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham. Liz works for the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues and currently teaches on the University of Birmingham’s MA in Character Education. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Oxford Character Project.
Liz has an interdisciplinary background with an MA in Theology (Trinity College Oxford), MPhil in Theology and Religious Studies (Queens’ College, Cambridge), and a BPS-accredited BSc in Psychology from Anglia Ruskin University. Her PhD (Queens’ College, Cambridge, 2011) established a firm, critical foundation for theoretical and practical work in positive psychology, positive education, and character education, upon which she has progressively built an international reputation.
During her tenure as an Associate Professor in Positive Psychology at the University of Northampton (2018 – 2023), Liz was Co-Pi on a John Templeton Foundation funded research project on ‘The role of exemplar narratives in cultivating character’ (2019 – 2023), which was part of a larger network grant on moral exemplars.
Liz has carried out extensive conceptual and empirical work on gratitude, forgiveness, hope, optimism, courage, compassion, virtue ethics, moral development, positive psychology, positive education, character education and exemplarism. She has published in a wide range of journals in psychology, education, and philosophy. She has also given numerous invited presentations internationally to both academic and lay audiences.