Having served in several pastoral roles for over 35 years, including 22 as lead pastor, Dr. Dogterom cares deeply about the local church as the primary expression and leading edge of the mission of God and, by extension, the health and wholeness of those women and men called and gifted by God to serve the church as pastors. This has led him to focus on the care of souls and spiritual direction as the basis of disciple making with the goal of spiritual formation towards Christlikeness for the sake of mission in the world.

The courses he teach allow for the introduction and practice of essential skills needed for pastoral practice in the context of whole soul health. Vanguard provides him the opportunity to model pastoral practice in and outside of the classroom.

Professional Activities

• Preaching regularly at various local churches
• Leading spiritual formation retreats for pastoral staffs, congregations, departmental teams
• Teaching Spiritual Direction through the “Stages of Faith” and “Stages of Life” as part of the Art of Spiritual Direction, Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange
• Writing reflective blogs weekly

Frank D. Macchia holds the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary (at Columbia University, New York) and the Doctor of Theology (D.Theol.) from the University of Basel, Switzerland. At Basel, Dr. Macchia pursued historical and systematic theology with a special emphasis on modern theology, especially the theology of Karl Barth. Dr. Macchia’s dissertation was on the challenge of German Pietism (especially the theology of the Blumhardts) for a contemporary theology of social transformation, and was awarded the Jacob Burkhardt Prize, jointly granted by the University of Basel and the Jacob Burkhardt Foundation.

Dr. Macchia’s work as a theologian was borne not only from within the academy but also from his location in the Pentecostal Movement. Thus, he has a joint appointment with Bangor University, Wales (UK) and Vanguard University of Southern California, a school connected to my Pentecostal denomination, the Assemblies of God. 

Dr. Morgan is a recognized human trafficking expert and works to end violence against women and children. Her experience serving exploited women, men, and children includes direct care as a pediatric nurse, a volunteer with Doctors of the World (Greece) and as a past Administrator of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force. Morgan served on the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking by presidential appointment.

She hosts the Ending Human Trafficking podcast with listeners in 148 countries and is co-author of Ending Human Trafficking: A Handbook of Strategies for the Church Today (IVP Academic, 2022). She received the Wilberforce Award for Excellence in Fighting Human Trafficking from Atlas Free.

As Director of Vanguard’s Global Center for Women and Justice, she builds student faculty capacity for research, education, and advocacy related to the exploitation of women and children, consistently bringing together diverse groups to collaborate during the annual Ensure Justice conference.

Professional Organizations & Service

Board of the California Association for Criminal Justice Research

Co-Chair of World Assemblies of God Fellowship Commission on Sexual Exploitation, Slavery and Trafficking

Chair of the Internal Review Board (IRB) for Social Sciences at the American University of Kurdistan.

Co-Chair of Public Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking by Presidential Appointment (2019-2020)

An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Dr. Tyra has also served as the senior pastor for three churches over a 27-year period, one of which was a church plant. 

He now devotes his time to teaching, writing, and speaking in churches and at academic/ministry conferences. His Vanguard courses focus especially on the spiritual, moral, and ministry formation of students, not all of whom are theology majors.

His passion is to encourage and enable sincere Christ-followers to fully integrate a biblically-informed faith in Christ with their everyday lives, thus functioning effectively as spiritual salt and light in an increasingly post-Christian world.

Dr. Tyra and his wife Patti are the proud parents of Brandon and Megan, both of whom work in the TV/Film industry. They are also the very proud grandparents of three grandchildren: Jacob, Raelyn, and Maisey.

In addition to extensive formal education in the field of Biblical/Old Testament Studies, Professor Westbrook has been teaching this subject at undergraduate and graduate levels for over 25 years.  Her effectiveness in teaching has been recognized institutionally with special awards and consistently high evaluations from students taking her classes.  

She has published and presented scholarly works in the field and is currently working on the Book of 2 Samuel volume for the Pentecostal Commentary Series (Deo/Brill).  Dr. Westbrook has served in various roles within local church ministry and spoken at many conferences, retreats, and chapel services, having been an ordained minister for over 35 years.  

She teaches at Vanguard because she is called by the Lord to serve here and because she loves walking alongside students as they discern their callings and grow in their gifts with increasing passion for the Word of God and life commitment to Kingdom purpose. 

A strategic leader in the academy and the church, Dr. Casarez is committed to equipping the next generation of leaders for a new generation of ministry in the church and society. Dr. Casarez is the Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology and regularly teaches courses in systematic theology, church history, Christian worldview, and leadership studies.

Dr. Jackson joined Vanguard University as a full-time faculty member in the Fall of 2018, after teaching adjunct at Vanguard since 2010. As an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Dr. Jackson approaches her teaching ministry in the classroom with a pastoral heart, desiring to come alongside students by equipping and encouraging them in their journey of discerning God’s calling on their lives. In each of her classes, she emphasizes both spiritual growth and academic excellence, teaching from the conviction that rightly dividing the Word of Truth leads to Spirit-empowered encounters with the living God, which are both foundational and transformational.

Dr. Jackson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on the Old Testament, hermeneutics and exegesis, and biblical languages. She and her husband, Paul, love family time together with their son, Gabriel, who is God’s greatest gift in their lives. 

Dr. Park completed his doctorate at the University of Oxford in theological ethics. He has a master’s in philosophy from Talbot School of Theology and a master’s in education from Biola University. He received his BA in history from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Dr. Park has a passion to teach college students as they are in some of the most formative years of their lives. By God’s grace and the Spirit’s power, Dr. Park seeks to raise up thinkers and leaders who live out their faith in a way that cultivates a world that is of honor to God. 

In addition to his regular teaching load at the university, Dr. Park is a frequent guest speaker at churches. Dr. Park also serves as the Director of the VU Scholars Program whose core values are critical thinking, character development, and calling. 

Dr. John Mark Robeck is Associate Professor of Theology, Ethics, and Culture, and Director of Graduate programs in the School of Theology & Ministry. He is an ordained minister within the Assemblies of God, having been in ministry for over 25 years, while also serving the academy, teaching both in the United States and Central America.  

His recent book, Towards a Pentecostal Theology of Praxis, provides a case study of Pentecostal churches engaged in community transformation in El Salvador, while also analyzing the connection between Pentecostal and Liberation Theologies.  

His continued research interests lie in the study of Latin American theologies, the history of the Pentecostal church in Latin America, Pentecostal social engagement, global Pentecostalism, race and ethnicity in American religion, and post-colonial theologies, among others. Vanguard has been a place where he is able to fulfill God’s call on his life as a professor, theologian, and minister.

Rodolfo Estrada has a doctorate in Biblical Studies from Regent University, holds two master’s degrees from Duke University, has done post-doctoral work in Classics at Villanova University. Prior to coming to Vanguard, he served as an academic administrator and adjunct professor at various colleges and seminaries including Fuller Theological Seminary and Portland Seminary of George Fox University. 

His educational experiences have been shaped and influenced by his Pentecostal heritage and identity. After giving his life to Christ at the age of 17 in a small Latino church, his entire passion for teaching and learning is fueled by his love for the church. His teaching focuses on the way in which the New Testament also addresses many contemporary questions and challenges. Believing that the Bible speaks to the life of the church today, he also enjoys writing for a popular audience where many of his articles have been published in Christianity Today, the Houston Chronicle, Yahoo News, and the AG Influence Magazine. 

Married to his wife Jessica Estrada for over 20 years, they together enjoy tea, coffee, hiking, and camping. They reside in southern California with their two adopted daughters Samantha and Isabella.

Dr. Marc Groenbech-Dam is a native of Denmark who has completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology at Vanguard University. He has also done postgraduate studies at Trinity College Bristol, the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, and Lincoln College, Oxford. He holds a doctorate in New Testament studies from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). 

He is thrilled to be teaching at Vanguard because it is his home away from home (Denmark), and he enjoys teaching both New and Old Testament courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. His research interests focus primarily on intertextuality in the New Testament, particularly how the Gospel authors use the Old Testament and other Jewish traditions in their portrayal of Jesus as the promised Messiah.

John Brito earned a D.Min. and M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and is the founder and lead pastor of Spirit Life in Norwalk, CA. He is passionate about empowering the next generation to pursue their calling and with helping others discover the beauty of God’s word. He enjoys going on long walks with his wife, Myrna, and loves all things coffee. 

Born and raised in Singapore, Dr. Sim embarked on his academic journey in the United States in 1981, earning a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary, an advanced Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.

Since joining Vanguard in 2002, he has served in multiple leadership roles, including Graduate Religion Coordinator, Associate Registrar, and Instructional Designer, before stepping into his current position. He teaches courses in both Old and New Testament studies, as well as Theology.

As an ordained minister, Dr. Sim integrates over four decades of pastoral experience from Southeast Asia and the United States into his teaching approach. His contributions have been recognized in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Religion, and Who's Who Among Asian Americans.

A skilled memory expert, Dr. Sim has mastered the first 100 digits of Pi (π) and all 118 elements of the Periodic Table. He teaches these techniques through workshops to enhance Scripture memorization and academic learning.

In the 24 years that Dr. Austring served at Vanguard he took on numerous roles and responsibilities. His involvement both in the Undergrad and Professional Studies programs ranged from the classroom to leadership roles as Chair of particular programs and faculty committees and representative bodies. 

Dr. Austring’s main impact is in the classroom. As a former missionary to Guatemala, he brings the experience and training needed to prepare students for cross-cultural ministry and involvement. He has taught in the Core Curriculum in areas of Christian Worldview and Church History to students with majors beyond his own discipline. 

Dr. Austring has always felt his call to be in the classroom and enjoys motivating and mentoring students so that they can reach their own potential in life and vocation. 

Besides extensive experience in teaching a variety of subjects at the graduate and undergraduate levels at Vanguard, Dr. Heuser has served in a variety of roles in academic administration, including Dean of a Graduate School, Director of Graduate program in religion, chair of Division of Religion, and founding co-director of the Judkins institute for Leadership Studies. He came to Vanguard University in 1983 primarily for the launching of what is currently the MA in Leadership Studies with an emphasis in Christian spirituality.

Professor Heuser’s vocational experiences in pastoring for twelve years and his educational training in theology, spirituality, and the social sciences have provided a multi-disciplinary approach to the study and practice of leadership in churches, nonprofits, and other organizational settings.

Besides his substantial education, Douglas Peterson taught at Vanguard for more than 20 years. He taught courses in the graduate program in inter-cultural studies on subjects relating to world missions, having lived and served in the mission field for many years. He is also the founding director of CINCEL, VUSC’s Costa Rica Study Center that prepares students for work on a variety of levels within Latin America by intense language study, cultural immersion and significant issues related to the mission field.