Design Thinking in Business, Education, and Public Health

John Wesley Taylor V, PhD

Associate Director of Education at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

John Wesley Taylor V was born in Puerto Rico and has served as teacher and administrator in various institutions, including Montemorelos University (Mexico), the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (Philippines), and Andrews University and Southern Adventist University (USA). Overall, he has taught at the upper elementary through postgraduate levels, in a dozen different countries. He holds bachelor’s degrees in health science and in religion, master’s degrees in educational administration and in instructional technology, and doctorates in curriculum and instruction (Andrews University) and in educational psychology and research (University of Virginia). Dr. Taylor has presented at conferences, published articles in professional publications, chaired master’s and doctoral theses and dissertations, and served at a national research center and on evaluation and accreditation teams. Areas of professional interest include the philosophy of Christian education, data-driven decision-making, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, spiritual leadership, special student populations, and strategies for high-level thinking and for nurturing faith. Since 2010, Prof. Taylor has served as an Associate Director of Education at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as well as an editor of College and University Dialogue, Board chair for The Journal of Adventist Education, and Executive Secretary for the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA). Special interests include camping, hiking, gardening, music, and the study of people and cultures. He is married to Miriam Wells, and together they have a daughter, Carolyn, and a son, John Wesley.

Andrea Luxton, PhD

President of Andrews University

Dr. Andrea Luxton, born in England, has served as president of Andrews University since July 2016, after holding the position of Provost since 2010.  Her career in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States has been committed to furthering Adventist education.  She has served in secondary, higher education, Union and General Conference positions.  Immediately prior moving to Andrews University in 2010, Luxton was president of Canadian University College, now Burman University, in Canada.  Her education was at Newbold College, England (BA Theology and English), Andrews University (MA English) and the Catholic University of America (PhD English).  In her writing and speaking Luxton seeks to connect her passions for literature, education and the life of faith.

Loren G. Agrey, PhD

President of Burman University

Dr. Agrey has served as President for Burman University in Lacombe since 2017. An earlier appointment on the Burman Campus included serving as Vice President for Academic Administration from 2004-2010. He has also served as President of Asia-Pacific International University in Thailand from 2010-2015 and as Academic Dean for Undergraduate Affairs at Kettering Collee in Kettering Ohio from 2015-2017. In 2005, Dr. Agrey received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education from the University of Alberta in Edmonton where his research focus was on the how social studies teachers experience teaching within the high-stakes environment of an externally-mandated examination. He completed his Master of Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi with an emphasis in secondary social studies in 1991. Dr. Agrey’s Bachelor of Education degree was granted by Union College in 1984 and was completed on the Burman University campus in Lacombe, Alberta. Dr. Loren has been married for 38 years to Shelley, a Registered Nurse. They have four adult children, and five grandchildren.

Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, PhD

Education Director for the Seventh-day Adventist World Church

Dr. Lisa Beardsley-Hardy completed two years of theology at Newbold College, England, and graduated with a Bachelor of Theology from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Far East (now Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies) in the Philippines. She earned graduate degrees in public health (MPH, Loma Linda University), educational psychology (PhD, University of Hawai’i at Manoa), and management (MBA, Claremont Graduate University, California). Dr. Beardsley-Hardy held faculty positions at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, the University of Illinois, Andrews University and Loma Linda University. Her administrative experience includes department chair of health education at Toivonlinnanseminaari, Finland; assistant dean for medical education & evaluation, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria; associate vice president for academic affairs, Andrews University; and vice chancellor for academic affairs, Loma Linda University. She served as a chaplain at Methodist Medical Center of Illinois and Lakeland Medical Center, Michigan and holds ecclesiastical endorsement as an educational chaplain and an associate healthcare chaplain. Born in England, Dr. Beardsley-Hardy holds UK, Finnish and US citizenships. She and her husband Dr. Frank Hardy have a daughter and two grandchildren. Her special interests include mushroom hunting, cross-country skiing and music.