Meet the IAPCHE team!

J. Dinakarlal,
Director Asia/Oceania region

Skype: dinakarlal

Anne Maatman,
Director of Operations

Skype:anne_iapche

Marlene Veenstra,
Office Assistant

Jo Faber,

Office Volunteer

See our website to learn

more about the

IAPCHE team!

Nick Lantinga, Executive Director: Dr. Nicholas S. Lantinga, a 1990 graduate of Calvin College, holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago.  His dissertation focused on the connections between Hannah Arendt and Augustine of Hippo.  Since then he has worked in, written on, and talked about U.S. politics as an activist and scholar.  Since beginning his work with IAPCHE in 2002 Lantinga has edited proceedings and contributed to several volumes of essays.  He takes particular delight in connecting like-minded servants of God.  With his wife Sherri, a member of the psychology faculty at Dordt College, they raise three children in central U.S.

J. Dinakarlal, Director Asia/Oceania region: Dr. Dinakarlal taught English for 34 years at Scott Christian College (Autonomous), India and served as dean. He has conducted several national level training programs for students, teachers, and administrators for All India Association for Christian Higher Education and served as consultant to their program on alcohol, drug, AIDS, and tobacco. He has associated himself with the Student Christian Movement of India and YMCA in several capacities. He is trained in Christian leadership by Haggai Institute, Singapore.

Isaac Mutua, Director Africa region:Rev Mutua is a founding member and the Executive Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Christian Higher in Africa (CPCHEA), the regional expression of IAPCHE.

Anne Maatman, Director of Operations: Because of her work for 25 years with a Sioux Center travel agency and her service on two hosting committees of two IAPCHE  international conferences in Sioux Center, Anne was well acquainted with the work and membership of IAPCHE when she began in 2001. Since that time she has enjoyed working with scholars worldwide to organize events. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Dordt College.

Ken Boersma, Director of Special Projects: Ken received his B.A. from Calvin College and majored in political science. He received a M.A. in political science at Duke University. He had been involved in higher education for more than 20 years and in Christian higher education for the past 15 years. He taught courses in political science, religion and politics, public administration and leadership development at Duke University, North Carolina State University, Carson-Newman college, Sterling College and Dordt College. He has served in higher education administration at Duke, Carson-Newman, Sterling and Dordt. His most recent service was at Dordt College as Vice President for Student Services from 2000-2007. 

Marlene Veenstra, Office Assistant: Marlene�s previous experience as a church secretary and in sales support for a travel agency equipped her for working at the IAPCHE office. Both Marlene and her husband, Charles, came to Dordt as students and returned to Sioux Center for Charles to teach at the college. Charles has served for more than 30 years as professor of Communications. All four of their children are Dordt graduates.

Amber J. Diemer, Office Assistant:
Amber is working towards her B.A. in Business Administration from Dordt College, she is emphasizing in Human Resources Management and Psychology. She is an active member of the Dordt College Business Club and enjoys coaching the Orange City Christian School 7th grade volleyball team.  She and her husband, Bryan, are from Michigan.

Jo Faber, Office Volunteer: recently retired as Dordt College's Placement Coordinator and now volunteers one morning a week for IAPCHE. "Having worked with school administrators for fourteen years," she says, "I developed many friends and acquaintances around the world who are engaged in all aspects of Christian education. When Nick Lantinga spoke to our church's adult discussion group about IAPCHE and its Christian higher education vision, my interest in the organization was sparked. I was impressed with the concrete goals expressed by Nick."

Lynn Otto, Copy writer:prepares much of the copy for Contact.   Her interest in the work of IAPCHE goes back a number of years.  She assisted John VanderStelt in the IAPCHE office in 1985, when she was a recent graduate of Dordt College.  She also served as office manager in 2000, when John Hulst was executive secretary.   She now lives in Oregon (USA), where she teaches writing part-time at George Fox University and works as a freelance writer.  She is married to historian Paul Otto; they have four children and one daughter-in-law.