Classes begin this week at Grace College and Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., as they welcome the largest freshman class in the history of the school. Initial estimates for the number of incoming undergraduate students was placed at more than 400.
In addition, five individuals have joined the faculty.
Dr. Ashley Holland
Ashley Holland, Ph.D., joins the Math and Science department as assistant professor of mathematics. Dr. Holland received a Ph.D. in applied and interdisciplinary mathematics from the University of Michigan and joins the Grace faculty after having worked for StataCorp and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Prof. Brooke Kovac
Brooke Kovac joins the faculty of the School of Behavioral Sciences. She received a B.S. in criminal justice and psychology from Grace College and an M.A. in criminal justice from Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg, as the newest assistant professor of criminal justice. Kovac has participated in research with juvenile delinquents and transgender inmates in Pennsylvania prisons and in Italy, worked with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and has interned with the United States Secret Service. Kovac has also worked with Kosciusko County Emergency Management and with Chasing Rainbows, a community organization that provides equine therapy to children with disabilities.
Three new assistant professors of graduate counseling and interpersonal relations join the graduate program. David Olges, Ph.D., will teach graduate students on-campus, while Jenny Preffer, Ph.D. and Rhonda Ladd, Ph.D., will teach students online through Grace’s department of online education.
Dr. Olges
Dr. Olges joins the faculty having earned an M.A. in counseling from Grace (97) and a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Regent University. Olges currently has his own counseling practice and has served as a staff team member in two large Indianapolis churches. He has also built a Christian residential facility and program for women who suffer from eating disorders.
Dr. Preffer
Dr. Preffer also earned a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Regent University. She is a licensed mental health counselor and is board certified as a nationally certified counselor. In addition to teaching, her career experiences include working with military families, providing intensive in-home counseling with at-risk youth, Christian-based private practice, and providing career counseling to college students. She is active in research and has presented at several national conferences.
Dr. Ladd
Dr. Ladd also holds a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Regent University. She has served at Freedom Fellowship in Virginia Beach, Va., as director of extended pastoral care counseling ministries and comes to Grace having worked in Caldwell College’s master’s in mental health counseling program. She is the founder and director of Ladd Empowerment, where she is a life coach for individuals and marriages, consultant for religious and other organizations, relationship educator for couples and singles, and counselor educator.
