Knowledge Elements Team
- About Knowledge Elements
- Our History
- The Core Team
- Board of Directors/Advisors
- The Way We Work
- Strategic Alliances
- Employment Opportunities
What our clients are saying:
“My first month here on the job, they came in and helped me as the new president to see where we wanted to be and how to get there. The report on that was invaluable.”
Dr. Larry McCullough, President
Laurel University
Brian L. Shaw
President & Chief Executive Officer
Brian has more than 20 years of experience—approximately 13 years in Christian higher education—in building and leading organizations while integrating technology into the business operations. He has an in-depth background in analyzing, developing, and implementing strategic plans with a specialization in educational organizations; and is adept at investigating and identifying problematic areas within business operations. His background spans military, newspaper media, health care, small to medium business, and education industries. He stays actively engaged in roles of instructional design methodologies, training, and facilitating partner personnel in the creation of academic programs in order to meet the needs of their students, business process management analysis, and discovering new market opportunities for the company’s partners. He holds a B.S. in Management and Ethics and an M.Ed. in Leading Educational Organizations.
Steven T. Smith
Chief Academic Officer
Steve has more than 25 years of experience filling various roles in private higher education. He has extensive experience in student services, academic services, development, teaching, and student process management. He has developed expertise in the areas of accreditation, administrative leadership (both academic and non-academic) and faculty development. Having served students from admissions to post-graduation, he provides a comprehensive understanding of higher education leadership. He holds an M.Div., a Th.M. and has a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration.
Wendy O. Johnson, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Wendy has more than 25 years of successful accounting, budgeting, and cash management experience including accounting system implementation and international transactions. Wendy started her career at a Fortune 500 company and has more than a dozen years of experience as a CFO of smaller businesses. Wendy has a B.S. in Accounting from Milligan College. She successfully completed all parts of the CPA exam in 1990, and in 2000 she achieved NASD Series 27 Certification.
Douglas D. Blumhardt
Chief Operations Officer
Doug has more than 30 years of experience relative to operations, systems development, process engineering, and other related business developments. He has an extensive background in project management including a variety of corporate reengineering initiatives, strategic consulting engagements, large-scale enterprise system developments, dot.com start-ups, and highly functional web developments. His experience includes considerable work in the banking industry (American Express, Citicorp, First Chicago) and in the faith-based market (large Christian nonprofits). Doug’s early career work included development of guidance systems for the USA’s Titan and Minuteman nuclear missile programs. Doug undertook undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska (Omaha) and graduated with distinction from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking (University of Delaware). His graduate thesis was selected for formal publication by the American Bankers Association. He recently graduated from Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint Ministries’ yearlong study fellowship concentrated in biblical worldview. Doug has a passion for Kingdom work, is very active in his local church, and is engaged in multiple Christian ministries and nonprofits (e.g., Crown Financial Ministries; Youth About Business).
David R. Dillon
VP for Instructional Services
Dave has more than 30 years of experience as a professional educator. After a 10-year career in church-based education, he spent a few years in government-based literacy, corporate training, and secondary education before selecting adult and higher education as a work context for the last several years. He earned a B.A. in Bible/Theology and an M.Div. in Pastoral Studies, with additional Ph.D. studies in Adult and Higher Education Administration and Teaching, Research, and Evaluation.
John Schmidler
VP for Strategic Developments
John Schmidler has served on senior management teams most of his career—defining and refining business strategies in a variety of industries including manufacturing, life sciences, financial services, and higher education. John has been successful in leading teams tasked with implementing strategic solutions with speed and excellence. Having demonstrated an ability to develop strategies that maximize business growth by creating an environment of leadership, John uses his entrepreneurial skills to open new markets as well as establish and nurture partnerships and alliances that allow organizations to focus on their core business. John is actively involved in the community, locally and globally, having established successful programs for inner-city children, enrichment programs that strengthen families through church-based organizations, and has worked with mission initiatives in Brazil, Cambodia, Africa, and India. John holds an Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Gary A. Lounsberry
VP for Enrollment Services
Gary has worked in higher education for 20 years, much of it focused in adult higher education. He has served as a professor of group communication, bible and theology, and in leadership in several colleges. Gary also has extensive experience in prior learning assessment, having mentored hundreds of students in more than 50 colleges. Gary has undergraduate degrees from Cornerstone and Trinity International Universities and completed his Master’s in Christian Higher Education from Columbia International University.
Cynthia D. Herrin
Director of Curriculum Services
Cindy serves as curriculum manager and is the primary liaison between the consultants and the partner institutions in the areas of coordinating the logistics of curriculum delivery including handbooks, learning guides, and other content. She also works in an instructional design role, coordinating the efforts of content experts in a wide array of academic areas to ensure the companies’ high quality standards are consistently met. Cindy holds a B.S. degree.
Kim Lane
Director of Administrative Services
Kim has more than 15 years of accounting experience in a variety of industries. She also handles the legalities of copyright clearance for the in-house curriculum center. She has her A.A.S. in Computer Accounting Technology and B.S. in Management and Ethics.