2020 iCON Faculty
Eunice Au
Eunice is an avid reader and loves learning. Since 2012, she has been motivated to create interactive, online learning experiences both in the US and internationally. She has served in the Institute as the Director of the ICC Academy since its inception. Most recently, with her husband Au, she relocated to Singapore to serve with OMF, a global fellowship of Christians with a heart for East Asia. She is now enjoying gardening year-round, buying fresh produce in open-air wet markets, and connecting with her three daughters in the US via WhatsApp. She loves to empower others to serve with excellence and integrity, to follow Christ with confidence, and to labor with faithfulness for the advance of God’s heavenly kingdom.
Lydia Bloomer
Hey there, I’m Lydia! Along with my four younger siblings and a couple of cats, I live in Ohio. I’ve been in ICC for seven years, and last year, I had the amazing experience of being a part of the fall ambassador team. I am looking forward to supporting this year’s ambassador team, and being a part of the life-giving community in the Summer Institute!
Dr. Stacey Campbell
From television production to art ministry, film festivals to community theatre, Dr. Stacey Campbell has a passion for the power of story and empowering others to find the best version of themselves designed by the greatest Creator. With his doctorate in Strategic Leadership and ten years experience as an Executive Pastor, Dr. Campbell uses his professional experience and mission of restorative grace to help launch and lead nonprofits and organizations to increase their impact globally. Dr. Campbell lives with his wife, three kids, and two sign-language-literate dogs, and he is thrilled to be joining the ICC – which he serves as a Board Member – at iCON 2020.
Anna Carrion
Anna and her family first became involved with ICC in New Jersey 10 years ago. After moving to Ohio, she started the first chapter in Columbus with her two sons. She has served as the Great Lakes Area Coordinator for three years. Anna earned a BS in Industrial Management Engineering at De La Salle University. Growing up in the Philippines, a culture with a strong focus on family, Anna taught computer software to business and bank professionals. She and her husband of 26 years, Anton, moved to the United States in 1994 where she discovered her love of ballroom dancing. Anna has two grown sons, who have served with ICC as touring ambassadors.
Gail Chye
Coming soon!
Charlotte Gunther
Hello! My name is Charlotte Gunther. I am 20 years old and hail from Annapolis, Maryland. When I’m not contemplating how much sour cream I can put in my chili before it’s considered “too much”, I’m most likely creating something. From art to cross stitch to managing my stamp collection, if it involves working with my hands, I’m probably interested. I have been a part of ICC ever since I was 6 and have been on staff for 3 events. With all my experience in ICC, I have found that these skills aren’t just classes to take or a checklist to check off, but rather competencies I am always using and always improving. I’m pumped to work with ICC again this year and can’t wait to see you at the Training Center!
Gary Gunther
Retired United States Naval Commander and Licensed Professional Engineer, Gary Gunther currently serves as the Director of Capital Investments Programs for the United States Navy. During his 22 year long career in the Navy, Gary served at sea as a Surface Warfare Officer on USS Elmer Montgomery (FF-1082) as well as an engineering instructor at Surface Warfare Officers School Basic before transferring to the Civil Engineer Corps, where he was responsible for civil engineering projects at the Naval Hospital Bethesda, Naval Station Guam, Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and Public Works Center Pearl Harbor Hawaii. After retiring from the Navy, he led the efforts of a government and contractor team which was responsible for the information management and telecommunications portion of the renovation of the Pentagon prior to and following the 9/11 attacks. Later he transitioned to government civil service and was the Deputy Branch Head for the Enterprise Integration Branch. In his current role, he provides management for a sustainment budget of $2.7B in the Navy’s Shore facilities for new construction, repair, sustainment, and demolition.
Mary Gunther
Mary Gunther understands what it means to operate in a rapidly changing environment. And she likes it that way! A graduate in the 2nd class of women from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 and mother of nine, she has been involved in leadership education for the past 25+ years. After attending her first ICC conference in 2005, she brought ICC conferences to Maryland and started the first ICC Chapter. Mary’s interests are varied and diverse: from graphic design, organizational health, strategic action, latest tech trends, and visual storytelling. Along with her experience and training in leadership development, Mary holds a certificate in Art Integration across Curriculum from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC as well as a certificate in Christian Nonprofit Leadership from Christian Leadership Alliance. She assumed her current role Chief Influence Officer in May 2017. Mary lives in Annapolis MD with her husband and a rapidly changing at any time number of children.
Dana Hagood
Dana Michael Hagood currently works as the Executive Director, Human Resources Regional Operations for USAA and is responsible for coordinating the Human Resources function for the Colorado Springs campus (workforce of approximately 1,750 employees). He joined USAA in 1991. Dana has an extensive HR background to include: Recruitment/sourcing, Employee Relations and Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion, Performance & Change Management, Compensation, Training and Benefits/Payroll administration. He is also a Culture Shaping Facilitator. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from the University of Northern Colorado. He also currently holds the Senior Human Resources Professional (SPHR) designation. He has worked in the banking, aerospace, insurance and financial services industries. Dana is married, is the proud father of 6 children and equally proud of his 6 grandchildren.
Samuel Hoisington
Oh hey there! I’m Samuel Hoisington, I am 19 years old and come from Virginia, a state where the weather can be extremely hot one week and pretty cold the next week. I enjoy all things leadership, computers, and Chick-fil-a, which also happens to be where I work! I could probably talk for hours about how much I love to work at Chick-Fil-A and my intense passion for games of all kinds. I have been in ICC for a full decade now and am just now starting my time as an alum. I will be helping out with the media side of the training center as well as the facilities and outside work. I look forward to see y’all at the training center and the fun times we will have there together.
Mindy Johnson
Mindy attended her first Communicators for Christ Conference in 2010. She had never before seen speech coaching taught from the perspective of serving the audience. She was hooked! Mindy started a chapter in 2011 in Hutchinson, MN, where her family are still members. She has a BA in English/Spanish Education and loves studying leadership and improving her speaking skills. She and her husband, Ryan, have been married for 24 years and have 4 children. You will find her working in the garden, helping on the farm, teaching the teens at church, or running.
Michelle Loh
Teaching is her passion….her calling. Michelle started mentoring in high school and has never stopped! Professionally she began as a Math college lecturer before staying home full time to homeschool her two children. Since her high school days, she has been serving in Sunday School and youth ministry. Currently, both her husband and her invest their lives in the college students and young adults in church. Her family joined the Institute for Cultural Communicators (ICC) six years ago and the journey in mentoring her own children took on a new dimension as they learned to articulate their convictions, build competence in speech, develop Christ-like character and connect with a global community. As a strong advocate for Christ-centered education, Michelle stepped up to a new role in ICC as a Liaison, two and a half years ago, for the learning centers in Malaysia where she supports and mentors the administrators and instructors to use the ICC curriculum to empower their students to be communicators for Christ. As an enthusiastic encourager and curious learner, Michelle constantly seeks to inspire, liberate and walk alongside those who are like-minded.
Deborah Mackall
Deborah Mackall and her husband have 7 children, spanning 21 years from oldest to youngest. She loves communicating and connecting with others and for many years secretly longed to be a story teller. Recently she completed a Writing for Children course and has finally admitted that her ultimate goal is to write non-fiction novels. You will probably never find her far from a stash of chocolate or the next party idea. Deborah attended her first Communicator’s for Christ Conference in 2006, where Dr. Moon’s words resonated in her heart. Having been searching for good mentors for her boys, she really wanted this community for her entire family. In 2009, she joined chapter with the agreement she would sponsor a new chapter the following year. And in 2015, she stepped into the Area Coordinator role for 4 years. She is currently an Area Leader on the Global Resource team, supporting the Mid-Atlantic Area while working to invent her new role in resources.
Dr. John McLean
Dr. John McLean sees a better future — he’s a visionary and an entrepreneur. His latest project is the building of a string of micro-hospitals in the U.S. All of his six children received years of ICC training, and he’s convinced that his two grandchildren, who participate in an ICC chapter currently, will be prepared for their futures because of it. East Asia is special to him; three of his adopted children are of Asian descent, and he has done years of work with a Philippine orphanage. This is his third trip to East Asia with an ICC team! He believes in the benefit of the ICC training and has frequently backed that up with donations to make it possible for students to experience the transformation of the ICC community.
Lisa McLean
With a degree in education and twenty years’ experience in home education, Lisa McLean has found a place in ICC to do what she loves to do: to work out problems — in relationship. As Director of People Care, she equips people to parent, to mentor, to love well. Her husband and she have six children, two who interned with ICC and one who serves as an ICC Area Leader. They now have two grandchildren in ICC chapters! Five of their children are adopted, three of them are Asian by birth; she loves the idea of mixing up the races! Having traveled to East Asia three times with ICC, working with our global community challenges her to develop new skills and ways of thinking, to learn from other cultures, and to appreciate the immensity and diversity of the Church. Her passion: to disciple Christ-followers in wisdom, respect, and holiness.
Dr. Teresa M. Moon
ICC founder, Dr. Teresa Moon continues to serve as the organization’s President and CEO. Her mentees have spoken at the White House, Congress, the G8 Summit, the United Nations and in a dozen other countries. After 30 years of training organizational leaders, teachers, parents, students, and youth workers in every state in America, and in Canada, China, and Singapore, Dr. Moon is more committed than ever to equipping authentic leaders who engage and transform culture. Dr. Moon is a nationally recognized speaker, leadership consultant, author, communications coach, and President of Communicators Advantage Project (CAP), a publishing and consulting company. Teresa enjoys thought provoking books and movies, leisurely lunches and walks, bold coffees and ideas, and brainstorming culture and the future with Millennials. Her favorite Millennials are her two grown sons, Wendell and Devin. Teresa and her husband David call Tennessee home.
Wendell Moon
Wendell is impacting the marketplace as a Brand Architect, transforming businesses through dynamic storytelling. His creative consultancy has collaborated with Red Hat (IBM subsidiary), Chiro-CEO (co-founded by Dr. Josh Axe), Tidelift, GiANT, and Lenovo. With 150+ hours in film and television, Wendell’s production portfolio includes Netflix, Discovery Channel, NBC, and CNN. Wendell is passionate about creating impactful experiences through written and visual storytelling. He lives in Nashville with his wife and newborn son.
An Normand
A physical therapist by training, An worked with typically- and atypically-developing children for twenty years before making a career shift. She became involved with ICC ten years ago, where she has since been fulfilling one of her great passions: equipping and mentoring adults. An is of Belgian descent and a strong advocate for intergenerational and intercultural communication. She loves learning by immersion and her vision is to be a reflective listener who creatively reframes other people’s thinking.
Tim Perseo
Tim loves developing teams and individuals to transform their organizations and communities. Tim is an ICC alumnus and has left his mark in several different corners of the organization from his chapter, to iCON general assemblies, to the ICC Academy, and events in East Asia. His time in ICC inspired him to study human resources management in college and to begin consulting teams and individuals to grow in communication, character, and influence. He lives in New Jersey with his wife (also an ICC alum!). He misses spending time in coffee shops and hosting friends for a meal, but finds joy in walks with friends and baking sourdough.
Julie Rambo
Julie Rambo is an artist, gardener, lover of Jesus, and a homeschool graduate. Julie believes teens should be challenged to step out of their comfort zone. At 17 she became the director of a children’s ministry running 12-week Bible camps with teams from across the Eastern United States. She has also been assistant director for Child Evangelism Fellowship and Children Director for her church Lebanon PCA, in Winnsboro, SC. Julie has a deep rooted passion that the gospel be shared to the world. She attended Pratt Institute, in Brooklyn, NY. She acquired a degree in Communication Design, with an emphasis in Illustration. Her dream is to create art that shares a story. Julie continues to reside in South Carolina with her husband, Matt, and they homeschool their four children. As a chapter Sponsor for 3 years and now as a Student Leader Liaison for ICC, Julie wants to influence today’s culture by discipling the next Christian generation. Julie has been a successful leader – fundraising for her chapter; helping grow leaders and resources; and building influence in her community. Have you considered the power of the platform beyond building competent speakers? Come learn how to leverage your students through public speak to receive advanced leadership scholarships. Learn the potential of a platform…broaden your perspective…see new ways for transformation happening in a Communicate for a Change. Come hear from myself and Co-host, Dijea Young, how the platform is everywhere. Learn how to find fundraising in your community. Join us to explore the possibilities of fundraising as friendrasing! Come talk and learn where to begin. Julie thrives despite having chronic Lyme disease. In her spare time, she is always creating and teaching art lessons and exploring with her kids.
Jonathan Ricks
Heya heya! I’m Jonathan Ricks, a crazy 23 year old that’s fascinated by personality types, absurd random facts, and candy corn. Why candy corn? Because it’s a candy shaped like a pizza that’s named after a veggie. Maize aside, I’m going to have staffed 9 ICC events by the end of iCon, and I am so excited that I get to be with you for number 10! Hope to see you at the training center.
Nicole Ricks
Nicole Ricks loves young people and her life reflects that call. For over 9 years, she has served and mentored both students and adults. As Director of Student Leadership, Nicole is an innovator who is intentionally challenging and supporting Area and Global Student Leadership Teams as well as the adult liaisons around the globe. She has launched new online curriculum and created tools to support the growth and development of her teams. Currently finishing her degree in Nursing and mentoring her five children, she is a natural nurturer, a lover of fun and friendship, and a pursuer of excellence.
Dede Ruff
Dede Ruff enjoys the challenge of intentionally innovating. This year, as Director of ICC’s Forensics Society, she’s helped to innovate a new online tournament experience that has brought together intergenerational teams from four countries and expanded opportunities for real-world training. Entering her 8th year in ICC, she loves learning – and trying- new things, especially if they’re challenging. Dede earned her BA in Economics from Washington and Lee University as part of the second co-ed class at the all-male school. She has served as and ICC Chapter Sponsor and then as Southeast Area Coordinator for 3 years. She is part of the new online chapters ICC is launching this year and looks forward to developing community in new ways. Her love of community comes from living in a small town where everyone knows your name. She and her husband operate a 6th-generation family business and live in a house built by his family in 1904 which requires lots of innovating to work with life in 2020.
Abi Shepherd
Hey! My name is Abi Shepherd. I come from New Zealand and Singapore. I’ve spent about half my life in each country. Last year I served as an Ambassador for the Institute. I produced media for the 2019 Communicators for Christ international Conference Tour and 2020 IGNITE Winter Advance. I am currently serving as an alum with ICC, producing media and mentoring the Global Student Leader Media Team. I really love historical fiction, but I’ll take most books – if you’re offering any!I also really like tea…especially with a good book on the side. I look forward to connecting with you over this summer, and maybe finding out what your favourite books are…
Cassandra Shepherd
Cassandra spent her growing up years on sheep and cattle farms in New Zealand before completing a degree in Management Studies with a focus on Organisational Development and Change. Her experiences in the army, the agriculture industry, farm education, business lending as a relationship manager, living abroad, and in educating her own children make her uniquely qualified as a mentor and leader. In 2014 Cassandra and her girls attended an ICC event in Singapore. She found a community where she could contribute her diverse talents and her passion for people and strategic planning. She now serves as the Director of International Relations, based in Singapore. She enjoys networking with people from different cultures and helping people to catch a vision for the possibilities God has in store for them and their families.
Apple Teoh
Apple is a mother to 2 teen girls, 15 and 17 and 1 son in Singapore’s National Service. She was a teacher before she stayed home for 20 years to homeschool the children. Her family has been with ICC for 7 years. She relishes time chatting with people, loves the outdoors and enjoys getting creative and crafty. She has served as a sponsor and a Student Leader Liaison and will move on to be the Student Leader Academy Coordinator in the new year.
Chloe Whitehead
My name is Chloe Whitehead and I come from Michigan, the Great Lake state. I have been involved in the Institute for Cultural Communicators for thirteen years as a student, leader, and ambassador. Since serving as an ambassador for the Institute I have been studying music education at Eastern Michigan University and running my own private piano studio. I am thrilled to come back and serve in the Summer Insitute and come alongside all who come through as we learn about servant leadership!
Amy Yen
Amy is one of the pioneers that started the first ICC international chapter in Singapore in 2010 and also helped to organise the first CFC Conference in East Asia in 2014. She was a Chapter Sponsor in 2017-2018 before starting the first UK chapter in 2019 in Leeds. She saw the need for ICC in Europe and went on to organise and host the first CFC Europe in Nov 2019.
Before homeschooling her children full time, Amy was a lecturer in the local polytechnic, training students in intercultural communication and lifeskills subjects. Her passion is in intercultural studies, having spent time doing research in Indonesia, Australia and Vietnam.
Amy and her family has been in Leeds for the past 20 months with missionary organisation, WEC International. She is involved with Arts Release’s multicultural worship band, as a singer and trainer. During the Covid lockdown, she helped to coordinate and host the first online training for Simply the Story. Amy is also active in her local church ministries like the English class for migrant ladies, and café ministry for the homeless and needy.
In her free time, Amy enjoys walking, reading, watching Korean drama and films on Asian migrants, and preparing cuisines from different cultures for the family.
Dijea Young
With 30 years of experience as a teacher, accrediting consultant, exchange student host and parent, Dijea Young finds her passion in mentoring the next generation. One of Dijea’s earliest memories of coaching communication skills is the image of her eldest son in tears on his bed after receiving feedback from Mommy. The rest of her kids are grateful she met ICC mentors soon afterward! Now serving as ICC’s North Central Area Coordinator, Dijea is thrilled to have the opportunity to guide coaches who mentor the next generation.