OUR TEAM
Dr. Leon Blanchette
DIRECTOR of Center for Faith & Family, Co-Host of Faith together Podcast
Leon Blanchette, EdD, serves as director of the Center. He is leading a team of ONU’s curriculum designers, researchers, data analysts and theologians in developing training materials, training opportunities and other resources to provide what today’s families need for their children’s spiritual development.
Dr. Blanchette also serves as Professor of Christian Ministry and specializes in children and family ministry. He began teaching at Olivet in 2003. In 2009, he received the Richard M. Jones Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.
Ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 1993, he served as a children’s pastor for 18 years prior to teaching at Olivet. Currently, he serves as part-time kid's worship pastor at Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene and serves on the Chicago Central District Board of Ministry Executive Committee.
He and his wife, Teri, were married in 1983 and have two daughters, Sarah and Emily and three grandchildren; Brenden, Cooper and Zoey. His hobbies include cooking, gardening and most any sport.
Lindsey Bush
Co-Host of Faith together PodcasT
Lindsey Bush began her career as an inner-city elementary teacher and through that experience, felt God call her to full-time children’s ministry. She has served over a decade in many different church sizes, models, and contexts.
Currently, Lindsey serves as Children’s Pastor at GatheringPoint Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais, IL, and a Resident Director at Olivet Nazarene University. Lindsey is a graduate of Bethel Seminary with an M.A. in Children’s and Family Ministry, a facilitator for the D6 certificate in Family Ministry, and a leadership coach with the International Network of Children's Ministry. You can find Lindsey traveling to Walt Disney World with her husband, Jamin, reading children’s books, cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes, & enjoying a good game of euchre.
Dr. Lance Kilpatrick
In 2011, Dr. Kilpatrick began his first assignment in higher education when he joined Olivet’s full-time faculty. In 2018, he became dean of the School of Education. He is responsible for overseeing the School’s undergraduate academic programs, as well as the work of its faculty members. An outdoorsman at heart, he has great memories of backpacking and fishing in Yosemite and Sequoia National Forest, and canoeing on the Sacramento River in California. Also a sports enthusiast, he enjoys disc golfing, basketball, football, baseball and ice hockey.
He and his wife, Amy, have a son, Owen, and two daughters, Callie and Lanae. Playing with his children is the most fun leisure activity of all.
Curriculum & Instructional designer
DR. Mark Frisius
Theologian & Church Historian
Dr. Frisius teaches in the School of Theology & Philosophy at Olivet. An expert in the development of Latin theology, he is particularly interested in the development of Biblical exegesis in the Patristic period. He teaches courses that introduce the New Testament and that deal with the Patristic era of church history.
His book, Tertullian’s Use of the Pastoral Epistles, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude, was published by Peter Lang Press in 2010.
He and his wife, Ellen, have two sons, Eli and Caleb. They are also avid joggers and enjoy being outside, especially on nice days. A huge sports fan, he cheers for the Chicago Bears and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Dr. Lisa Gassin
Researcher
Dr. Gassin has been a faculty member at Olivet since 1995, except for the period from 2000 to 2003 when she was working in Russia. In 2007, she received the Richard M. Jones Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, and in 2015, the Samuel L. Mayhugh Award for Scholarly Excellence.
She enjoys exploring and studying in the areas of history, theology, and art. Much of her free time is devoted to the fiber arts in particular, such as crochet, knitting, and dyeing yarn. Dr. Gassin roots for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Wisconsin Badgers.
DR. Kristian VeiT
Researcher
Dr. Veit joined Olivet’s faculty in 2007. He teaches courses in research and statistics, social psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and personality psychology. He also oversees independent study quantitative research projects (senior theses) for the Bachelor of Science degree program in psychology. He has also taught courses in research and statistics at the master’s and doctoral levels.
In his leisure time, Dr. Veit enjoys running, swimming, biking, rock climbing, pencil drawing, and playing piano, trumpet, and guitar. He and his wife, Beth, have three daughters, Kylie, Bailey and Kirby.
Donna Mcallister
Facebook Editor
Donna McAllister is an Olivet alum and spent the majority of her professional career serving in Student Life at Olivet as an administrator and as a Resident Director. She shares that living life with college students 24/7 was an incredible privilege.
Currently, Donna homeschools her son and works remotely for the local Chick-Fil-A as Human Resource Administrator. Donna is very active at Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene where she volunteers in the children's ministry.
She and her husband, Matt, have two children, Cooper (12) and Zoey (10).
Ashley Owen
Podcast Editor
Ashley Owen is a senior at Olivet Nazarene University studying Multimedia Communications with a concentration in Radio & Record. She has been an on-air personality and employee of radio station, Shine.FM, for three years and is serving as the station manager for student radio station Spark HD this year. In addition, she has worked as a emcee and VIP coordinator for Christian band, Sidewalk Prophets, on their winter 2022 tour and spent some time as their booking intern. She recently spent 8 months living in Nashville, TN studying live music management and working for K-LOVE radio as their first radio programming intern. Ashley is passionate about the value of audio production and communication to spread God's word to all who can listen.