INCHE Governing Board
INCHE’s governing board sustains the mission and policies of the network. There are two representatives from each of INCHE’s five global regions. Regional INCHE members elect their representatives. Board members may serve for up to six years. Below are the identities of the 2024-2025 INCHE governing board members.
Laban Ayiro
Board Member
Africa - Kenya
Prof. Laban Ayiro was a Chemistry teacher, Principal of several High Schools, Provincial Director of Education, Deputy Director of Staff Training (Kenya Education Management Institute), Senior Deputy Director for Policy and Planning at the Ministry Headquarters and Senior Deputy Director for Research and Curriculum Development at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Prof. Ayiro is a Senior Fulbright Scholar having been to the USA in 2011- 2012 researching and teaching at the University of Texas A&M. He is also a leading consultant in Research, Organizational Leadership and Performance. In Moi University he worked as Director, Quality Assurance and Standards and holds a wide research and publication track record of over twenty publications. Administratively, he has acted as an Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Planning and Development and also as the Ag. Vice Chancellor Moi University.
Currently, he is the Vice Chancellor of Daystar University. in Nairobi, Kenya.
Professor Ayiro is filling the term of board member Faith Nguru, one of our faithful board members, who died suddenly from cancer on Saturday, December 28, 2024 in Kenya.
Dr. Elijah Ayolabi
Board Member
Africa - Nigeria
Dr. Ayolabi is a specialist in environmental geophysics, as well as engineering and exploration geophysics. He has executed several environmental and exploration studies for reputable organizations such as Schlumberger. He is a member of Nigerian Mining and Geoscience Society (NMGS), Nigerian Association of Petroleum Exploration (NAPE) and Science Association of Nigeria. Dr. Ayolabi has trained over 100 postgraduate students successfully with over 90 articles in journals and referred conference proceedings, locally and internationally. He became the first Vice-Chancellor of Mountain Top University in 2015.
Dosoung Choi
Board Member
Asia-Oceania - The Republic of Korea
Dr. Dosoung Choi is the President of Handong Global University (HGU) located in Pohang, South Korea. HGU is a Christian university which fosters capable, global citizens with honesty, integrity, and faith. HGU was founded in 1995 and Dr. Choi has served as the university president since 2022.
In his 40 plus years of academic service, Dr. Choi taught at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Seoul National University. He also served as Vice President for International Affairs at HGU and at Gachon University. In the latter part of his career, he worked to educate young people of developing countries based on the belief that economic development is not feasible without good education/training of human capital.
Dr. Choi served on the Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea as a member from 2008 to 2012, leading the central bank’s battle against the global financial crisis. In addition, he served as the President of the Korea Securities Research Institute, a think tank in capital markets research; and he also has been the president of academic societies such as the Korea Finance Association and Korea Securities Association.
Elizabeth Beech
Board Member
Asia-Oceania - Australia
INCHE is grateful that Dr. Elizabeth Beech is willing to return to the INCHE Board after a two-year gap in her board leadership. She previously served on our board from 2018-2021. During the 2020 Covid crisis Beth established the first Graduate Studies programs at Toccoa Falls College, USA, later returning to Australia where she was the Director of Graduate Studies in Education for Alphacrucis University College, the Quality and Projects Officer at Avondale University, and currently serves as the Dean of Studies at the Australian College of Christian Studies.
Previously, Beth was the Academic Dean of the National Institute for Christian Education (NICE) in New South Wales, the postgraduate arm of Christian Education National. Her passion is instilling a transformative biblical worldview perspective in education and leadership related to teaching, curriculum, administration, and school governance throughout Australia and beyond. She is fluent in Spanish from her many years of mission and educational work in Bolivia, particularly at Universidad Evangelica Boliviana.
Marlene Wall
Board Member
Europe - Lithuania
Dr. Wall began her work at LCC International University in 2002 as the Academic Vice President. Then in 2012 she became the university’s president and has continued in that post since then. She had an undergraduate degree from Tabor College (Kansas), the master’s degree in English as a Foreign Language from Southern Illinois University, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University. Wall has been active in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities and was a featured speaker in their 2017 international forum.
Dr. Wall has expertise in strategic planning, non-profit management, entrepreneurship. program development, and writing. During her leadership at LCC International it has grown to be a university with students from more than fifty nations. LCC International University was established in 1993, just after the tumultuous years during which the Berlin Wall fell and there were significant political changes in Eastern and Central Europe. The university was inaugurated through the combined efforts of Lithuanian, Canadian, and American foundations.
Dirk Wakker
Board Member
Europe - Netherlands
Dr. D. (Dirk) Wakker is President of the Executive Board of Viaa University of Applied Sciences.
Wakker served on the board of directors of the Association for Christian Secondary Education in Rotterdam and the surrounding area, was a director of "Huis van Morgen" (a meeting place for the neighborhood, students, and businesses in South Rotterdam), and was a member of a think tank focusing on social change and educational issues. Wakker is a member of the Reformed Church (PKN) of Leerdam.
Dirk Wakker started his second term as Chairman of the Executive Board of Viaa University of Applied Sciences on August 1, 2023.
Rolando Pérez
Board Member
Latin America - Peru
Rolando Pérez is a professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and the University of Lima. His research focuses on religious mediatization & communication and social change.
Born and raised in Peru, Rolando earned his Communication studies degree at the University of Lima. He has a Ph.D. degree in sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He got his master’s degrees in Mass Communication Research focused on Media, Religion and Culture at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. During his studies (2007-2009), he has been part of the research team of the Center on Media Religion and Culture led by Dr. Stewart Hoover.
He is a member of the Interdisciplinary Seminary of religious studies (SIER) of Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He is also a member of the research group on “Religion, Spiritualties and Power” at the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO).
David Mesquiati
Board Member
Latin America - Brazil
INCHE is grateful that Dr. David Mesquiati is willing to join the INCHE Board of Directors. Among his degrees, he completed a PhD in theology from PUC-Rio (RJ), a Masters’ degree in theology from Faculdades EST (RS), a bachelor's degree in Economic Sciences from the Federal University of Espírito Santo - UFES, and a post-graduate degree in EAD Education from the Claretian College. Also, he engaged postdoctoral studies in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary (USA). Dr. Mesquiati was the Pro-Rector of Faculdade Unida de Vitória and a Professor of the Professional Master's Degree in Religious Sciences and degrees in theology at the United College of Vitória (UNIDA). He is also member of scientific councils for several academic journals and author of several articles and books. As of February 2025 he is transitioning to a new position at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas) in São Paulo as a professor in the Religious Studies program.He is the former president of the Latin American Theological Fraternity Brazil (FTL) with which INCHE has an ongoing partnership. He is also regularly engaged with the Latin American Network of Pentecostal Studies (Relep Brasil).
Alan Cureton
Board Member
North America - United States of America
From January 2002 through July 2022, Alan Cureton was the eighth president of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul where he also served as president of Northwestern Media, a media ministry of the university. Today he is the Senior Advisor to the current President of the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Under Dr. Cureton’s leadership, several undergraduate degrees were added and the Center for Graduate Studies was established. At his initiative, the university redesigned its core curriculum with a comprehensive emphasis on a Christ-centered, biblical worldview. Beyond his presidency, he has been a trustee and board chair for the Daystar University (U.S. Board), a member and then chair of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, and board member with the National Association of Evangelicals. Dr. Cureton also served on Higher Learning Commission evaluation teams and as consultant in the areas of strategic planning, leadership, fiscal health, and board development for private colleges and universities.
Karen Longman
Board Member
North America - United States
Karen A. Longman recently retired from 17 years of service as Professor of Doctoral Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University, located in Azusa, California. During that period she also directed the PhD program in Higher Education, which typically served approximately 100 students from across North America and around the world. She earned her PhD from the University of Michigan in the Center for the Study of Higher Education, holds master’s degrees from U.M. and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and completed her undergraduate work in psychology at Albion College in Michigan. Her primary teaching responsibilities have included Higher Education Administration, Critical Issues in Higher Education, and Ethical Issues in Higher Education.
Karen continues to hold the role of Senior Fellow with the Washington, DC-based Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), where she worked for 19 years as Vice President for Professional Development and Research. In that role, Karen coordinated the design of an Executive Leadership Development Initiative, which has served nearly 800 participants (presidents, chief academic officers, and emerging leaders) since 1996. Additionally, she has played a key role in bi-annual offerings of the CCCU’s Women’s Leadership Development Institutes, the Women’s Advanced Leadership Institutes, and the Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institutes.
Karen spent several years as co-editor of a book series focused on Women and Leadership. She was also the lead editor on the first volume in the series, titled Women and Leadership in Higher Education. This seven-volume series was developed through a partnership between the International Leadership Association and Information Age Publishing. For more than a decade she also co-edited the journal Christian Higher Education: An International Journal of Research, Theory and Practice and she has served on several national and international boards over the past 20 years. Her research and publications have focused on gender issues, leadership development, and faith-based higher education.