Denise Dunzweiler joined the Oregon Conference team late this summer as Interim Superintendent for Education. She has served in a wide range of roles within Adventist education throughout her career, including as dean of the School of Education & Psychology at Walla Walla University, dean of the School of Education & Psychology for Southern Adventist University, and as an ESL instructor for Atlantic Union College. She also spent several years working outside of the United States in the Philippines, Belize, and Indonesia, earned a master’s degree in Special Education and Administration from Sonoma State University, and holds a Ph.D in Inclusive Education and Leadership from Andrews University.

Now, Denise is bringing that experience and calling to the education field in the Oregon Conference. “Teaching is the best job in the world,” Denise shared. “I believe teaching is the heart of evangelism and I believe education is the heart of the church.” Denise said that one of her top priorities is helping equip teachers to serve every student, regardless of ability and background. “What I’ve found is that if teachers are given the opportunity to learn how to work with any student, they will. If they do not have the tools to work with any student, they can’t. And so it’s very important that we continue teacher education. No matter where you are in life, you should continue your education if you’re going to be a teacher. I’ve found that very few kids are not excited about learning if they have teachers who are excited about teaching them, and if those teachers have principals who are excited to help them teach the students,” said Denise. “My goal here is to do anything I can to make principals very accessible to their teachers to help them do whatever they need to get done, so if I can help the principals carry a lighter load so that they can help carry some of their teachers’ loads, I feel like I have done my job well. It’s very important to me that I serve the people that I work with.”

As students across the Oregon Conference begin the 2023-2024 school year, we look forward to all of the many ways that God will show up in their lives. Please join us in praying for our students, our teachers and principals, our school communities, and all of the leadership who are dedicating their lives to raising them in a loving, Christ-centered environment!