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Seminary Administration and Staff

David W. Kersten
David Kersten
Dean of the Seminary
Phone: (773) 244-6235
Nyvall Hall, 1st
Campus Box: 14
David Kersten came to North Park as the Dean of the Seminary in August 2012, having previously served as the executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry in the Evangelical Covenant Church. Dave is an ordained minister in the ECC, having served congregations in St. Paul, Minn., Bellevue, Wash., North Miami, Fla., and Summerdale, Ala. He earned an MDiv from NPTS and a doctor of ministry in preaching degree from the Association of Chicago Theological Schools.

Deb Auger
Debra Auger
Dean of Students and Community Life
Phone: (773) 244-6222
Nyvall Hall, 1ST
Campus Box: 14

Debra Auger has been the Dean of Students and Community Life at North Park Theological Seminary since 2007. She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church and previously served as faculty member and Director of Worship Arts at Covenant Bible College in Quito, Ecuador. Her M.Div is from North Park Theological Seminary, where she graduated with high honors. She is a board member of Midwest Ministry Development Services, and co-teaches Embodiment, a Spiritual Formation course.

E. Kirsten Burdick
Director of Seminary Admission
Phone: (773) 244-5532
Old Main, 3RD
Campus Box: 40
Kirsten Burdick, Director of Seminary Admission, has been part of the North Park Theological Seminary community since 2005. She graduated from NPTS with her Master of Divinity in 2009 and has been serving in the Office of Seminary Admission since the fall of 2010. Kirsten has previous work experience in pastoral ministry as well as in undergraduate admissions at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. In her capacity as Director of Seminary Admission, Kirsten's primary role is to oversee the admission process, guiding prospective students through the discernment process of coming to seminary and is also involved in the overall recruitment for all seminary programs.

Guylla Brown
Guylla Brown
Administrative Assistant to the President
Phone: (773) 244-6214
Nyvall Hall, 1ST
Campus Box: 14

In addition to serving as the administrative assistant to the Seminary President and Dean, Guylla Brown coordinates the Symposium and the Nyvall, Lund and Palmquist Lectures. She also oversees the Call to Ministry Process for graduating students. Guylla graduated from NPU with a degree in Human Development, and has worked at North Park for nearly 20 years, the last 15 at the Seminary.

Stephen Chester
Stephen Chester
Professor of New Testament
Phone: (773) 244-6238
Nyvall Hall, 3rd
Campus Box: 14
Stephen Chester serves as Acting Dean of Seminary Academic Programs in addition to his role as professor of New Testament. He joined the faculty at North Park in 2006, having previously served at International Christian College, Glasgow (Scotland). Stephen is an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland, with a particular interest in urban ministry. His passion in teaching is to equip students to think critically about the interpretation of scripture in the conviction that true faith grows through wrestling with the text of God's word.

Christine Dekker
Christine Dekker
Seminary Student Services Assistant
Phone: (773) 244-6219
Nyvall Hall, 1st
Campus Box: 14

Christine Dekker works with the Dean of Students and Community Life to coordinate events, forums, testing and evaluation. She is responsible for the weekly announcements, for the integration of databases and for communicating issues of community concern.

Tim Johnson
Timothy Johnson
Associate Professor of Ministry/Dir. of Field Education
Phone: (773) 244-5251
5149 N. Christiana, 1st
Campus Box: 14

Tim Johnson is the Director of Field Education and Associate Professor of Ministry. Tim came to North Park Theological Seminary after serving pastorates in Connecticut, Minnesota and the south suburbs of Chicago. He has held various elected offices for the denomination, including president of the Covenant Ministerium. He earned his M.Div from NPTS and a D.Min from Hartford Seminary.

Paul Koptak
Paul Koptak
Professor of Communications, Biblical Interpretation
Phone: (773) 244-6242
Nyvall Hall, 3rd
Campus Box: 14
Paul Koptak is Associate Academic Dean and Paul and Bernice Brandel Professor of Communications and Biblical Interpretation. In his role as Associate Academic Dean he directs and develops off-site programs and serves as a liaison to the Board of Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. In addition to his administrative and teaching duties, he also edits the journal The Covenant Quarterly.

Alex Macias
Alexandria Macias
Seminary Academic Services Coordinator
Phone: (773) 244-6217
Nyvall Hall, 1ST
Campus Box: 14

Alex Macias is the Seminary academic services coordinator. She oversees the Seminary academic catalog and manages Seminary policy, scheduling of courses, advising, and registration.  In addition, she assists the academic dean with administering faculty issues. Alex has a BS in Psychology and a BA in English from the University of Arizona.

Deborah Penny
Deborah Penny
Associate Director of Field Education
Phone: (773) 244-5259
5149 N. Christiana, 1st
Campus Box: 14

Deborah Penny graduated from North Park Theological Seminary with an MDiv degree in 2006. As the Associate Director of Field Education, she helps students develop skills and competencies for ministry through assessment, career planning, internships and Clinical Pastoral Education.

Deidre Robinson
Deidre Robinson
Associate Coordinator of Seminary Academic Serivces
Phone: (773) 244-5240
Nyvall Hall, 1ST
Campus Box: 14

Deidre Robinson coordinates the pastor in residence program and the professor in residence program for the Making Connections Initiative. She also serves as advisor to the Kern Scholars and as the Seminary transcript evaluator. Deidre earned her BS in Business Administration from the University of Illinois and a MEd in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University.