Seminary Administration and Staff

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

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.

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.

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

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.

D. Brent Laytham

Professor of Theology & Ethics

Phone: (773) 244-6221

Nyvall Hall, 3rd

Campus Box: 14

Brent Laytham is Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Programs and Acting Associate Dean of Academic Operations in addition to his primary role as Professor of Theology and Ethics. Laytham's writing and teaching is focused in the intersection between thought and practice, Christian theology and worship, and the church and popular culture. He has been teaching at North Park Theological Seminary since 2001.

Alexandria Macias

Seminary Academic Services Coordinator

Phone: (773) 244-6217

Nyvall Hall, 1ST

Campus Box: 14

Alex Macias is the Office Manager for Academic Services. She assists the Academic Dean in the scheduling of courses and administering faculty issues, as well as coordinating all aspects of academic life including programs, policies, the catalog, and registration. She often serves as the advisor to new students and those in the early stages of their programs. Alex has a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Arts and English from the University of Arizona.

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 a M.Div 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

Associate Coordinator of Seminary Academic Services

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 B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois and a M.Ed in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University.