Instructor: Peter Kamakawiwoole, JDPeter Kamakawiwoole is the Director of Litigation for the Home School Legal Defense Association. During his 12 years as a staff attorney on the HSLDA litigation team, he has represented homeschooling families before state and federal tribunals, including the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals for the Second and Fourth Circuits, and the Supreme Court of Virginia. Kamakawiwoole earned his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law and is also an adjunct professor of government at Patrick Henry College. Additionally, Kamakawiwoole is a Patrick Henry College alumnus and was the first PHC American Moot Court Association national champion in 2005.
President Jack Haye is a 30-year veteran of the corporate banking world. He holds degrees from Baylor University and American Graduate School of International Management, including a Masters of International Management-Finance and Accounting. President Haye spent nearly twenty years as a banking executive at Wells Fargo and for ten years (2002-2012) held the position of Executive Vice President and National Manager. He served on the Board of Visitors at Baylor University (1986-1992), and as a founding member of PHC's Board of Trustees (1998-Present), having served as the Board Chairman since 2000.
Before becoming President of Patrick Henry College in August 2015, President Haye served as Executive Pastor of First Baptist Church of McKinney, a 5000-member church located near Dallas, Texas. His responsibilities there included staff development, budget management, development and delivery of apologetics teaching series, and oversight of both local and international missional engagement in the areas of orphan care, education, and human trafficking.
%20(002).jpg?width=250&height=303&name=PXL_20230416_124856018~2%20(2)%20(002).jpg)
Grace Bennett is a former PHC teen camper, staffer, and a 2021 graduate from Patrick Henry College. While at PHC, she majored in Literature, served as a head Resident Assistant, and was an active member of the PHC chorale and chapel guild. Grace has served in Teen Camps as both counselor and Director, as well as a PHC Admissions counselor for a time after graduation. She is currently pursuing an MA in Language and Literature from Signum University, focusing on Medieval and Renaissance literature and its connections to the Inklings. She currently works for the Classic Learning Test and as a baker at her favorite local coffee shop. In Grace's spare time, she enjoys exploring Northern Virginia with her husband, reading anything by William Shakespeare and C.S. Lewis, drinking inordinate amounts of British tea, and seeking out the beauty and goodness of the Lord in the most unexpected places. She is thrilled to share her passion for good literature with all of you during this week of camp!
PHC Forensics Program Director Susan Johnson brings more than a decade of coaching and organizational experience in high school and collegiate Mock Trial, Moot Court, and Debate to her role as Patrick Henry College Forensics Program Director.
Serving on the Boards of Directors for the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), American Moot Court Association (AMCA), and National High School Mock Trial Competition (NHSMTC), she is deeply involved in the forensics community nationwide. Sue has been published in the North Carolina State Bar Journal and various newsletters and has authored or co-authored more than a dozen mock trial cases at the high school and collegiate levels. She earned her B.A., summa cum laude, and M.P.H., magna cum laude, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, as well as a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. As a strong supporter of Patrick Henry College, Sue is passionate about developing young men and women to lead the nation and shape the culture for Christ.
Professor Nathan Russell holds an M.A. in Economics from George Mason University and specializes in Public Choice, Public Finance, practical economics, the morality and culture of markets, and communicating economic ideas—particularly ideas related to policy and everyday application of economics. Professor Russell has been with PHC since 2006 and is currently an assistant professor of economics. He previously worked for the Charles G. Koch Foundation where he developed economic education methodology and theories of economic management, the Regulatory Economics Group where he analyzed corporate cost and profitability, and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy where he assessed state economic and educational policy.
Thomas Doan is a graduate of PHC’s Strategic Intelligence program (‘22) and currently serves as a product manager and quality engineer for G3 Technologies. Thomas competed for 5 years prior to college in speech and debate in the NCFCA and during that time went from crying after speaking for 30 seconds to competing and placing nationally in several speech categories and placing in the quarter finals of Lincoln-Douglas debate his senior year at the national championship. He would go on to place 3rd at the AMCA Moot Court national championship his freshman year of college. Thomas currently coaches the PHC Atlantic Council Cyber Competition teams following semi-final finish in an international competition as part of the college’s inaugural team.
Thomas is coaching speech because he believes learning to communicate effectively has been instrumental to the success he has found in life, and there is very little that is more important than the skillful and convincing communication of ideas. Understanding how to speak effectively and empathically goes beyond simple competition, and it is when we can reach beyond doing well in a competition that our skills show and we can begin to display our maximum potential for God's Kingdom.
Ryan McDonald is a federal enforcement attorney working at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C. He was hired through the Honors Attorney program immediately upon graduation from Scalia Law School and passage of the Virginia Bar Exam. Professor McDonald himself competed in forensics and competitive speaking events of varying forms for more than 15 years, and he now employs his skills teaching Debate to the forensics students of Patrick Henry College. The Debate program at Patrick Henry College entails research and preparation for topic-specific events and enables students to intelligently, critically, and competitively engage in dialogue to persuade judges and citizens alike. The topics range from social justice reforms, economics, and climate topics, to international policy and diplomacy. Professor McDonald uses his class to help develop the critical thinking, research, and truth-seeking capabilities of his students, all while preparing them to compete against some of the best teams in the country.
Dr. Les Sillars directs the Journalism Program at Patrick Henry College. He teaches courses in the Journalism major, directs internships, serves as a student adviser, and oversees the student newspaper. Dr. Sillars is Mailbag Editor at WORLD magazine and a commentator and reporter for WORLD’s radio show, The World & Everything In It. His writing has appeared in The Weekly Standard, Touchstone, The National Post, The Gospel Coalition, The American Conservative, and other publications. His first book, Intended for Evil: A Survivor's Story of Love, Faith, and Courage in the Cambodian Killing Fields, came out in November 2016.
You can listen to one of his TW&E commentaries here.
Guest instructors will include Paul Butler, features editor at WORLD Radio, and more.
.jpg?width=304&height=381&name=DSC03870%20(2).jpg)
Instructor: Elias GannageMr. Elias Gannage is a Patrick Henry College alumnus, lover of music, and self-professed theater devotee. During his time as a PHC student, he filled roles on and off the stage in seven Eden Troupe productions, including directing his favorite play, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in 2018. Since graduation he has starred in thirteen productions with various local theater troupes, garnering much practical experience on the ins and outs of theatrical production and direction. These shows included Shakespeare, classic comedies, literary adaptations, interactive theater, and even musicals. In 2021, he returned to PHC to help direct Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband. Some of his favorite roles include Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Citizen Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance. He holds a BA in History with a music minor from PHC and is a current graduate student in William & Mary’s Master of Accounting program. When he’s not doing or thinking about theater, Elias spends his free time playing board games, swing dancing, and practicing fiddle, ukulele, and jazz piano.
