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Leadership

 Patrick Henry College exists in a large part because of the hard work and sacrifices made over time by a group of dedicated men and women. Meet some of them here.

Haye

Jack W. Haye

President

Jack W. Haye became the third president of Patrick Henry College in 2015 after thirty years in the banking world as Senior Vice President of Corporate Lending and later as Executive Vice President and National Manager of Treasury Management Consulting. President Haye was a founding member of Patrick Henry College’s Board of Trustees in 1998 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1999-2015.

President Haye left his corporate banking position in 2012 to become the Executive Pastor of the First Baptist Church of McKinney, a 3,000-member church located near Dallas. He held this position until coming to Patrick Henry College.
President Haye serves as Patrick Henry College’s chief executive officer, overseeing all internal and external affairs of PHC and maintaining an educational program consistent with the mission. Jack and his wife, Carol, have been married for over 40 years. They are blessed with one daughter, seven sons, and many grandchildren.

Michael Farris

Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Government

Educational Background:
LL.M., University of London
J.D., honors graduate, Gonzaga University School of Law
B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, Western Washington University (formerly Western Washington State College)


Time at PHC: 2000 to present

Dr. Michael P. Farris is Chancellor Emeritus of Patrick Henry College and Chairman and General Counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association.

View posts in "Chancellor's Corner" here.

Since founding HSLDA in 1983, Dr. Farris has used his extensive experience in both politics and appellate litigation to defend parental rights and help grow the organization to over 83,000 member families with a staff of 125. As a constitutional attorney, Dr. Farris has argued before the United States Supreme Court, seven U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and ten state supreme courts.

In 2000, Dr. Farris became the founding president of another unique educational venture: Patrick Henry College. PHC is a four-year Christian college with the mission of training students through a classical liberal arts curriculum and apprenticeship methodology to impact the world “for Christ and for Liberty.”

PHC provides academically excellent, baccalaureate-level higher education from a biblical worldview. After serving as president of PHC for six academic years, Dr. Farris transitioned into the role of Chancellor. He continues to teach Constitutional Law and coach the PHC Moot Court team. His teams won the national ACMA championships in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016, and defeated Oxford University before two of the highest judges in Britain and in a repeat match before the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Dr. Farris is an honors graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1976), where he was the Articles Editor of the law review and the winner of the Linden Cup Moot Court competition. In 2012, he earned an LL.M. with Merit in Public International Law from the University of London.

In recognition of his work in home education, Education Week has named Dr. Farris one of the “Top 100 Faces in Education of the 20th Century.” Heritage Foundation awarded him its Salvatori Award for American Citizenship in 2002.

Dr. Farris has written over fifteen books, including three novels, two constitutional law textbooks, and works on marriage, parenting, homeschooling, political advocacy, and religious liberty. He is the author and narrator of a popular video series entitled “Constitutional Literacy.” His daily radio program, Home School Heartbeat, airs on several hundred stations nationwide. Dr. Farris was ordained in 1983 and was the founding pastor for Blue Ridge Bible Church.

He is the Senior Fellow for Constitutional Studies and the head of the Convention of States Project. The purpose of this project is to stop the overreach of federal power.

Dr. Farris and his wife, Vickie, have homeschooled their family since 1982. They have ten children and many grandchildren. They live in Purcellville, Virginia.

Michael P. Farris
Howard Schmidt

Howard Schmidt

Executive Vice President, Patrick Henry College
Director, Economics & Business Analytics Program

Educational Background:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University, cum laude
M.B.A., Millsaps College, magna cum laude

Executive Education:
Harvard Business School, Aligning Strategy & Sales
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, Creating Value thru Strategic Acquisitions
University of Wisconsin, Collective Bargaining, Tactics & Techniques 
The Ritz Carlton Leadership Center, Service Excellence
The University of Tennessee, Lean Enterprise Systems
University of Maryland, Heat Transfer & Predictive Modeling

Time at PHC: 2017 to present

Howard Schmidt is the Executive Vice President of Patrick Henry College (PHC) and also serves a dual role as the Director of the Economics & Business Analytics (EBA) Program. Howard has over 40 years of experience distributed over 6 industries with over 30 years of experience in Executive Positions.

Howard serves as the chief strategy advisor to the President. He is responsible for the overall branding and growth strategies for the college. He speaks publicly and privately on behalf of the college. He is heavily engaged and accountable to drive results, projects, programs and initiatives throughout all levels of the organization and across all departments within the College. Since the position was created, PHC has seen enhanced relations with the Board of Trustees, 80% growth in incoming class size of mission-fit students, a growing culture of cross-department collaboration, industry-leading new technology, and expanded brand awareness within the College’s targeted market segments.

Howard also provides strategic direction and oversight to the Economics & Business Analytics Program and serves as an active professor within the program, teaching advanced classes such as Business Methods, Financial Analysis, and Competitive Strategy. The EBA Program is currently the fastest-growing major at PHC.

He has worked for a variety of major companies throughout his career such as Federal Mogul, Frito Lay, Magnetek, Heatcraft Refrigeration Products and Advanced Distributor Products. He has overseen both domestic and international businesses and brings a unique depth and breadth of knowledge in all aspects of business. He has broad areas of expertise including Strategy Formulation, Engineering, Finance, Brand Management, Program Management, Operations, Information Technology, and Talent Development.

Howard is known as a thought leader and specializes in organizational behavior, change management, and technology integration. Prior to PHC, he ran Advanced Distributor Products LLC, an applied HVAC design, manufacturing, and distribution company. He led the company from breakeven financials to becoming the top financial-performing company within Lennox International. In his last year as the chief executive, the company exceeded +$250M in annual sales and employed over 1,100 employees.

While serving in industry, Howard was also heavily involved in the support and growth of Patrick Henry College.  Since the inception of the College, Howard has served as a major donor, a member of the Foundation Board, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, and also a member of the Board of Trustees.

The Board

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Ardizonne
Ramon Ardizzone
Marian Freeland
Marian Freeland
Leininger
James R. Leininger, M.D.
Stewart_edited
Colin Stewart
Mike Wright Spotlight - headshot
Mike Wright
Chairman
DePree
Paul De Pree, Ph.D.
Gilanshah headshot
Bijan Gilanshah
Pullium
Russell B. Pulliam
templeton updated
Terry Templeton
Clay
George W. Clay
Vice Chairman
Downing_full
Gary Downing
Philip D Greendyk
Philip D. Greendyk
David_Shedd_2016_Faculty_Picture
David R. Shedd
Thompson
J. Victor Thompson
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Michael_Farris_2016_Faculty_Picture-482784-edited
Michael Farris
2019.02 Hungar headshot (hi res)
Tom Hungar
Smith_HSLDA
J. Michael Smith, J.D.