J. Nick Pitts serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Global Engagement at Dallas Baptist University. Previous to this he held the position of Director for Cultural Engagement at Deni...

Chelsey Youman, Esq., is Chief of Staff & Counsel for First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights. She joined First Liberty Institute after working f...

Chelsey Youman, Esq., is Chief of Staff & Counsel for First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights. She joined First Liberty Institute after working for a law firm in private practice, where she successfully litigated corporate fraud matters, complex commercial litigation, and consumer rights issues in both federal and state jurisdictions. Youman received her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University, where she was a Dean’s Scholarship Recipient. She was also a member of the Board of Advocates, where she successfully argued in off-campus mock trial competitions, and was a member of the Aggie Law Society and SMU Christian Legal Society. During law school, she clerked for the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Attorney General of Texas and Liberty Institute.

Jack Goodyear serves as the Dean for the Gary Cook School ofLeadership and as Professor of Political Science at Dallas Baptist University. Dr. Goodyear joined the faculty in January 2008, teaching pol...

Jack Goodyear serves as the Dean for the Gary Cook School ofLeadership and as Professor of Political Science at Dallas Baptist University. Dr. Goodyear joined the faculty in January 2008, teaching political science full-time. Dr. Goodyear was then the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2012-2014, where he enjoyed working with the faculty and students in the college while continuing to teach Political Science courses. In August 2014, Dr. Goodyear was asked to serve as the Director of the Ph.D. in Leadership Studies program. In 2016, Dr. Goodyear was appointed as Dean of the Cook School of Leadership as well as Director of the Ph.D. in Leadership Studies program. In June 2017, a new Director of the Ph.D. in Leadership Studies was named allowing Dr. Goodyear to focus fully on the Dean’s role. Prior to coming to DBU, Dr. Goodyear served for ten years as a minister in churches in Arlington, Texas, and Tampa, Florida. He has been married to Jessica for 20 years. She has her master’s degree in education and taught elementary school prior to returning to school and becoming a nurse. She is now a labor and delivery nurse. Jack and Jessica have five children—Grant, Claire, Tessa, Treyvion, and Nehemiah. They are members of First Baptist Church of Arlington, where Jack serves as a deacon, and he and Jessica teach in the 11th Grade Sunday School Department. Dr. Goodyear holds a Ph.D. in Religion, Politics, and Society from Baylor University. His studies focused on the historical, philosophical, theological, and sociological interactions between religion and politics and the church and state, paying special attention to the impact of evangelicals in American politics and culture. He also earned a Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His bachelor’s degree is fromBaylor University in Political Science.