Stan Mattson

Position:

Dr. Mattson is the Founder and President, Director of the C.S. Lewis Study Centre at The Kilns in Oxford, England and Director of the triennial C.S. Lewis Summer Institute in Oxbridge. 

Education:

He has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the State University of New York, Oswego; Master’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Ph.D. in American Social and Intellectual History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

Background:

A past member of the faculty of Gordon College and of the faculty and administration of the University of Redlands, Dr. Mattson has also served as Headmaster of The Master’s School of West Simsbury, CT. He founded the C.S. Lewis Foundation in 1986.

Family/ Interests:

He and his wife of 47 years, Jean, have two adult children, Todd and Elizabeth, and five grandchildren. Dr. Mattson’s interests include sailing, singing, and playing traditional folk music.

Jill Fort

Position:

Jill Fort serves in the role of Faculty and Program Coordinator. 

Education:

She has dual Master’s degrees in School Psychology (Syracuse U.) and in Higher Education, College Student Affairs (Azusa Pacific University). 

Background:

She has worked in residential treatment settings, private practice, and teaching at the community college level; she was also part of the administration that launched Community Christian College and has served on its Board of Trustees for the past 8 years.
She has served with CSLF since the Fall of 1999, initially working as Coordinator of the Faculty Forum initiative. 

Family/ Interests:

She has been married to Tom for 32 years and is the mother of two adult children, Amber and Gavin. Jill’s interests include travel, reading, classical music, tennis, and off-roading by ATV.  She looks forward to having more time to brush up on her Spanish and learn to play the dulcimer.

Kate Simcoe

Position:

Kate is the Kilns Coordinator and Director of Summer Seminars in Residence at The Kilns, Oxford, England.

Education:

Kate received her Bachelor of Arts Interior Design, California State Univ. Long Beach. She also took Independent studies courses in dance, theatre and art at Rancho Santiago College, California.

Background:

She has served with the C.S. Lewis Foundation since 2001.   In addition, Kate is an Interior Designer, residential and commercial design, a private residential design consultant, and an independent film set designer.  Her previous experience includes being an Administrative Assistant in the educational and institutional fields, a costume designer and a dance instructor.

Family/ Interests:

She has been married 25 years to the love of her life, Duncan, an artist, musician and arts educator.  She enjoys time with her family and cats, traveling, gardening, reading, movies, having musical evenings with her friends, flower arranging and decorating her home again and again and again.

Robin Bailey

Position:

Robin Bailey is the Office Manager for the C.S. Lewis Foundation.

Education:

She received her education in her area of expertise from the South Bay College, School of Business.

Background:

Robin has served as Office Manager and Administrative Assistant in the Long-term Care Industry and in Telecommunications for the last 20 years. She has been with the Foundation since October 2002.

Family/ Interests:

She is the very proud mother of a wonderful 17 year old daughter, Kaylin, and the two of them enjoy various interests such as traveling, riding wave runners, country music concerts, and spending time with her extended family. Robin also has an interest in returning to school this fall to become fluent in Spanish, like her mother and grandmother.

Steve Elmore

Position:

Steve Elmore is the Foundation’s Director of Communications, which involves a wide variety of activities from advertising to desktop publishing to media relations to web development. 

Education:

He has a B.A. in English from Pepperdine University and an M.A. in Literature and Film from Claremont Graduate University. 

Background:

He has worked in education, clerical work, and technical/computer work. He occasionally teaches part-time at local community colleges and has been with the C.S. Lewis Foundation since June 2006. 

Family/ Interests:

He and his wife Becky have a new daughter, Rowan.  His interests include literature, film, pop culture, science fiction, fantasy, video games, and playing with Rowan.

Larry Backlund

Position:

Larry Backlund is the Director of Conference Services for Oxbridge 2008.

Education:

He holds degrees in Physics, Aerospace Engineering and Education from the University of Minnesota.

Background:

He worked for a number of years on the Apollo Lunar Landing program.  He taught physics.  He worked for 30 years for Billy Graham during the last 15 of which he was Director of the Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism.  He serves of the Board of Directors of two Christian ministries.

Family/ Interests:

Mr Backlund's interests include leading numerous tour groups to Israel and the Middle East.  He has worked with persecuted Christians in several countries around the world.  And he loves any activity outdoors, especially hiking, canoeing, camping and fishing.  He has established a live webcam on the nest of a Common Loon.

Donna McDaniel

Position:

Donna McDaniel is our Event Manager for Oxbridge 2008.

Education:

Montreat College in Montreat North Carolina. Took courses at Scottsdale Community College, and Arizona State University.

Background:

She has worked as an Office Manager - Dental, Legal Assistant, Discussion leader, and Personal Assistant, as well as in Banking and Bible Study Fellowship. She has worked with the Foundation for ten years in various capacities, most often in the area of Conference Services. She attended our " Vacation with a Purpose" in 1999 at The Kilns and pounded her fair share of nails.

Family/ Interests:

She raised five children with Frank: Stuart, Martha, Deborah Anne, Aaron, and William; and has four grandchildren: Vanessa, Ethan & Emily and Emily. She enjoys music, gardening, travel, theater, walking, reading, journaling, and visiting with friends.

Rachelle Andrus

Position:

Rachelle is the Oxbridge 2008 Registrar and Marketing Associate.

Education:

She graduated from Vanguard University with a BA in History and Political Science and a minor in Biblical Studies.  Currently, she is enrolled in a PhD program at Claremont Graduate School where she is studying Political Philosophy and Comparative Politics.

Background:

Between and around her schooling, Rachelle has worked as a tutor, a nanny, and in the Social Sciences Office at Vanguard University.

Family/ Interests:

Rachelle enjoys clandestinely reading fairy tales when she ought to be doing her statistics homework, laughing over Calvin & Hobbes’ comic strips with her brother on the weekends, traveling anywhere with her Mother (whether it be glorious Florence or less glorious Sydney, Montana) and taking long walks (on the beach or otherwise).

Malissa Kilpatrick

Position:

Malissa is the Warden at The Kilns, The C. S. Lewis Study Center in Oxford, England.

Education:

At Duke University, she graduated with a B.A. in Botany and M.A.T. in Science. At Regent University, she earned certification in TESOL.

Background:

Malissa has been a mother, homemaker, tutor, and a homeschool teacher. Before being a tour guide at the Kilns, she was a tour guide at Colonial Williamsburg.  In 29 years of moving around with the USAF (her husband, Russ, is a recently retired Brigadier General), they lived in Europe for 9 years. She began her stay as Warden at The Kilns in Summer 2007.

Family/ Interests:

She is has been married to Russ (who will soon be joining her at The Kilns) for 30 years. They have three grown children, Paul,  David, and Liz.

Alyssa Jacobsen

Position:

Alyssa serves the Foundation as Office Assistant.

Education:

She has a B.A. in History from Walla Walla University, Walla Walla, Washington.  She also attended La Sierra University (California) and Newbold College (England), where she studied communications, history, and English literature. She has been with the C.S. Lewis Foundation since June 2007.

Background:

She has worked as a Teacher’s Assistant, a reporter for her college newspaper, a sales associate, and a substitute teacher.

Family/ Interests:

Her hobbies include traveling, photography, art history, beaches, visiting museums, dancing, sea doos, languages, and reading.

Laura Arredondo

Position:

 Laura Arredondo is our Bookkeeper.

Education:

She has a B.S. in Accounting from the UABC and a Masters in Finance from CETYS University, both in Baja California, Mexico.

Background:

Laura has mainly worked in accounting and finance areas in the manufacturing industry. Since fall 2006 started working with Hands of Mercy and she joined the C.S. Lewis Foundation in November 2007.

Family/ Interests:

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, hiking, playing basketball, playing card and board games, traveling, and going to Mexico on short term mission trips.

Linda Hill

Position:

Linda is the Foundation’s current Intern and will serve as the personal assistant to the Director of Conference Services for Oxbridge 2008.

Education:

She recently earned a B.A. in English Literature and Art History from Arizona State University where she graduated from the Barrett Honors College.

Background:

While studying at ASU, Linda worked as a tutor in the university’s Writing Center. She joined the C.S. Lewis Foundation in January 2008.

Family/ Interests:

She loves spending time with her family and friends when at home in Mesa, Arizona and looks forward to sharing the next several months of her life with her new “family” at the Foundation.