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, coach of the PHC Moot Court program, 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 now in the thesis-writing stage of her MA in Language and Literature from Signum University, focusing on Medieval and Renaissance literature and its connections to the Inklings. Grace currently works for the Classic Learning Test, and she and her husband recently moved to Scotland, where her husband is pursuing a master's degree in Theology and the Arts at the University of St. Andrews. In Grace's spare time, she enjoys exploring the impossibly beautiful Scottish and English countryside, reading anything by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, drinking inordinate amounts of 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 while she's back in the States during this upcoming Summer 2025 season!
Cole Reynolds is a Professional Staff Member for the House Committee on the Judiciary. As a PHC student (American Politics and Policy, ’22), Cole competed on the varsity Moot Court Team, qualifying for AMCA’s national championship tournament in oral advocacy and finishing third in brief writing. He now serves as an assistant coach for the College's Moot Court program, which has won an oral advocacy championship and two brief writing championships since he joined the staff. Cole coaches Moot Court because it uniquely teaches students to break down intricate concepts, to understand various sides of complex issues, and to advocate winsomely for a position. Such skills are necessary in nearly every facet of life, making us better citizens, friends, employees, community members, and followers of 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 the host and producer of Doubletake, a narrative podcast with WORLD News Group, and has held various roles at WORLD since joining the staff in 1999. His writing has appeared in 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 and read his work with WORLD here.
.jpg?width=304&height=381&name=DSC03870%20(2).jpg)
Instructor: Elias GannageElias 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.
