Our Team
You could say we know each other pretty well.
Our partners have a working chemistry that only time can build. We have worked together and shared life for anywhere from 10-25 years, so we know each other well – from strengths to skillset and everywhere inbetween.
Clients feel this connection and see the difference in the results. It’s an energy of ambition, big ideas, and respect. But like any good camaraderie, we have the old stories and inside jokes to have fun along the way.
Tom
Konjoyan
Tom is an achiever with a clear vision of how to win as a team. As a former college athlete in football and baseball, he learned what it takes to win, which he then applied to fundraising for World Vision. His extensive work in Christian ministry gave him unique insight into how schools can find and leverage support.
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As a founding member of Oaks Christian School in Los Angeles, he helped build a school from scratch with abundant backing. Then he took on a new endeavor with Village Christian—using innovative practices to lead change and find success, without as many resources.
Sensing a growing need in Christian schooling, Tom joined forces with NextEd. He’s stoked to add his knowledge of startup, turnaround, and planning to the team.
Experiences
- Partner, NextEd
- Current Head of School, Village Christian School
- Founding Associate/Head of School, Oaks Christian School
- Treasurer/Board Member of CESA
- Director of Corporate, Foundation and Major Gifts, World Vision
NextEd Passions
I am particularly excited to help schools plan, find new leaders, and start new schools in their communities and around the globe.
Pick a Superpower
To always be in the right spot to catch the perfect wave.
Kurt
Unruh
Kurt is a startup guy–ever since he was a child. Even in his early years, Kurt envisioned what was missing from the present and worked to bring it about. These qualities grew a creative developer and entrepreneur who was on a mission to see Christ’s Kingdom play out in the here and now.
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Kurt’s venture into Christian schooling began with supporting his wife (Jade) in the homeschooling of their five children. Trained as an attorney and while practicing law, Kurt became the founding Head of School of Valor Christian High School, serving 1200 students in grades 9-12.
Sensing a growing responsibility and passion for advancing Jesus-centered education, Kurt continues to stretch for the provision, excellence, and access on a global level.
Experiences
- Partner, NextEd
- Founder and visionary for Courage Schools
- Founder and visionary for Jesus Schools
- Former Founding Head of School, Valor Christian Schools
- Former Charter Member, CESA
- Former Board Member, ACSI
NextEd Passions
I love our dual focus of helping existing schools and leaders become stronger and more effective, as well as the opportunity to create new offerings and services.
Pick a Superpower
To be released from the limitations of communication and speak any language in the world.
Gary
Arnold
Gary is an enthusiast for bringing Jesus into the whole fabric of education. Raised an evangelical Quaker, Gary is a peacemaker and bridge-builder. This background has equipped Gary with skills that allow him to find common ground with people of diverse backgrounds, while securely anchoring to the truth of Jesus and Scripture. He has used this skillset across multiple councils, as a founding member of CESA, and as a former lobbyist in the nation’s capital.
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Having served as head of school in Massachusetts and Chicagoland, Gary and his wife Karen relocated a third time to Arkansas. In so doing, they experienced the joy of joining the Lord at work in Little Rock. Over the next 16 years, they witnessed a transformation of school impact.
Experiences
- Partner, NextEd
- Current President, Little Rock Christian Academy
- Director of Head of School Certification, CESA
- In-House Education Consultant, Mountaire, Inc.
- Core Team, Christian Education Charitable Trust, Maclellan Foundation
- Former Head of School, Little Rock Christian Academy
NextEd Passions
My spark for NextEd ignited when we decided to solve problems as a team. The multiple perspectives make for better, deeper, and wiser solutions.
Pick a Superpower
I want to play guitar like Stevie Ray Vaughan or bass like Tal Wilkenfeld and sing like Sting.
Randy
Brunk
Randy is a builder of the new, which was sparked by watching his parents constantly “remodel” their family homestead. He carried that passion into college where he remodeled rental homes in exchange for rent, then went on to build office buildings before turning his attention to education.
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He jumped from teaching math to administration to leading academies—integrating his love for construction, business, and entrepreneurship into how he leads people.
Randy’s experience and interests gives him a unique perspective on what can be a school’s “next.” From programming to facilities, he brings fresh ideas that launch out of the box dialogues with boards, school leadership, staff, families, and students, and helps create the roadmap to make it happen.
Experiences
- Partner, NextEd
- Former Head of School, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
- Former Head of School, Peoria Christian School
- Former Teacher/Assistant Head of School, Fredericksburg Christian Schools
- Board and/or Committee Leadership, ISACS, OAIS, ICNS
- Founding Board Chair, CESA
NextEd Passions
I love getting real with schools about what exists in school culture, programming, and facilities—then rolling up my sleeves to help make a distinct and achievable plan.
Pick a Superpower
Knowing just enough about the future to plan well for it and yet not enough so as to lose the thrill of taking a calculated risk.
Steve
O’Neil
Steve is a strategic problem-solver with the right questions to find the real problem. His career experience leading a diverse range of Christian schools, even in East Africa, has equipped him with unique wisdom in how schools and people operate. It’s this same experience that makes him an excellent leadership coach.
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Having built a broad people network, Steve is a natural connector who’s skilled in talent acquisition and selection and how people can optimize performance to lean into their callings. He knows how to address hot topics (leadership transition, financial turnaround, culture, etc.) that could divide a school community.
He sees challenges as ripe opportunities for a school and its leaders to clarify purpose and achieve excellence. All it takes is some outside the box thinking.
Experiences
- Partner, NextEd
- Current Head of School, Vail Christian High School
- Former Head of School, Westminster Schools of Augusta
- Former Upper Head of School, Minnehaha Academy
- Former Charter School and Executive Board Member, CESA
- Africa Roundtable Declaration, ACSI
NextEd Passions
I want to see every Christian school be excellent and more children to have a seat at the “banquet table.” So goes the school leader and school board, so goes the school.
Pick a Superpower
Underwater breathing like Aquaman—to explore the ocean’s undiscovered archeological treasures.
Jay
Ferguson
Jay is a culture builder with a pastor’s heart. As a current Head of School and former attorney with a decade of litigation experience, he brings a unique combination of analytical skills and empathetic passion.
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The balance of these strengths are perfect for navigating sensitive and thorny issues facing boards and heads of school, while keeping the bigger plan in focus. He carries this same mindset into the classroom, when serving as adjunct professor to tomorrow’s future leaders.
After growing up in the Park Cities in Dallas, Jay and his wife Ashley relocated to Tyler, Texas to raise their three daughters. By God’s grace, he had the opportunity to make an outsized impact in East Texas by growing a small school into a national leader.
Experiences
- Partner, NextEd
- Current Head of School, Grace Community School
- Former Board Chair, CESA
- Former Board Chair, ACSI
- Former Board Chair, Texas Private School Association
- Past/Current Adjunct Professor, Governance and School Law, Gordon College, Covenant College, Vanderbilt, Dallas Baptist, and Baylor
NextEd Passions
I believe that organizations, especially schools, hinge on leadership. NextEd provides the opportunity to work with people I love to help schools become even stronger.
Pick a Superpower
X-ray and telescopic vision I can turn on and off. Then, I would probably never again lose my car keys.
Take the first step toward your next step, today!
Whatever you need, NextEd can find a way forward for you. It all starts with a conversation about you and the exciting opportunity (or pain point) you face.
