The Chapel Hill Christian School Board of Education and Search Committee are pleased to announce, with overwhelming support, the appointment of Jacqueline Y. Mathews as the new Lead Administrator of Chapel Hill Christian School. Mrs. Mathews (“Jackie”) will join Chapel Hill on June 13, 2022, taking over for Pastor John Wilson, who is retiring after leading Chapel Hill as the Lead Administrator since 2011.
A Letter From the CHCS Board of Education
Jackie Mathews, Lead Administrator CHCS
Chapel Hill Christian School Board of Education
Dan Petschke, Chairman of the Board
Kurran Bishop, Vice-Chairman of the Board
Mary Bloom, Secretary of the Board
Jill Hiner, Treasurer of the Board
Phil Adkins
Kemp Boyd
Nguyen Hoai-Nghia
Robb Martin
Jim Swanson
Ryan Walton
The Chapel Hill Christian School Board of Education and Search Committee are pleased to announce, with overwhelming support, the appointment of Jacqueline Y. Mathews as the new Lead Administrator of Chapel Hill Christian School. Mrs. Mathews (“Jackie”) will join Chapel Hill on June 13, 2022, taking over for Pastor John Wilson, who is retiring after leading Chapel Hill as the Lead Administrator since 2011.
Mrs. Mathews brings over 15 years of experience working in Christian education and currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Students at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA) in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She has faithfully worked at CVCA since 2012 as both an administrator and teacher. Mrs. Mathews has a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan.
Prior to her career in Christian education, Mrs. Mathews spent 15 years working in the business sector, primarily in corporate communications management. Afterward, she went on to complete a Ministry Training Diploma and, within a few short years, had begun her second career in education. Mrs. Mathews states, “I have come to realize there is no greater ministry than investing in this next generation.”
Mrs. Mathews is no stranger to Chapel Hill Christian School. As a parent of two alumni, Eric II (’12) and Jasmine (’14), she has a deep affection for the school. In the past, she served as an Administrative Assistant at our North Campus and her husband, Eric Mathews served on our Board of Education. Given her history with the school, Mrs. Mathews is uniquely qualified through an intimate knowledge of the school and its culture.
“I am so excited to be returning to Chapel Hill Christian School. This is where God first began stirring a love in my heart for this next generation. I know that God has a calling and a purpose for each one of these students, as well as for this school. I am honored and humbled as I consider how He has been preparing me all along for such a time as this. I look forward to growing with the school in this new season, and watching God’s grace abound.”
We are grateful for the coordinated efforts of Pastor Wilson and the administration in developing a comprehensive plan to ensure a smooth transition process. Pastor Wilson will remain in his current role as Administrator until his retirement on June 30, 2022. We are blessed that he has offered to be available to support Mrs. Mathews, as needed, after his retirement.
We would like to thank our Chapel Hill Christian School community and all of our faculty, staff, students, families, and alumni who have prayed over the search process. Our goal throughout the search was to listen for and follow God’s direction for our school. His preparation for His next chosen leader started long before our search process. Your prayers helped steer us to who He called and were felt throughout the entire search process. We are thankful for your prayers and to have such a faithful and wonderful God. We look forward to His continued work in our school and to the next era of Christian education at Chapel Hill Christian School.
Chapel Hill Christian School Board of Education
Dan Petschke, Chairman of the Board
Kurran Bishop, Vice-Chairman of the Board
Mary Bloom, Secretary of the Board
Jill Hiner, Treasurer of the Board
Phil Adkins
Kemp Boyd
Nguyen Hoai-Nghia
Robb Martin
Jim Swanson
Ryan Walton
A Servant's Heart
“From the moment I met her, I could tell that Jackie was a special woman. Her servant’s heart evidenced itself in her interactions with the Chapel Hill family on a daily basis. She had a love for Jesus Christ and a desire to serve Him in all she did. Her professionalism, confidence and kindness endeared her to everyone she met.”
Sharon Ausbury
Former Principal, CHCS North
Answering the Call
“All organizations are full of policies, protocols, missions, habits, and so much more, but all of us realize that PEOPLE are what truly make a purpose-filled organization thrive. With that in mind, we celebrate two high-impact people at CHCS!
John Wilson is one of the best men I know…and I dare say he’s probably one of the best men any of us know. His loving impact on the students at CHCS is unarguable. I can’t imagine what great adventure the Lord has for him next, but I am positive it will be an “assignment” that glorifies the Lord.
While we celebrate John’s years of impact at CHCS, we are extremely excited for our friend and incredibly talented colleague, Jackie Mathews, to answer His call on her life to be the next leader and shepherd at CHCS. With sad hearts that she is leaving but open hands for HIS ministry of Christian Education, we can’t wait for the Chapel Hill Community to experience all that Jackie brings to the table in these crucial next steps forward for everyone in the school. God calls, prepares, and qualifies as we humbly strive to follow his call. I can’t wait to see how God will work in and through her as CHCS thrives under her leadership!”
Jason Spodnik
President, CVCA
Wealth of Experience
“Fifteen years in Christian education at both CHCS and CVCA have provided Jackie Mathews with a wealth of experience as she returns to CHCS and assumes responsibilities as head of school. While this experience will serve her well, CHCS and its families stand to benefit exponentially from Jackie’s deep faith and wisdom and her unwavering commitment to seeing students embrace Christ and maximize their God-given abilities. I’m excited to see what God has in store for CHCS under Jackie Mathews’ leadership.”
Roger Taylor, Ph.D.
President Emeritus, CVCA
God's Chosen Leader
“As I listened to the report of the Search Committee and participated in the personal interview of Jackie Mathews by the Board of Education, I believe that Jackie Mathews is God’s choice to be the Lead Administrator of Chapel Hill Christian School.”
James R. Swanson
Former Administrator, CHCS
Christian Educator and Leader
“God loves Chapel Hill Christian School. CHCS provides children a first class education where everything is done through the lens of sacred trust. To that end, I am delighted to support God’s choice of our new administrator Jackie Mathews. Jackie is a seasoned, Christ honoring Christian educator and leader. I join our community in welcoming her back to CHCS!”
Dr. Don Lichi,
Vice President, Emerge Counseling Ministries
Former Administrator, CHCS
A Breakdown of the Search Process
What a tremendous blessing it is to report the completed work of the Search Committee appointed to trust the Lord for our new Lead Administrator! Throughout this journey God kept us focused on “trusting Him with all our hearts and not leaning on our own understanding; in all our ways acknowledging Him, so He could direct our path (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Our six-person committee met seven times from August to February in order to provide structure and oversight during the search process and to develop priorities and communications for our search.
The details of the search for our new Lead Administrator position:
- The position was posted on seven different sites
- 13 schools were assessed for potential candidates.
- We received 25 applications from four different states.
- 11 of the applicants were selected and screened by the committee.
- Four candidates were selected for interviews
- Two finalists were selected for additional interviews and testing including interviews with faculty and administration from both campuses.
In April at a special meeting of the Chapel Hill Christian School Board of Education, the Search Committee was thrilled to present Mrs. Jackie Mathews as our candidate to be evaluated by the Board. Following an interview and a vote by the Board of Education, we are so very thankful to appoint Mrs. Mathews with the overwhelming support of both the Board and Search Committee.
While we can appoint Mrs. Mathews to her new position as Lead Administrator, we have confidence that God, Himself, has called her to this role in His service. It is with profound gratitude and humility for His leading that we announce His call on Mrs. Mathews’ life to you!
