Christian is the Director of the VEBS Academy (Verband Evangelischer Bekenntnisschulen), where he leads biblically grounded professional development for Christian teachers and school leaders. He trained as a primary school teacher and worked for many years in teacher training and school practice before assuming leadership of the Academy in 2020. Married with four children, Christian is passionate about helping educators integrate a biblical worldview in their teaching, drawing on God’s view of humanity as revealed in Scripture.

Ted Turnau is Chair of the Department of Arts, Culture, and Literature and a Senior Lecturer at Anglo-American University in Prague. He earned his B.A. in English from the University of Virginia and holds an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary. He specializes in popular culture, imagination, and their relationship to the Christian faith. Ted is originally from Rhode Island, USA, but has been living and teaching in the Czech Republic since 1999. He has been married to Carolyn for over thirty years, and they have three adult children.

Dagmar is an ESSP educator in developmentally sensitive sex education and a retired high school teacher in sports, geography, and social learning. She now trains teachers, supports parents, and works with young people through the TeenSTAR sex education association. Dagmar is active in her church community, especially through the Torchbearer mission “Fackelträger Schloss Klaus” in Austria, serving in guest care, pastoral care, and violence-prevention training. Together with her husband, Dagmar has a large family (including eleven grandchildren) which fuels her passion for helping young people thrive.

Maral is a special needs teacher with extensive experience supporting pupils with speech, physical, and cognitive disabilities in both mainstream and Christian school settings. She is the founder and director of the Institute and Publishing House for Children and Language (IKUS and VKUS). Maral has served as the regional spokesperson for children with speech and language disorders for the Hessian Association for Special Education. She has also led children’s ministry at Move Church Wiesbaden, facilitated multiple mother-child groups, and directed the Hochheim Network for Children and Language.

Dr. Brückner is a retired Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Cologne and a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. His long career has explored how landscapes and coastlines evolve over millennia and how people and the environment influence each other. His research—rooted in geochronology and geoarchaeology—provides a deep-time perspective that bridges natural science and meaningful questions about origin, change, and purpose. He continues to contribute to conversations about faith and science in light of his academic work.

Cornelia serves as coordinator for peacebuilding education for churches and institutions worldwide connected to the World Evangelical Alliance. She loves to interact with teachers and school leaders who are interested in creating a positive classroom atmosphere. As a long-term teacher at a Christian high school and other institutes, she is aware of the importance of good relationships among students so that learning is greatly encouraged. Married with three adult children, Cornelia also serves as a coach, mediator, and counsellor at her local church and conventions.

Bärbel has been involved with FES Stuttgart, Germany, since its founding in 1991 and has witnessed its growth from 15 to over 1,500 students across all school levels. She has served in many roles, including board member, Realschule principal, secondary school teacher, prevention advisor, and coach for colleagues in the area of member care. She is married with three adult children and five grandchildren. Her work has long focused on strong cooperation with parents, healthy school communities, and sustainable leadership. Deeply committed to the whole school family, Bärbel is continually grateful for what Christ has done through FES over the years.

Christoph teaches at two public vocational high schools in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Since 2008, he has been instructing students in Protestant Religious Education, International Economics and Business Administration, English, and Global Studies. As a married father of four children, he experiences education from both perspectives - that of a parent and that of a teacher. Beyond his passion of being a teacher, he serves as Vice Chairman of the LehrerErmutigungsTreffen e.V. (Teachers’ and Educators’ Encouragement Gathering).