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Dr. Jerry Rushford
Director

Jerry Rushford

Dr. Jerry Rushford came to Malibu in April 1978 as the pulpit minister for the University Church of Christ and as a professor in Pepperdine’s Religion Division. In the fall of 1982 he assumed his current position as director of Church Relations for Pepperdine University. In September 2009 he became director of the new Churches of Christ Heritage Center at Pepperdine.

He received his education from Great Lakes Christian College (1959-1962), Rochester College, A.A. (1963); Oklahoma Christian University, B.A. (1965); Harding Graduate School of Religion; Abilene Christian University, M.A. (1966) and M.Div. (1969); Earlham School of Religion (graduate studies with Dr. Elton Trueblood); and the University of California, Santa Barbara, Ph.D. in American Church History (1977).

  • member, editorial board and corporation board, Restoration Quarterly
  • contributing editor, 21st Century Christian magazine
  • editor, Crest of a Golden Wave (A 50th Anniversary Pictorial History of Pepperdine University 1937-1987)
  • editor, We Preach Christ Crucified (Sermons in Honor of Frank Pack by His Students)
  • editor, Pacific Church News, a news journal for Churches of Christ on the West Coast
  • author, Christians on the Oregon Trail: Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in Early Oregon 1842-1882 (College Press, 1997)
  • co-author, with Pepperdine colleague Bill Henegar, Forever Young: The Life and Times of M. Norvel & Helen M. Young (21st Century Christian Publishing Company, 1999)
  • Co-producer and host, "English Hymns That Shaped Our Faith" video series
  • Dr. Rushford is also nearing completion on a book entitled Glorious Was The Cause: Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in Early Washington 1851-1916

For the past 28 years under Rushford’s leadership, the Pepperdine University Bible Lectures have earned a reputation as one of the finest lecture series in the nation. Around 4,000 people, from more than 40 states and 20 foreign countries, attend this four-day conference each spring.

He and his wife, Lori, are active in the Conejo Valley Church of Christ near their home in Oak Park, California. Lori works for the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine School of Law. They have two daughters, Hilary and Ashley. Both daughters are graduates of Pepperdine University.

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Joella Michael

Joella Michael
Manager

Joella was raised in Empangeni, South Africa, a daughter of missionary parents, Jerry and Kay Hayes. After their return to Abilene, Texas, she attended Abilene Christian University and received her Bachelor of Business Administration in 1996. Joella's prior experience includes: serving as Director of Community Relations for The Community House in Birmingham, Michigan, and serving as Director of University Communications at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. Her husband, Jacob, was a youth minister for 13 years prior to their move to California in 2007. They live in Agoura Hills with their three delightful daughters and worship with the Conejo Valley Church of Christ.

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Tami Williamson

Tami Williamson
Executive Coordinator,
Associated Women for Pepperdine

Tami and her husband, Jack, worship with the Conejo Valley Church of Christ where Jack has served as the Youth Minister for over 17 years. They have three teenagers, and the oldest son attends Pepperdine.