CBFA Leadership
CBFA is led by a board consisting of CBFA members. The board is responsible for the following:
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Upholding the mission and bylaws of the Association.
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Representing and acting for the Association in any matters relating to the purposes of this organization.
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Overseeing the development and implementation of the Association’s strategic plan.
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Defining and creating positions and assigning tasks and responsibilities as specified in the Bylaws and the Strategic Plan.
The Board of Directors has the authority to define positions and assign tasks and responsibilities as appropriate as well as the to define specific roles and responsibilities for members of the Executive Committee and for individual directors.
Each year nominations are accepted for new members. Election of new members happens at the annual conference. Officer positions include: Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Board members also serve as the Program Chair, Director of Publications, Director of Conferences and Director of Marketing.
Dr. Rick Martinez, Chair (2027)
After serving in numerous administrative posts in Christian Higher Education institution, Dr. Rick Martinez was appointed the Chair of Entrepreneurship at Dallas Baptist University in June 2022.
Dr. Martinez has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Management, California Management Review, Journal of Business Research, Business Horizons, Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, Christian Scholars Review, Christian Business Review, Christian Business Academy Review, and others. He has also served in numerous editorial roles.
Dr. Martinez is the recipient of the 2020 Sharon Johnson Award (for contributions in the integration of Business and the Christian faith) from the Christian Business Faculty Association. Prior to his academic career, he spent six years in the U.S. Navy operating nuclear power plants on surface ships. Rick and his wife Peggy live in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dr. Holly Perleoni, Chair-Elect (2027)
Dr. Holly K. Perleoni serves as the Associate Dean of the School of Business at Lee University, where she is also an Assistant Professor of Marketing. She directs Lee University’s MBA program and teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing and strategy. Dr. Perleoni holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Marketing from Anderson University and a Master of Business Administration from Lee University. Her research interests include evolutionary psychology, consumer behavior, signaling theory, and intrasexual competition. Passionate about experiential learning, she frequently travels internationally with students to enhance their educational experiences.
Beyond her academic roles, Holly is deeply engaged in her community. She serves on the board of the Cleveland, TN chapter of Junior Auxiliary, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to serving youth. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Jordan, their daughter, Olivia, and two golden retrievers, Ruby and Fenway. She enjoys flyfishing and hiking in the beautiful Smoky Mountains.
Dr. Larry Locke, Past Chair (2026)
Larry Locke is a professor and the associate dean of the McLane College of Business at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He is also a research fellow at LCC International University.
He holds a JD from Harvard Law School, an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MATh from Gordon Cromwell Theological Seminary and an MS from Oxford.
Locke served as a lawyer in the financial services industry for 13 years. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and served as senior pastor of an independent Baptist church in Massachusetts.
Dr. Melanie Peddicord, Treasurer (2027)
Dr. Melanie Peddicord holds MBA and DBA degrees from Anderson University in Indiana. She also holds a CPA license in the state of Indiana and has worked as a staff auditor for Ernst & Young LLP and as manager of financial reporting at The Finish Line, Inc.
Melanie is currently a Professor of Accounting as well as the Department Chair for the Graduate Business and Online Undergraduate Business programs at John Brown University. Prior to JBU, she served as an Associate Professor of Accounting and the Assistant Director of the DBA program at Anderson University. She and her husband, Todd, are the parents of three children.
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Dr. Kevin Hughes, Secretary (2026)
Dr. Kevin Hughes is a Professor of Management Emeritus at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio, where he has served in a variety of positions since 1988. He served 12 years in enrollment services before joining the MVNU faculty in 1999 teaching in traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate programs while also serving as MBA Program Coordinator, Department Chair, and Associate Dean for Administration in the School of Business and Dean in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. After 36 years of full time service at MVNU, he officially retired in 2024, but continues to adjunct for MVNU and LeTourneau University.
Kevin earned a Ph.D. from Capella University, an MA from the University of Phoenix, and a BA from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He enjoys teaching international business, international travel, and participating in international construction projects with the Church of the Nazarene. Dr. Hughes served as CBFA Conference Coordinator for the CBFA conference held at MVNU in 2011. He served on the CBFA Board of Directors as Program Chair from 2011 to 2017, and Secretary from 2017 to 2020. Kevin was appointed again as Secretary of the CBFA Board in 2023.
Kevin received the Barnabas Award in 2015, and the Richard Chewning Award in 2019. Kevin is married to Michelle, and they have two adult sons.
Dr. Robert L. (Lenie) Holbrook, Program Chair (2028)
Lenie Holbrook is an associate professor in the Management Department at Ohio University, where he has served since 2000. Prior to that, he spent three years at the University of Central Arkansas. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Computer Science from Union University, an M.B.A. (Management) from the University of Memphis, and a Ph.D. (Business Administration) from the University of Illinois.
Holbrook teaches courses in management, organizational behavior, and decision making. His early research focused on organizational justice with publications in Social Justice Research, the Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Human Resource Management Review. More recently, his interests have focused on pedagogy and leadership, with publications in the Christian Business Academy Review, Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, the Journal of Management Education, and Management Teaching Review. He has also published a variety of teaching-related supplements for John Wiley & Sons. He was formerly an associate editor for Management Teaching Review and currently serves as the editor for the Christian Business Academy Review.
Holbrook is an active member of Lancaster First Baptist Church, where he has served as a deacon, life group leader, and on the finance committee. He and his wife, Susan, have been happily married for more than 39 years. They have a son, Adam, who graduated from Union University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dr. Adina Scruggs, Director of Marketing (2028)
With over 23 years of experience as an administrator and professor, Adina Scruggs serves as the DBA Program Director at Bryan College where she is also a Professor of Business. Dr. Scruggs has taught all levels of business education from dual enrollment to doctoral courses. She enjoys hands-on teaching and has led several student trips overseas.
Adina earned a DBA in Marketing from Argosy University and an MBA in Marketing/Management from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She enjoys consulting with nonprofit organizations and ministries about their stragetic initiatives and marketing efforts. She serves on the board and volunteers regularly with the Care Center of Rhea County, Tennessee.
Adina is married and has three grown children. As an avid Tennessee fan, she loves all things orange!
Dr. Joe Walenciak, Director of Conferences (2028)
Dr. Joe Walenciak holds the rank of Distinguished Professor of Business at John Brown University where he has served since 1982. He has also served as the Dean of the College of Business as well as the program chair for the undergraduate and graduate business programs.
With interests in community development, short-term service and ministry, and academic development abroad, Joe has led or participated in more than 100 short-term mission/service projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan and Northern Ireland. He has also led graduate studies programs in Latin America, Asia and Europe.
Joe has been a member of CBFA since its early days and was the recipient of the Richard Chewning Award in 2007.
Dr. Marty McMahone, Director of Publications (2026)
Dr. Marty McHone teaches in the areas of leadership, ethics, computer programming and quantitative analysis at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
With a Ph.D. from Baylor University and an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. McMahone's research interests are in the areas of Christian discipleship in business, servant leadership, developing ethical companies and teaching approaches.
Dr. McMahone has been a member of CBFA for several years and has participated as a presenter and moderator.
Dr. Sandy Cassell, Member at Large (2026)
Dr. Sandy Cassell is a Professor of Business at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. She also serves as the Program Coordinator for the BBA, Management program at Evangel.
Sandy is a Certified EQ Coach and enjoys creating engaging classroom and extracurricular experiences that inspire and prepare students for their future career.
Dr. Erica Vonk, Member at Large (2027)
Dr. Erica Vonk is an Associate Professor of Business with additional roles as Director of the Center for Innovation & Leadership and Senior Woman Administrator for athletics at Northwestern College. She teaches in the disciplines of leadership, management, and entrepreneurship. A Northwestern College graduate in business education, Vonk also holds an MBA from the University of South Dakota and a PhD in organizational leadership from Concordia University Chicago.
She and her husband, James, are the parents of three children and live on an acreage where they farm both in Iowa and South Dakota. Vonk is active on the leadership team for Centerpoint Church and enjoys collaborating across all areas of her life.
Dr. Rich Rudebock, Member at Large (2028)
Rich Rudebock is in his 25th year as a Professor of Business and Management at Oklahoma Baptist University. He brings 28 years of business experience into the classroom.
As an active member of CBFA, this is Rich's 23rd CBFA Conference.
When not teaching, Rich enjoys spending time hanging out with his family.
Dr. Michael Cafferky, Member at Large (2028)
Michael Cafferky has been a CBFA member and contributor since 2001. In 2013, he received the Sharon Johnson Award, he served on the CBFA Board from 2012-2015 and, he served as the editor of JBIB from 2016-2018.
Prior to a 14-year teaching role at Southern Adventist University, Cafferky enjoyed a 20-year career in the healthcare industry starting as a janitor and ending as a CEO. He has authored several books, including On the Brink, Business Ethics in Biblical Perspective, and Management: A Faith-Based Perspective.
Now retired, Michael enjoys biblical theology, traveling, watching and thinking about films, making stuff from scratch, giving feedback on creative writing and collecting paradoxes.
