Providence Hall: A College Preparatory School in Santa Barbara

The faculty and administrative staff of Providence Hall are selected for their personal thirst for learning and passion for the art of teaching, their love for students and for God, and their ability to listen and to mentor. They seek to train young minds to think while inspiring a love for the pursuit of truth and beauty, to instill a commitment to virtue and integrity of character, to nurture a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to prepare young men and women for a life of leadership and service to others.

Christopher Benson

Matthew Coleman

Christopher Benson / Humanities

Hailing from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Christopher Benson joins Providence Hall after earning a B.A. in Philosophy from Wheaton College (IL), an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri, and, in December 2006, an M.A. in Liberal Arts (Great Books) from the Graduate Institute of St. John’s College. While on a fellowship at New College, Oxford, Christopher pursued studies in the theology of Augustine and existential philosophy. Particularly enthusiastic about the development of curriculum, he will be team-teaching the interdisciplinary courses in the humanities core. An avid reader and collector of books, Christopher’s other interests include theater, live music, cooking, traveling, hiking, tennis, and running.

Matthew Coleman / Spanish

Fascinated since childhood by the Spanish language and culture during family mission trips to Mexico, Matt—a Santa Barbara native—studied Spanish at Point Loma Nazarene University and the Universidad del Pais Vasco in San Sebastian, Spain. While an undergraduate, he also led students to serve the Spanish-speaking homeless in nearby downtown San Diego. Following two years of teaching in Spain, Matt has returned to enroll in graduate school as an M.A. candidate in Spanish at UCSB. As a teacher at Providence Hall, Matt envisions helping students understand and bridge the gap between the Anglo and Latino communities in the greater Santa Barbara region. A seasoned sailor and surfer, Matt is the director of Christian Surfers Santa Barbara, a cross-cultural youth outreach.

Greg Dziem / Mathematics

Greg Dziem comes to Providence Hall with over 20 years experience in the
fields of biostatistics and clinical data management. Having earned a B.A.
in Biological Science from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in
Entomology from Cornell University, and an M.S. in Statistics from the
University of Connecticut, Greg brings his professional training in,
application of, and enthusiasm for mathematics to the high school classroom.
Outside the classroom, Greg has continued his interest in Guatemala, where
he first went as a graduate student in entomology, and to which he has
returned several times in recent years for the purposes of missions and
Spanish-language immersion. A native of Chicagoland, Greg enjoys hockey
and takes to the rink himself on a roller hockey team called the Chiefs.
Greg and his wife, Debbie, have two college age children, Nicholas and
Megan.

Andy Gill / Director of Physical Culture & Dean of Students

Graduating with a B.S. in Education from the State University of New York, Cortland (summa cum laude), then earning a Master’s degree in Kinesiology at Emporia State University, Kansas, Andy has taught courses in biology, technology, and physical education. Catching the eye of Fox News for his innovative use of skateboards in his curriculum, Andy was also a much-loved coach of soccer, track & field, lacrosse, and golf. He has landed in Santa Barbara bearing the Latin motto mens sana in corpora sano, “a sound mind in a sound body,” stressing the development of character, leadership, and health—physical, mental, and spiritual. An avid outdoorsman, Andy has designed and implemented outdoor educational curricula and supervised camping trips involving canoeing, biking, rock-climbing, and ropes courses. Among other responsibilities as Dean of Students, Andy will oversee the school’s calendar of student activities and programs mentoring character and service.

Ellyn Grosh / Advancement/Admissions & French

Weaned on Christian schooling (born and reared on the campus of The Stony Brook School), Ellyn followed her passion for all things French to pursue studies in preparation for a teaching career at the undergraduate level (B.A. in French and in History, M.A. in French Language and Literature, Ph.D. in French Language and Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Although most recently a Lecturer in French at the University of Chicago, Ellyn’s seven years on the faculty at Wheaton College (IL) afforded her the opportunity to broaden and deepen her understanding and articulation of the integration of the Christian faith in the classroom and beyond—one of the primary distinctives of Providence Hall. Her knowledge of and passion for the purposes of college preparatory schooling with a Christian distinction, as well as her nineteen years of teaching experience, uniquely qualifies her to serve in a number of capacities in the founding of Providence Hall. While not in her beloved France, she greatly enjoys the beauty and offerings of the American Riviera!

Ron Grosh / Headmaster

For the last fourteen years, Ron served as Executive Consultant for Paideia, Inc., an institutional consulting firm for non-profits that is dedicated to excellence in all areas of leadership, development, schooling, and higher learning. With Paideia, Inc. Ron helped found schools, mentored administrators and boards of directors, led strategic planning processes, conducted faculty in-service, reviewed curricula and programming, developed advancement programs, and prepared schools for capital campaigns. In addition to working directly with boards and administrations of schools and churches, Ron has led three schools as an acting headmaster and has served on the boards of several schools, including inner-city programs. Prior to joining Paideia, Inc., Ron served as a professor of English at Cedarville College in Ohio before being named to head Springfield Christian Schools for nine years. He holds a B.A. in English from Cedarville College, an M.A.T. in English and Education from Kent State University, and a Ph.D. in English from The Ohio State University, followed by post-doctoral studies at Princeton and Oxford Universities. He has served on the board and as President of Michigan State University’s Society for the Study of Mid-Western Literature, through which he has published several articles. He was awarded a research fellowship from the Newberry Library in Chicago for archival research and publication.

Keith Luberto / Director of Athletics

Arriving to lead the Lions of Providence Hall, Keith Luberto brings eight years of experience as an AD in Texas and North Carolina. Known for founding and developing successful athletic programs, Keith’s experience includes leading coaches and teams in basketball, baseball, cross-country, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Coach Luberto’s own varsity basketball teams have been highly ranked, reaching the state finals in Austin, Texas. While in Texas, Keith also worked as an account executive for the San Antonio Spurs and as a youth sports director for the YMCA. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Management from the State University of New York at Old Westbury and an M.A. in Sports Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. Keith is married to Ali, who attended high school and college in southern California; they have two sons, Asher (9) and Judah (7).

Charmaine Nelson / Director of Advancement

Bringing twenty-two years of management and resource development experience in the profit and non-profit sectors, Charmaine has most recently led teams overseeing site selection and acquisition, government permitting, construction, and development of schools in Malawi and Ghana, Africa for the Rafiki Foundation's work on behalf of orphans. Prior to her work with the Rafiki Foundation, she held executive management positions with Macy's. She then accepted the position of Associate- and later Vice-President for Customer Support with the San Francisco United Way, developing and establishing its highly successful national program of corporate solicitation. As Director of Advancement, Charmaine holds a B.S. in Marketing and Finance from the University of California, Berkeley. At Providence Hall Charmaine has been founding the advancement program, cultivating relationships and connecting Providence Hall with potential donors and foundations, as well as wearing, willingly, the multiple hats that every successful start-up organization requires and values! Charmaine is married to Tarry, a Santa Barbara native.

David Rosenberg / Humanities

A native of Philadelphia, David Rosenberg earned his B.A. in English and German Language and Literature from Penn State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from UCSB in German Language and Literature. Known for his gifted, creative style of teaching during his graduate studies, David has designed and taught several courses for the university, particularly on Kafka, Nietzsche, and Luther. An accomplished writer, he will be team-teaching in the interdisciplinary courses of the humanities core. He is a former president of the UCSB chapter of InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship. David enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and catching the big wave.

Christina Swan / Science

Inspired by a woman chemistry teacher at her Christian high school, Christina Swan began an intentional journey toward teaching, earning first a B.S. in Biology from Westmont College. Her passion for the “astounding intricacy of God’s creation” led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology from the University of California, San Diego. From there she has held post-doctoral research positions in the UCSD Department of Infectious Diseases and at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. An award-winning speaker and scholar, Christina has conducted numerous symposia for high school students on research in gene therapy and related topics. Pleased at the opportunity “to excite young minds and introduce them to science,” Christina brings the realities of current scientific research into the classroom. Christina is married to Dennis, a fellow scientist; they are the parents of Jasmine, born in December of 2006.