Faculty, Staff, and Board

MEET OUR FACULTY AND STAFF

Mr. Dan Snyder, Headmaster of Concordia Academy – Wichita

Aristotle tells us that everything we do together is political. This sounds strange until we understand that the Greek understanding of that term is synonymous with social, and in realizing that we would say “of course”. What is hidden behind that transformation of our normal way of thinking about ‘politics’ is that we have lost something valuable in what Aristotle was driving at. The social characteristic of humanity is an extension of friendship. Maybe the highest good in life is friendship, friendship with God and friendship with neighbor, and in this distinctly Christian realization and admonition we can extend our friendship across the ages to Aristotle.

This is why, as the headmaster of Concordia Academy-Wichita I am so happy to attend to our society of scholars that bridges time – classical. We are a group of friends intent on becoming more useful to each other, and closer to God. Coming from New York to Wichita to teach in the exciting field of high school classical Christian education, my wife Tracee and I felt many separate threads of our lives coalescing in this mission. When cities are at their best, they seem to be the same: a society of friends. When they are at their worst, they are battlefields of warring self-interests, characterized by difference that is dissonance. Man finds discontent in himself and spreads it to his neighbor. I have experienced how a good school, a centered community, can radiate the opposite of strife. But, how does man overcome his inner and outer state of war?

It is marvelous that man can find his center in Christ, the great mediator, and that we can be citizens both of the earthly friendship and the heavenly kingdom, finding and spreading peace in our communities with a fearless devotion to the knowledge and wisdom found in the school of wisdom and virtue that is the society of our Lord. We rise to the times in which we are born, and this is a time that calls out for a reaffirmation of what calls us higher, the restoration of holy friendship.

Faculty of Concordia Academy

Instructor of Art and Mathematics – Ian Snyder

Mr. Ian Snyder, our art instructor, holdsa a Bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Hunter College in New York. He is a Marine veteran, whose work has been displayed at Mark Arts in Wichita, where he also serves as an instructor in Renaissance methods.

“At Concordia Academy, we practice drawing and painting from life because nature is the best teacher of artistic technique and intuition.”
– Ian Snyder

Instructor of Spanish – Silvia Petit

Silvia is a native Spanish speaker, born in Guatemala, Central America. She lived in Mexico for 5 years and has traveled to El Salvador, Peru, and Spain. She has a bachelor’s degree in theology from The Central American Theological Seminary.

“The Spanish curriculum and classes at Concordia are designed so that students not just merely fill a high school requirement but actually learn the language as a practical real-life skill.”
– Silvia Petit

Chaplain of Concordia Academy and Instructor of Theology – Fr. Michael C. Brockman

Michael Carl Brockman, son of Virtus and Ruth (Matter) Brockman, was born March 11, 1956, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was baptized April 8, 1956, and confirmed March 22, 1970, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Marshalltown by the Rev. Ernest Runge.

After graduating from West Marshall High School at State Center, Iowa in May of 1974, he attended Iowa State University in Ames where he was awarded the Baccalaureate of Science degree in agricultural journalism. He entered Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana in June of 1980. His year-long vicarage was served under the Rev. Alwin Reimnitz at Zion Lutheran Church in Bismarck, North Dakota. There he met, and married on July 30, 1983, Theresa Louise Bauer (b. Feb. 7, 1961), daughter of Elmer and Mabel (Sack) Bauer, of New Salem, North Dakota.

The Brockmans moved to Fort Wayne for Michael’s final year of academic work and on May 25, 1984, Michael was graduated with a Master of Divinity degree, was certified for the pastoral ministry of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and was called to serve as evangelistic missionary to Venezuela. He was ordained into the Holy Ministry on July 1, 1984, by past synodical president, Dr. A.L. Barry.

After a seven-month-long Spanish language learning stint in Mexico, the Brockmans arrived in Venezuela in February of 1985. Pastor Brockman served congregations in Caracas and in the eastern part of Venezuela. Oldest son Christian was born in Maturín in 1986. The Brockmans returned to the United States in December 1987 and Pastor Brockman accepted the Call to St. James Lutheran Church in Scottsbluff, Nebraska in January 1988. Born there were Hannah (1989), Manuel (1990) and Maria (1992). Over the past 31 years, Pastor Brockman has served Immanuel-Klinger, Iowa, Christ-Hutchinson, Kansas, Grace-Wichita, and Immanuel-Hoxie & Immanuel-Oakley.

The Brockman children are presently residing in the following places: Christian & Sneha (Laila) live and work in a southern suburb of San Francisco; Hannah & Cody live and work in Wichita; Manuel lives and works in Kansas City; Maria lives and works in Dallas.

Pastor Brockman has been the guest of ISSUES, ETC. several times and has had sermons published in the journals Gottesdienst-The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy and Concordia Pulpit Resources. He contributed religious articles for five years on a quarterly basis to The Hutchinson News. He has been a presenter at the Higher Things youth conferences, at district pastors’ conferences and at the ecumenical Hall of Men gathering in Wichita. He worked as a catechist for 15 years within the Kansas Department of Corrections. He has served on the Evangelism Board of the Wyoming District, as LWML Zone Counselor in the Kansas District and as vacancy pastor in Wyoming, Iowa, and Kansas. His former congregations in Hutchinson and Wichita hosted, for 26 years, a two-day event called the Lutheran Lecture Series. He is a member of the St. Polycarp Society and in 2014 was awarded the Sabre of Boldness from Gottesdienst Journal. From 2014-2016 he did weekly curb-side counseling at the former Tiller Abortion Clinic in Wichita urging young mothers not to have abortions and was elected in June 2023 to serve as President of Lutherans for Life-Kansas. During his time in western Kansas, he served two years on the Oakley Library Board.

Pastor Brockman likes to listen to talk radio, read, swim and practice shoot his .38 Special. Mrs. Brockman likes to bake, volunteer, visit and text. Both are fans of Last Man Standing and Leave It to Beaver.

Instructor of Mathematics – Dr. David Cullen

The Rev. Dr. David Cullen, our géomètre, holds the Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies and a Ph.D. in Théologie Philosophique from l’Université des Sciences Humaines de Strasbourg (Strasbourg, France). He successfully defended his dissertation at Strasbourg, the first written at a French university about the philosophy of C.S. Lewis, in June of 1987. His dissertation adviser was Gérard Siegwalt.

Business and Development Manager – Amanda S. Carter

Amanda Carter began her journey with Concordia Academy in 2017 as a member of the Board of Directors. She took on the role of Administrative Assistant in the Summer of 2022 and became the Business and Development Manager in 2024.

Amanda grew up in the Lutheran school system, attending Bremen Lutheran School (now known as Good Shepherd Lutheran in Marysville, KS) 1 st through 8 th grade. Amanda is married to Aaron and together they have 3 children. Gideon and Gabriella are with their Lord and Savior and Rosalind attends Christ the Savior Academy.

They are members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Wichita where Amanda serves on the Church Council and as one of the church organists.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology from Kansas State University.

Instructor of Classics – D.P. Fahrenthold

D.P. Fahrenthold is in his tenth-year total teaching, all ten of which have included Latin and three of which Greek. He is also a current graduate student in classics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. D.P. was introduced to classical education in the Fall of 2002 in the Introduction to Philosophy class of Dr. David Naugle (beatae memoriae). That class with that professor utterly changed D.P.’s. life and put him on the path to teach Latin and Greek.

D.P. has been married to Bethany for ten years and they have three children: Irene, Paul, and Madi. They are members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Wichita, KS.

He is very excited to join Concordia Academy and to see students trained in classical Lutheran education!

D.P. holds a B.A. from Dallas Baptist University, 2008 and a M.B.A. also from Dallas Baptist University, 2018

Instructor of Composition and Rhetoric – Jennifer Montgomery

Jennifer Montgomery has taught English and history for 31 years to students ranging from grade 6 through college, most recently as an associate professor of English instructing students in essay composition, argumentation, rhetoric, literature, developmental English, and study skills. Earlier in her career, she taught high school English and history, and coached forensics, debate, and drama.