159th Regional Assembly - 2008

Keynote Speaker
Dennis Landon, President, HELM
Dennis L. Landon has served as president of Higher Education and Leadership Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since 1997. As HELM's president he is responsible for the division's mission to nurture transforming leaders for the church and the larger society in partnership with Disciples-related colleges and universities, theological schools and ministries to and with students.

Dennis is a trivia expert and has contributed to a book of humorous essays on the work of Franz Bibfeldt, the world's most famous non-existent theologian. He spends his spare time reading, collecting different incarnations of the Jack In The Box spokesman on eBay, and enjoying "The Simpsons" and reruns of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer."

Bible Lessons
Kris Culp, Dean, Disciples Divinity House
Kris Culp has been Dean of the Disciples Divinity House since 1991. She is also Associate Professor of Theology in the Divinity School. She is the seventh dean of Disciples House and was the first woman to become chief executive of one of the theological education institutions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
An alumna of the Disciples Divinity House and a Ph.D. graduate of the Divinity School, she also earned the Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of General Studies degree from the University of Iowa. From 1985-91, she was a member of the faculty of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri.
She chairs the Board of Directors of DisciplesWorld, Inc. She has served on numerous boards. She was also a founding member of Saint Andrew Christian Church in Olathe, Kansas.