Rod Thompson
Dr Rod Thompson is the Principal of Laidlaw College (formerly BCNZ) in Auckland. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, he is married with four children, and has worked as a teacher in Christian and State schools, as a Presbyterian Minister for 15 years, as programme leader of the Worldview Department at MASTERS Institute in Auckland and as the Executive Officer for Vision Development at Christian Parent Controlled Schools Australia. Rod is married to Roseanne, with four adult children, and one grandchild.
Mark Strom
For nearly 20 years, Mark has worked as an adviser to corporate, government, educational and community leaders. Mark's PhD research brought together in dialogue Paul, the ancient Graeco-Roman world, and the issues of leadership in contemporary evangelicalism and society, and he is the author of Reframing Paul: Conversations in Grace and Community, The Symphony of Scripture, and Arts of the Wise Leader. His most recent role was as Principal of Laidlaw College. Mark and his wife Sue have three adult children.
Greg Fleming
Greg is the Chairman of the Compass Foundation. He started his career in finance before spending four years as General Manager of Parenting with Confidence. In partnership with Bruce Logan, Greg founded the Maxim Institute (an independent New Zealand policy think tank) in November 2001, which he leads as CEO. Greg hails from the Wairarapa and is married with five children.
Ryan Messmore
Ryan has a Masters degree in Theology from Cambridge University, and has recently submitted his PhD dissertation at Duke University. He works for the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. with a focus on issues of Social Justice and Religion in Politics. Ryan is married to Karin and they have three children.
Andrew Shamy
Andrew graduated from Canterbury University with an Honours Degree in American Studies in 2002. After graduating he worked for two years as a researcher with Maxim Institute, focused mainly in the area of Compulsory Sector education. He has a Masters Degree in Christian Studies at Regent College, Vancouver, and is currently working for the Compass Foundation as Development Manager. Andrew is married to Rachel, and they live in Onehunga, Auckland.
Annette Pereira
Annette has a first class honors degree in Communications majoring in writing and cultural studies from the University of Technology in Sydney. She has worked with a number of community organisations in supporting "at-risk" youth, most recently in the role of co-facilitator of a "Links to Learning" programme, helping adolescent boys to re-engage in their education. Annette is Communications Manager at Maxim Institute.
Roshan Allpress
After studying history at Canterbury University, Roshan began work with Maxim Institute in Auckland, getting involved with the first Compass conference in January 2004. After leaving Maxim, Roshan now manages the Compass Foundation. He lives in Christchurch with his wife Lottie.
Bryden Black
Bryden is a minister in the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch. He was ordained - and married to Cathy, a doctor - in Zimbabwe in 1977, and ministered as a parish priest and in a hospice service until 1985, when he and his family (of then two children) returned to England. After postgraduate study, they returned to Melbourne (with third babe in arms; fourth child born a couple of years later) where he worked in the Anglican Diocese as the Field Worker and then Director of the Department of Evangelism and Church Growth until the end of 1994. Multicultural ministry among asylum seekers in an inner city parish followed, before the family finally returned to Christchurch at the start of 2000. One reason for (settling back in NZ was the family farm, which he now runs. His interests include missiology and systematics, notably the contemporary revival in the doctrine of the Trinity, his doctoral topic.
