Serving Christian Union's Financial Partners
Cheryl Ennis Self, ACFRE
Vice President of Development
Cheryl was the Founder and Chief Development Officer of the consultancy Funding for Change (FFC). Since 2016, FFC has provided expert guidance to both nonprofit and for profit corporations in the areas of creative visioning, innovative strategic planning, excellence in resource generation, and sustainable attainment of stated goals.Prior to serving as a Business Consultant, Ms. Self was the Executive Director of Global Social Partnerships at World Vision (WV). WV is a Christian humanitarian organization with 46,000 employees working in nearly 100 countries. Her prior roles at World Vision over 16 years included leadership of major donor, corporate and foundation development officers, while personally stewarding a strong portfolio of donor relationships.
Her previous experience includes service as National Director of Advancement at Prison Fellowship Ministries, Washington, DC, and Interim Director of Development at The Stony Brook School, Long Island, NY.
In 2013, The Association of Fundraising Professionals, the largest community of professional fundraisers in the world, awarded its highest professional certification, the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) to Ms. Self. Available only to senior-level fundraisers who have worked in the profession for 10 or more years, the ACFRE is a distinguished achievement earned by only 104 professionals since the inception of the program in 1992.
Ms. Self holds a BA in French Language from Gettysburg College, PA, where she graduated cum laude. She and her husband of 30 years, Jim, live in Northern Virginia.
Jason Blomgren
Volunteer Ambassador
Jason works most closely with Christian Union alumni, friends, supporters, churches, and foundations in the Western Region and around the country.Jason was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Business with a dual focus in Marketing and Finance from Azusa Pacific University in 2001. Prior to joining Christian Union, Jason led a successful sales career building and managing a healthcare equipment division for a regional distribution company. Jason has been active as a board member with several local nonprofits in the Bay area and has spent the last 10 years serving the local Young Life in Palo Alto.
Jason and his wife, Audrey, live on the San Francisco Peninsula, near Stanford, and are the ecstatic and lucky parents of three beautiful children.
Landon Eckhardt
Director of Development
Landon represents Christian Union in the Northeast Region, working closely with ministry financial partners, including individuals, churches, and foundations. His role is to steward their participation in developing Christian leaders to impact culture across the country.Born and raised in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas metroplex, Landon earned a BSBA in finance from Samford University in 2009, an MDiv from Palmer Theological Seminary in 2014, and an MBA from Eastern University in 2017. Prior to joining Christian Union, Landon worked in development at The Bowery Mission in New York City where he managed a team overseeing donor relations, donation processing and receipting, and various data and reporting mechanisms.
Landon and his wife, Amanda, currently live in New York City and are avid foodies, coffee lovers, and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends.
Kate Farrar
Director of Development and Donor Relations
Kate represents Christian Union in the Northeast and Southeast Regions, working closely with ministry financial partners, including individuals, churches, and foundations. Her role is to ensure their desire to develop Christian leaders who impact culture is realized through Christian Union's ministry.Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Kate graduated magna cum laude from Berry College in Rome, Georgia, where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science and religion. As a summer fellow, she participated in the Charles Koch Institute's policy program working for a state-level think tank. In fall of 2014, Kate was a John Jay Fellow with the John Jay Institute's leadership program, completing an academic residency and externship with The Heritage Foundation. Prior to joining Christian Union, Kate worked in external affairs for the American Enterprise Institute.
Kate currently resides in Washington, D.C. She enjoys living in the heart of the nation's capital and being involved with her local church and community.
Patty Fillman
Administrative Assistant
Patty provides crucial administrative support to the development team. She graduated from Mansfield University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked a variety of secretarial and managerial jobs while fulfilling her primary responsibility of raising her children. Patty has three wonderful, grown children: Adam, Rachel, and Hannah. Between them, she and her husband, Jim, have four children and three grandchildren.
Lisa Gill
Annual Giving Associate
Lisa works closely with annual and mid-tier donors. Previously she and her husband, Scott, worked with Cru at Princeton in 1990. In 1993, they moved to Bulgaria, where Scott served as the Director and Lisa juggled the roles of wife, mom, and ministry staff. After 18 years they moved back to the United Stated. Now they reside in Missouri and are the proud parents of six boys and one princess.
Angela Hong
Associate Vice President of Development Services
Angela began her Development career at the American Bible Society as a Specialist, Major Donor and Planned Gift Fundraising. She advanced quickly through the department and organization. She provided analysis and key insights for maximizing print campaigns and integrated digital efforts. Later, she served as Manager of Program Management and was responsible for monitoring hundreds of international projects to meet organizational goals.Angela graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, Universal City, PA with a Bachelor's of Science. She is married to Jonathan, and they have one son, Brandon. They love the Lord and live in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Dave Magnuson
Associate Vice President Strategic Gifts
Dave directs the work of the directors of public affairs. He also works closely with financial partners in the Central Region and around the country.Dave hails from Minnesota. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Business from Bethel University in 1983 and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in 1992. Prior to joining Christian Union, Dave served successfully as the Chief Development Officer at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Presbyterian Homes, and The Salvation Army in Chicago. Dave has also been active as a board member with several international social service ministries.
Dave and wife, Caryn, live in the Chicago area and are the proud parents of three adult sons, Trent, Caleb, and Nathan, and daughter, Grace, who is in college.
Chin-Chin Minnear
Senior Development Associate
Chin-Chin was born and raised in the Chicago area. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College (IL). Chin-Chin has been privileged to work in various sectors over the course of her career, including state and federal government, non-profit advocacy, consulting, and health care. She is also a trained counselor and coach.
Chin-Chin lives in the Washington, DC metropolitan area with her husband, Adam, and their two beautiful children.
Sara Morrill
Donor Care Manager and Development Support
Sara grew up in Nyack, New York and Grand Rapids, MI. She graduated cum laude from Taylor University in 2013 where she studied communications and viola performance. Prior to Christian Union Sara worked in Development at Trinity International University where she managed the donor relations team.Sara and her husband, Dan, reside in Palatine, IL.
Deborah Oladapo
Data Director
Deborah grew up in Auburn, Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama where she received her BA in International Studies and Spanish and her MBA. She spent eight years working as an IT professional with Rohm and Haas Company, The Dow Chemical Company, and with a non–profit community college before joining Christian Union. Deborah is married to Abiola. They have two children and live in Columbus, Indiana.
Kelly Parks
Development Writer
Kelly Parks graduated from Wheaton College magna cum laude with a BA in Psychology and a minor in English. During her Wheaton career, Kelly studied abroad at the University of Oxford at Wycliffe Hall through an organization called Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford. Her time abroad had a formative impact on her life, helping Kelly realize her passion for higher education.
Prior to Wheaton College, Kelly spent 15 years of her life as a missionary in Budapest, Hungary. While in Budapest, she was involved in refugee relief during the refugee crisis of 2015 as well as youth ministry. Since graduating from Wheaton in 2020, Kelly started her career as a Development Writer for Christian Union where she has been able to combine her passion for ministry, writing, and higher education. When she is not working, Kelly enjoys painting, reading, and going on long bike rides with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Laura Valentino
Director of Development Communications
Laura is a development writer for Christian Union. Previously, Laura identified, wrote, and designed sales ideas for wholesalers at a private investment firm. Most recently, she served the development and gift planning departments at Wheaton College. There she developed marketing collateral, created proposals for major gift officers, and worked closely with the director of development to establish messaging and design materials for their capital campaign.Laura and her husband, David, live with their five children in Bartlett, Illinois.
Chris Wright
Director of Operations – Development
Chris grew up in Oklahoma and attended Purdue University where she received a BA and MS in management. Chris joined Procter & Gamble in 1990 and worked for twelve years as an IT professional. In 2002 Chris left Procter & Gamble to stay at home with her children; she joined Christian Union in 2007. Chris lives with her husband, Mike, and her two daughters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Contact the Christian Union development staff by email using: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
