Fuller Seminary CEO and Leadership

Dana VanValin is a Co-Chief of Communications and Marketing at Fuller Theological Seminary and is based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has worked as Senior Event Producer at Christian Broadcasting Network and Director of Event Programming at Regent University. Dana attended Oral Roberts University between 2001 and 2005.

Alexis Abernethy is a clinical psychologist and professor or psychology in the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary. In 2021 she was named chief academic officer at Fuller. Prior to that she served as the chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She graduated from Howard University with a BS in psychology. She received her MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her primary research interest is the intersection between spirituality and health. Dr. Abernethy’s Spirituality and Health Lab includes three research teams: Experience of Spirituality and Health-Related Outcomes; Spirituality, Cancer, and Health Disparities; and Spirituality, Culture, and Eating Disturbance. She is the Principal Investigator of the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services-Fuller Theological Seminary Research Collaborative. She has numerous research publications including the following: “Patient Patients: Increased Patience Associated with Decreased Depressive Symptoms in Psychiatric Treatment” in the Journal of Positive Psychology; “Understanding the Roles of Religious Comfort and Strain on Depressive Symptoms in an Inpatient Psychiatric Setting” in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality; and “God Imagery and Affective Outcomes in a Spiritually Integrative Inpatient Program” in Psychiatry Research; and “Spiritual Struggles and Mental Health Outcomes in a Spiritually Integrated Inpatient Program” in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The Eating Disorders Team published the article, “Spirituality and Eating Disorder Risk Factors in African American Women” in Eating and Weight Disorders.

She has conducted institutes and workshops nationally on cultural competence and spirituality in group therapy. Dr. Abernethy is a Certified Group Psychotherapist and Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for AGPA. She was the editor of a special edition of the journal, Group (2004), on spirituality in group therapy and contributed the chapter, “A Spiritually Informed Approach to Group Psychotherapy” in Kleinberg’s edited volume, The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Group Psychotherapy (2012). She co-authored an article with Lee Stevens on “Neuroscience and Racism: The Power of Groups for Overcoming Implicit Bias” and another article with David Allen and Marie Carroll “Adapting Group Therapy to Address Real World Problems: Insights from Groups Offered in the Bahamas” in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy (2017).

Bernadette “BJ” O'Halloran has served Fuller Seminary as the executive director of Human Resources and organizational development since 2011, having worked in Fuller's Office of Human Resources since 2003. She previously worked in human resources at a Bay Area strategic marketing and design firm that served Silicon Valley technology clients.

O'Halloran is an active member of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA, a Southern California HR organization), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM, a nationwide HR organization), and has presented at CUPA-HR and PIHRA conferences.

She holds a Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) from Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Her master’s thesis draws on experience utilizing a much-appreciated leadership expertise with Fuller offices and personnel: “Lean and Its Impact on Employee Empowerment within a Higher Education Institution.” In addition, she earned a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certificate from the HR Certification Institute, and has taken five courses at Fuller: two in Menlo Park prior to working at Fuller and three in Pasadena.

Since retiring from the Clovis Police Department in 2004, Mr. Mejia returned to the field of law enforcement/Campus Safety as Chief & Director, Department of Campus Safety at Fresno Pacific University. Mr. Mejia spent 7 years as the Chief and Director of Campus Safety at Fresno Pacific University (FPU) where he brought the university into compliance with state and federal educational laws, FCC and standards for campus safety and law enforcement. He is credited with bringing a new appearance and level of education and training to the Department of Campus Safety. Mr. Mejia was the lead pastor of Eagles Harbor Community Church in Clovis, California, where he worked as a bi-vocational pastor for approximately 5 years. Mr. Mejia was lead to resign in July 2015, in order to build and lead a new department at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA as Chief, Department of Campus Safety until December 2019 upon his retirement. Mr. Mejia recently completed a three course training with FBI-LEEDA trilogy, Supervisor, Command and Executive leadership development course.

During the past 32 years, Mr. Mejia has had a progressive career in law enforcement. He has read, studied, and applied the principles of basic physics and math to traffic collision Investigation and Reconstruction. He has Hands on experience in investigation and in the collection of evidence at major crime scenes and fatal collisions. Mr. Mejia was a member of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Clovis Police Department's SWAT teams as a team leader. Mr. Mejia is a life long learner with several degrees from an Associate of Science in Administration of Justice, two Bachelors degrees, Masters of Arts in Christian Ministry and now working on his Doctorate.

Jeff Harwell is a Chief Technology Officer at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Dana VanValin is a Co-Chief of Communications and Marketing at Fuller Theological Seminary and is based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has worked as Senior Event Producer at Christian Broadcasting Network and Director of Event Programming at Regent University. Dana attended Oral Roberts University between 2001 and 2005.