Dr. Lisa Dunne is a dynamic, award-winning educator, author, and speaker with 20 years of classroom experience, 10 years of academic leadership, and 10 years of nonprofit leadership. In addition to founding CVCU, the first mentor-based university system of the modern era, she has founded more than 20 Kindergarten to College education models across the nation. 

 

She holds a Ph.D. in human development from Fielding Graduate University, a Master's degree in communication studies from Regent University, a Master’s degree in human and organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University, and undergraduate degrees and minors in humanities, secondary education, and musical theater from Thomas Edison State College and Miami-Dade College.

 

Dr. Dunne is passionate about the transformative power of Christian education, the primacy of the local church, and the stable family as the cornerstone of healthy culture. She is an expert in Gen Z educational methodology and psychosocial development, and she enjoys facilitating local church and community workshops to help parents, teachers, and faith-based institutions better equip the next generation for academic success, relational resilience, and career readiness.

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As an advocate of education reform and family discipleship, Dr. Dunne is a frequent speaker at conferences and leadership events, and, as a lifelong home educator, she has been a featured speaker at California homeschool conferences like CHEA and GHC, seedbeds for the success of CVCU's educational modality, which is built on the proven effectiveness of the dialogue-based homeschool model of instruction. Dr. Dunne has founded 20 homeschool support academies across the US, including Awaken Academy, Skyline Christian Academy, Creative Academy, Summit Academy, Liberty Christian Academy, and many more. As part of her platform at CVCU, she meets with local pastors to help them start church-based Christian education centers to rescue their congregations from the secular indoctrination of the state's public school system. Learn more about her program at the Start an Academy tab.

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Dr. Dunne is the author of several books, including The Multigenerational Marketplace, a guide to developing Christian communication competencies in the workplace, The Science of Social Influence, a primer on media’s insidious influence on identity, and Relating through the Lifespan, a Christian perspective on lifespan development and intergenerational mentoring. Her podcast is The Communication Architect (available on iTunes and Spotify), and her weekly radio show MindsetMatters can be heard every Saturday at 10:30pm on KPraise Radio. Her latest book, Outsourced: Why America's Kids Need an Education Revolution, is available at OutsourcedTheBook.com and on Amazon. 

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Dr. Dunne is especially passionate about the developmental process of the college years because of the season's impact on her own life: During her freshman year of college in Miami, Florida, she became a Christian, and during her sophomore year of college, she met her husband on a performance exchange trip in Wakefield, England.

 

She has now been married to her British husband, Adrian, for 31 years, and they have two intelligent and compassionate homeschool graduates, Ethan and Cymone, who are their true résumé. Dr. Dunne finds great joy in coaching and teaching all generations, helping them discover God’s purpose and plan for their lives. ​