Dr. Lisa Bernier brings both depth and heart to Arizona Christian University, shaping future educators with wisdom earned through decades of service and a clear sense of calling. As Associate Professor of Education, Chair of the Shelly Roden School of Education and Mathematics, and Program Director for the Master of Arts in Education, she plays a pivotal role in preparing students to step confidently into classrooms ready to lead with skill, conviction, and purpose.
Dr. Bernier teaches across undergraduate and graduate programs, including Introduction to the Exceptional Child, all MAED Special Education courses, Structured English Immersion, Student Teaching, and Education Capstone. While she has served in her current full-time role since fall 2022, her history with ACU stretches back much further. From 2009 to 2013, she taught as an adjunct instructor on the university’s former campus, making her return feel less like a new chapter and more like a homecoming.
Now in her 40th year as an Arizona educator, Dr. Bernier’s professional journey spans nearly every corner of the education landscape. She has served as both teacher and administrator in district, charter, virtual charter, and private Christian school settings. Her experience includes regular education, special education, and English as a Second Language. One of her most notable contributions was developing a comprehensive special education resource and inclusion program at a private Christian high school, a reflection of her commitment to seeing every student known, supported, and valued.
Her passion for education extends well beyond the classroom. Dr. Bernier is in her 13th year in higher education and has spent the past 17 years serving on accreditation teams with the Association of Christian Schools International and AdvancED, supporting both P–12 schools and higher education institutions. Since 2022, she has also served on the Arizona leadership team for Christian Educators, a national organization that equips and supports teachers. Through this role, she has led trainings and events across the Southwest and serves as the faculty sponsor for ACU’s IMPACT Club, a student chapter of the organization. At the core of all this work is a clear mission: to train, equip, and encourage the next generation of Christian education professionals.
Missions and service are deeply woven into Dr. Bernier’s life. She has participated in more than a dozen international trips focused on training and equipping Christian educators and plans to continue this work in Honduras this spring. During that trip, she will lead professional development for the International School of Tegucigalpa and host parenting seminars for Christian families. She hopes this experience will open doors for ACU students to serve alongside her in the near future. Closer to home, she serves as a volunteer coordinator for Joni and Friends Arizona, an international disability ministry, and has been a board member for the National Institute for Learning Development since 2020.
Her scholarship reflects the same integration of faith and learning that defines her teaching. In 2024, Dr. Bernier partnered with George Barna and the ACU Cultural Research Center to help develop worldview assessments for elementary students. She recently completed a research study titled Facilitating Spiritual Formation and Biblical Literacy in K–8 Christian Education: A Relational and Developmental Approach, conducted at Casas Christian School in Tucson. Alongside co researcher Joshua Kempf, the school’s principal, she explored a new model for Bible instruction designed to strengthen biblical literacy and worldview formation. Their work was selected for presentation at the Arizona Christian Schools Conference in February 2025 and at a virtual ACSI research symposium later in the year, with plans for continued research to support Christian schools nationwide.
Among her many meaningful moments at ACU, one stands out above the rest. Dr. Bernier recalls the dedication of the Shelly Roden School of Education building as a deeply moving experience. Honoring Dr. Roden’s life and legacy reinforced her own desire to see that impact continue to grow through the students and faculty who walk those halls each day.
For Dr. Bernier, ACU is more than a workplace. It is a community where faith is lived out openly and authentically. She values the freedom to disciple students and encourage them to see their future classrooms through what she calls their “God glasses,” recognizing each child as uniquely created and deeply loved. She also treasures the relationships she has built with colleagues, from weekly prayer times to her role as chair of the Hospitality Committee, where she helps foster encouragement and care across campus.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Bernier and her husband enjoy time with their four adult children and five grandchildren. They are active in their church, love exploring the Arizona outdoors, and find joy in simple pleasures like reading, music, kayaking, and camping.
Through her teaching, leadership, research, and service, Dr. Lisa Bernier embodies the mission of Arizona Christian University. She is equipping educators who will shape minds, strengthen faith, and influence culture with truth, one classroom at a time.
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