Administration Staff

Head of School

Ph.D., Politics – University of Dallas, 2020
Dissertation: How to Found and Safekeep a City: Cicero’s Philosophic Politics in De Republica
M.A., Politics – University of Dallas, 2013
B.A., Politics – Hillsdale College, 2007

Prof. VanOpstal serves as Dean of Students and teaches United States history, political philosophy, and United States government. He has been with Cambridge since 2014. In undergraduate and graduate school he focused on studying political theory, ancient and modern, with additional concentrations in literature. Between college and grad school Prof. VanOpstal spent time teaching, traveling, and studying in Taiwan, India, and Europe. He has been married for more than a decade and he and his wife have five children. They worship at All Saints Dallas Anglican church

You can view his CV here.

Email: mvanopstal@cambridgedallas.org

Director of Library Services

Email: jramos@cambridgedallas.org

Dean of School

Ph.D in Philosophy Baylor University, 2009
M.A. in Philosophy – Baylor University, 2004
Th.M. – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001
M.Div. BL – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1999
B.A. in University Scholars – Baylor University, 1997, Summa cum laude

Dr. Jay Howell graduated summa cum laude with a BA from Baylor University’s University Scholars program in 1997. He earned an M.Div. with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1999 and a Th.M. from the same institution in 2001. He then returned to Baylor University, completing an MA in Philosophy in 2004 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2009. His dissertation is entitled Forgiveness in Kierkegaard’s Ethic of Neighbor Love.

Dr. Howell serves as Professor of Philosophy and Dean of School at Cambridge, where he has taught apologetics, philosophy, and overseen the tutorial program since 2014. As an undergraduate, Dr. Howell crafted a broad liberal arts degree, taking numerous courses in history, English literature, and Hebrew and classical Greek, among others. In his graduate work he turned his attention to philosophy and ethics, focusing on philosophy of religion, epistemology, and the philosophy of forgiveness. Prior to arriving at Cambridge he served as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for seven years. Outside of Cambridge, Dr. Howell remains active in the Evangelical Philosophical Society, First Baptist Church of Arlington, and his local Little League. Dr. Howell loves reading, golf, and baseball — but most of all loves spending time with his wife Jessica and three boys — Jay Baker, Carter, and Elliott.

You can view his CV here.

Email: jhowell@cambridgedallas.org

Registrar

Ph.D., New Testament Studies, New Testament Theology – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dissertation: “The Past Is Yet to Come: Exodus Typology in the Apocalypse”
M.A., Christian Education – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
M.A., Theology – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
B.M., Vocal Performance – University of Alabama

Dr. Isbell teaches Biblical Theology and serves as the Registrar, and has been with Cambridge since 2009. She is a proud alumna of the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. She came to Cambridge in 2009 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she earned two Masters degrees as well as her Ph.D. in New Testament Studies. Her doctoral work included a semester abroad at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and focused on intertextuality between the two testaments of Scripture, specifically how the author of Revelation used Exodus typology to portray his vision of the end times. Outside of Cambridge, Barb is a long-time member of Wedgwood Baptist Church, where she leads worship in the choir and praise team. She is part of the Heart of Texas Tres Dias community, and enjoys travelling, photography, scrapbooking, musical theater, and spending time with her dog, Brodie.

You can view her CV here.

Email: bisbell@cambridgedallas.org

Receptionist

Email: rbarboza@cambridgedallas.org

Director of College Placement

Mississippi State University, B.S. in Accounting
University of Southern Mississippi, MBA
University of Dallas, Masters of Humanities

Louie is the parent of two Cambridge alumni, a former member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the Administrative Staff since 2012.  His wife, Kaky, has recently retired from practicing medicine (gastroenterologist).  Before Cambridge, Louie was a human resources professional at International Paper for 25 years and East-West Ministries for 10 years.  Louie enjoys reading, walking to White Rock Lake and traveling to Virginia and Kentucky to visit his children.

Email: llittle@cambridgedallas.org

Assistant Director of Admissions & Communications

Email: ckelley@cambridgedallas.org

Business & Facilities Manager

B.A., English & Classics – Texas A&M University

Since 2017, Whitney has served as the Business & Facilities Manager for The Cambridge School of Dallas. While her undergraduate studies focused on Liberal Arts, Whitney has 12 years of experience working in finance and property management. Whitney and her husband, Dustin, live in north Carrollton with their Goldendoodle, Schaeffer. Whitney loves tennis, gardening, painting, and any DIY project that involves power tools. She and Dustin worship at All Saints Dallas in downtown Dallas.

Email: wmesser@cambridgedallas.org

Athletic Associate

Email: rpickett@cambridgedallas.org

Head of School Emeritus

Dallas Baptist College, B.C.A.
Dallas Baptist University, M.A.
University of Aberdeen, Scotland, Ph.D.

After several years in residential construction, including part ownership of a custom furniture and cabinetry shop, and building custom homes, Dr. Wolfe departed for Scotland to pursue further academic work. He and his family lived for three years near Aberdeen, Scotland, where he pursued a PhD in New Testament studies, and pastored a local Baptist church. Dr. Wolfe’s studies included time each year in Cambridge, England and Tubingen, Germany. Dr. Wolfe and his wife, Marsha, went over with two children and returned with a third, their youngest. From 1990 to 2010 he taught New Testament studies and related courses, becoming the Headmaster of the Cambridge School of Dallas in 2009. He still enjoys woodworking and reading.

You can view Dr. Wolfe’s CV here.

Athletic Director

M.Ed., Educational Leadership – University of North Texas
B.A., History – Howard University
Texas Principal Certification 2019

Coach Waters is the Athletic Director and has been with Cambridge since 2021. He played football at Howard University where he majored in History. He has taught A.P. Economics, and History as well as P.E, in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, South Korea and Dallas. In addition, he has been an athletic director for the past 5 years and coached: Basketball, Track & Field, Soccer and Tennis. Coach Waters attends The Potter’s House of North Dallas with his wife and three kids.

You can view his CV here.

Email: twaters@cambridgedallas.org

Student Life Director

Email: lburkett@cambridgedallas.org

Administrative Assistant

Email: jreph@cambridgedallas.org