Board of Directors

CCA is backed by a group of volunteers committed to the revival of classical education in central Ohio. Our work is motivated by serving our children, grandchildren, and their peers.

Mike Gross, Board President

Mike lives in New Albany with his wife Andrea and two school-age daughters, and has lived in Columbus his entire life. He holds a BA in communications from Wake Forest and an MBA from Ohio State. Mike has held multiple leadership roles in his family business. In addition to serving as the founding president of Columbus Classical Academy, he has served on other private school boards and supported fundraising for local community organizations including Pelotonia and St. Stephen’s Community House.

David Durell

David is a graduate of Williams College and The University of Virginia’s Darden Business School. Early career assignments included Cummins, the Union Fork and Hoe Company, and Beck/Durell Creative. Dave is a member of The Philadelphia Society and The Mont Pelerin Society; groups dedicated to the advancement of liberty in America and around the world. Dave currently leads a foundation advocating for the advancement of economic freedom. Strong partners in this work are Hillsdale College, the Acton Institute, and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute where Dave serves as a trustee. Dave also serves as a trustee at National Christian Foundation/Ohio, Mission Increase Foundation, Mercy Medical Center Cambodia, and the For Columbus city reaching Gospel movement. Anne and Dave and their three married children are engaged in making disciples of Jesus around the world. They have been home church leaders through Dwell Community Fellowship for approximately twenty years.

Rebecca Hurd

Rebecca has a background in nonprofit executive leadership, as well as diverse professional experience in nonprofit advancement, small business, and academia. She now enjoys utilizing this unique skillset to advise businesses and nonprofit organizations in various capacities. In addition to her role with Heritage Insurance Advisors, where she leads the group benefits division, Rebecca recently founded CivicSophisticate to restore an educated and civil society. The company delivers educational experiences in workplaces, communities, and online, using elements of a classical/liberal arts approach—today’s most pressing issues, informed by history’s most powerful lessons. With roots in the classical performing arts, including two years working for the Metropolitan Opera Guild in NYC, she holds degrees in Voice Performance and Arts Administration from Central Michigan University and Florida State University. Rebecca lives in Dublin near much of her family and finds great joy in being an aunt to two nieces and a nephew who are thriving in classical education.

Thomas King

Thomas graduated from Hillsdale College with a degree in History and shortly thereafter became a classical school teacher and started a construction company. Over his career, Thomas has started and grown several businesses and a non-profit and is excited to contribute to the formation of CCA. Though ultimately following a career path in construction, Thomas is passionate about the good of a classical education and how that integrates into every aspect of our lives. Grateful for this guiding force of their Hillsdale education, Thomas and his wife Emma are excited to give back and expand this education to the Columbus community. Thomas resides in Westerville with his wife Emma and 4 children. When he’s not chasing the kids and dog around, he enjoys fishing, golfing, and front-porch philosophizing.

Chris Lightfoot

Chris currently serves as the Executive Director for the Church Ambassador Network at the Center for Christian Virtue. Previously, he served at the National Christian Foundation, assisting high-capacity donors with non-cash giving strategies. Before joining the CCA Board, Chris served as an ad hoc member of its Institutional Advancement Committee and before that in an advisory role to the Board. He also is an elder at Good News Church in Powell.

David Myhal

David is the founder and chief executive of 316 Group, a company that provides consulting to businesses, non-profits, and political campaigns in North America and Asia. He also serves as the current Chairman of the Board at the Center for Christian Virtue. He brings extensive experience in board governance and institutional advancement, including having led various capital campaigns and development efforts for schools and other non-profits over the course of more than a decade. David resides with his family in Westerville and is seeing firsthand the value of an American, classical education as the father of a current Hillsdale College student. He and his wife Tera and family currently attend Westerville Christian Church.