Unstoppable

Mike Ahn

Mike oversees the various departments in spiritual development: chapel programs, worship teams, Torrey Conference, student ministries and pastoral care. He is a graduate of Haverford College (B.A., History, ’01) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div., Spiritual Formation, ’09; Ph.D., Educational Studies, ’22). If he could, he would have two In-N-Out cheeseburgers with chopped chilis, animal-style fries, and a Pamplemousse LaCroix for every meal.

Wilfred Graves Jr

Dr. Wilfred Graves Jr. is a scholar, author, and ministry leader committed to helping people grow in Christ through clear, engaging, and practical biblical teaching. He directs the Center for the Study of the Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit Today at Biola University and serves on the university’s faculty. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology and an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary. In addition to his work at Biola, Dr. Graves serves on the ministry staff at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. 

Before devoting himself to full-time vocational ministry, he studied mathematics at MIT and statistics at Stanford University, and he worked as an aerospace engineer and researcher.

He also hosts the Friday Reflections video podcast and speaks at churches, conferences, and seminars in the United States and abroad. He is happily married to Dr. Malaika E. Graves, a board-certified pediatrician who serves families in Southern California.

Derek Rishmawy

Derek Rishmawy holds a PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) campus minister at the University of California, Irvine.

Salime Weatherford

Salime Weatherford joined the board in 2025 and serves as a member of the Advancement, Enrollment and Transformation Committee. Salime is the founder of Reformadas, a digital discipleship movement that reaches hundreds of thousands of women across Latin America with rich, gospel-centered teaching. She holds a Master of Divinity in Biblical Theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a B.S. in Business from Endicott College. Salime, and her husband Sam, have three children and live...

John Goodrich

Dr. Goodrich grew up in Orange County and earned his bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He later completed both the Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees at Talbot School of Theology while serving as a staff pastor in two Southern California churches. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Durham University in the United Kingdom. Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Goodrich served for fourteen years on the faculty of Moody Bible Institute, and for two years as Dean of Academics and Professor of Biblical Studies at Compass Bible Institute, before joining the faculty of Biola in 2026. At Biola, he serves as Professor of New Testament and Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Division of Talbot School of Theology. Dr. Goodrich’s teaching and writing concentrate on the New Testament, particularly the letters and theology of the apostle Paul and the various contexts of his ministry. He is married to Christin, and they have two sons, Justin and Kenny.

Joel Elies

Dr. Joel Elies (MDiv '16, DMin '21) is the Assistant Director of Doctoral Programs at Talbot School of Theology. He is currently on the preaching team at Antioch Community Church Fullerton and he has written two books, Christ-Centered Spirituality and Christ-Centered Reality. He is from the great state of Hawaii where he pastored for thirteen years at Hope Chapel Honolulu and, despite growing up 5 minutes from the beach, he never learned to surf.

Izabella McMillon

Izabella McMillon grew up during the communistic regime in Romania when even attending a church could have resulted in death. Finding a hidden Bible in their home, Izabella and her brother began secretly attending church weekly. When she was 13 years old, she received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. For her, the gift was life-changing, because it confirmed God’s existence and unconditional love. She finally understood that this God that she was reading about in the Bible cared for her.