Jay Ferguson
Education
Jay holds a Bachelors’ Degree from Baylor University, a Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law, and a Masters’ Degree in Educational Leadership from Covenant College. He earned his PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University.
Professional Experience
Jay Ferguson is the Head of School of Grace Community School in Tyler. Grace Community School is the largest private school in East Texas, serving approximately 1500 students from early education through 12th grade. He has served in that position since June 2003. Grace’s mission is to assist Christian parents in educating, equipping, and encouraging their children to influence the world for Christ.
Jay was a practicing attorney in Dallas and Tyler for ten years before joining Grace Community School in 2002 as its Director of Development. After the departure of the school’s long-time Head in the summer of 2003, Jay became Interim Head of the School. He assumed the full-time Head of School role in the fall of 2003. Since that time, Jay has worked to build a flourishing culture at Grace, a vibrant educational community that has been awarded Blue Ribbon Exemplary status by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 and 2017.
Jay has written extensively on Christian education and related issues. He has contributed to Building a Better School, Mindshift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education, Religious Liberty and Education, and Teaching Redemptively (3rd Edition). He regularly contributes to Christian School Education and the ACSI and CESA blogs. He also writes a weekly blog on spiritual, educational, cultural, and parenting issues. He is an adjunct professor in school law and governance at Baylor University. He has served on the adjunct faculties of Covenant College in Georgia, Gordon College in Massachusetts, and Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. He currently serves on the faculty of the Van Lunen Center at Calvin University.
Awards
Jay is a past recipient of the W.C. Windsor Award for outstanding service in the Tyler community. He was named Smith County Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year. He currently serves on boards of organizations operating at the local, state, national, and international level. He is the Past Chair of the Texas Private School Association, the Past Chair of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, and the Past Chair of the Association of Christian Schools International. He has a heart for training heads of school, leadership teams, and school boards, and consults with schools through NextEd.
