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By: Amber Warnke

David Ray, Assistant Vice President for ACSI USA and Director for Florida with 46 years of Christian education experience, is retiring from this position in December. As he reflected on his time at ACSI, he considered how ACSI has adapted and expanded over the years to fill the ever-changing needs of Christian schools and educators. In addition, he offered a peak into some of his favorite memories as a staff member.

Before David joined ACSI in 1997, he led a Christian school. He described that school’s transition to ACSI from a different association as “a breath of fresh air.” This new partnership propelled his school’s ministry forward, and the growth only increased over the years. He shared that this is particularly because ACSI is always on the cutting edge of education, constantly addressing and adapting to changes to better serve its members.

David particularly noted ACSI’s prioritization of early education and under resourced schools. When early education was in its fledgling stages in Christian schools, ACSI “started a whole department which still is ministering today to teachers and leaders.” ACSI also started a department to accommodate the development of under resourced Christian schools, currently focusing on school choice programs. These programs enable students who previously would never have been able to attend private schools to gain a Christian education and worldview.

ACSI is constantly adapting, David said, currently dialed in to online education, research-based content, and constant networking. Perhaps most importantly, ACSI has recognized its need to partner with other organizations rather than “do it all” alone. David said that this reflects the ACSI motto — “Stronger Together.” This has led to partnerships with the Colson Center and other like-minded institutions.

When reflecting on his favorite memories while working at ACSI, David said a key word that stands out to him is “relationships.” He said that many of his relationships with school leaders, teachers, ACSI staff members, and others have turned into life-long friendships. These friendships, he said, have been a two-way street of mutual encouragement, laughter, and prayer as the years have gone by. In addition, he noted that traveling to conferences and meetings afforded him the opportunity to traverse a large portion of the United States and experience its diverse cultures, traditions, foods, and dialects. A final favorite memory has been the joy of visiting many different schools and seeing “how they are preparing their students for careers and ultimately for eternity.”

As much as David has traveled over the past decades, he’s collected a good number of memorable stories, some quite entertaining. He reflected on the following story with a laugh: “You really haven’t experienced travel, especially by air, until you get to spend the night in the airport sleeping on the floor of the concourse. That happened to me . . . in Atlanta . . . during an ice storm that completely shut down not only the airport, but also the entire city. All hotels were full (there was ‘no room in the inn’), the airport was at a standstill, and the restaurants were running out of food. You don’t really realize how noisy the airport is at 3:00 a.m. as the trash is being collected and taken out. I think I got about 30 minutes sleep that night and ended up not making my destination but just headed home after about 36 hours. I jokingly told people that I could cross that experience off my bucket list.”

Unfortunately, his overnight adventures at the Atlanta airport were not over. A nearly identical situation occurred two years later, this time due to thunderstorms. David explains that the “second stay was NOT on the bucket list.”

On a more serious note, David’s favorite memories are his interactions with ACSI staff members during conferences and meetings. A nod back to his emphasis on relationships, he said that he cherishes the time he’s spent talking, laughing, and bonding with his colleagues that have become like family. Perhaps more than anything else, he will miss these relationships as he transitions to a new role. But there is no doubt that David will use his years of relationship building to foster new friendships and continue to impact those around him for Christ.