Faculty

We train students in both theological education and leadership development. Our instructional staff is intentionally diverse, made up of over 40% minority instructors. Pastors and ministers with vast years of experience are walking alongside students, not only to teach the courses but to provide leadership coaching within their respective ministries of expertise.

Pastor Chuck Macri

President Emeritus, 2020-2023

Masters in Biblical & Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary

Bachelors in Engineering from Stevens Tech

Chuck Macri served as Senior Associate Pastor at Freedom Life Church in Hampton. Chuck had extensive experience in leadership at senior levels of ministry and in the military.

  • Prior to working for Freedom Life, he was on staff for 18 years with Campus Crusade’s Military Ministry, serving as National Director (leading over 500 full-time staff and volunteer staff in all ministry activities for the U.S. military community) and Deputy Executive Director.

  • He had 30 years active and reserve service in the Air Force (in the Civil Engineer career field), retiring as a Colonel in 2009. Among many varied assignments during his military career, he served two assignments as Commander of Civil Engineer squadrons and two assignments as Director of divisions within HQs Air Combat Command Civil Engineers (Readiness and Operations and Maintenance Divisions).

Meet Our Staff

Bryanna Vega

Bryanna Vega

Interim President

After obtaining a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing working as a hospital based oncology nurse, Bryanna returned to school and obtained a Masters and doctorate degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Since 2013, she has had the privilege of developing and overseeing the Missions and Outreach Ministry at Freedom Life Church, where she completed her pastoral training and ordination.

Over the past 25 years, she has enjoyed learning through teaching God’s Word to children, youth, and adults in the US and abroad, following God’s call to, “Go and make disciples..,” (Mt. 28:19-20). She is an avid runner, enjoys healthy cooking, and spending time with her family and church.

Tim McCain

Tim McCain

Director of Operations

Tim McCain serves as the Director of Operations at the Freedom School of Ministry. Tim ran a multimillion-dollar software company that he sold in 2019 after 20 years at the helm. He is an ordained minister from Freedom Life Church in Hampton, and also the President of the board of directors for Ezer Homeless Initiative. He has a strong background in Tech Sales and Organizational Leadership.

Francisco Vega

Francisco Vega

Director of Student Affairs

Francisco Vega is an instructor at the Freedom School of Ministry. He holds an engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MD-PhD (Systems Neuroscience) degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He trained as a Neurologist with fellowship training in Epilepsy, Sleep Disorders and Clinical Neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health. He is a former Research Associate faculty at Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl-Krieger Mind Brain Institute and a Neurology/Epilepsy faculty at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore Maryland, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

After his academic career, Dr. Vega pursued a neurology clinical career specializing in sleep disorders and clinical neurophysiology. He started his own company providing clinical services in sleep medicine and clinical neurophysiology through which he has been the medical director of four different sleep clinics in Washington State and Virginia. He founded two sleep clinics and laboratories in Virginia and a company in remote intraoperative monitoring.

Francisco enjoys using his research analytical training to study biblical literature, history, culture, and language to understand the message of the Gospel as communicated through both the Old and New Testament. He also enjoys Spanish comedies, and occassional windsurfing.

Bonnie Dale

Bonnie Dale

Administrator/Office Manager

Bonnie Dale serves as an Administrator and Operations Manager for Freedom School of Ministry. She has more than ten years of administrative experience ranging from federal to healthcare. She holds a BA in Psychology from Saint Leo University. Prior to coming to FSOM, she was a teacher and a supervisor for the USPS where she managed 60 plus employees. She specializes in organization, communication, productivity, effective planning, and teamwork.

In her time off she loves spending time with her two children, friends, and family. She enjoys trying new foods, shopping, and listening to books. She also serves faithfully at FLC in the worship team and other ministries as needed.

Freddy Villarreal

Freddy Villarreal

Founder/Instructor

In October of 2004, Pastor Freddy joined alongside 26 other people to start Freedom Life Church and has remained there since. He also serves as an Associate Pastor at his mentor pastor’s church, The Chapel, a multi-campus church located in the northern suburbs of Chicago. He is the Founder of the School of Ministry and continues to teach there.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biblical Studies, and a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership, and is pursuing his Doctorate degree at Liberty University. He lives with his wife Jen in Yorktown, VA. They share five children and three grandchildren. He enjoys the gym, television, and spending time with his growing family.

Cheryl You

Cheryl You

Coordinator of Coaching/Faculty

Pastor Cheryl has led worship, developed ministry lteams, and taught at churches in Asia and the U.S. for more than twenty years. She has been on staff at churches in Singapore and Norfolk since 2008, and serves as the Associate Campus Pastor at FLC’s Norfolk campus, as well as teaching for the School of Ministry.

She has a Bachelor’s in Materials Engineering, a Masters of Divinity from Regent University, and is currently working on a D.Min in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience from Western Theological Seminary. She is an avid enjoyer of books, music, seeking God in nature, and hosting friends and family. She, her husband Jasper, and her three children share their home with three cats.

John Pollock

John Pollock

Instructor

John Pollock has been a Teaching Pastor at Freedom Life Church since 2011. He has served in many of the ministries within the church with an emphasis on Preaching, Digging Deeper, and Children’s Ministry. John serves Freedom Life Church in a Lay capacity, sharing the calling to ministry with another interesting calling at Newport News Shipbuilding (where he is an Apprentice School graduate and Tooling Engineer in the Machine Shop.) He is currently working toward his Master’s of Divinity at Regent University, with intentions of pursuing further education in Biblical Language and Cultural Studies. John has been married to Danna for 9 years and they have two children – John (8) and Leora (5). They reside in Hampton, VA, love spending time together, and working together to grow their imagination and creative capacities.

James Wilson

James Wilson

Instructor

James Wilson Jr. serves as the Campus Pastor for Freedom Life Church in Hampton, VA. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic and Organizational Leadership from Temple University, and a Masters of Organizational Leadership from Concordia University. He has been involved in ministry since 2014, and for the past ten years has been a sought-after speaker for churches, organizations, and leaders about youth, marriages, and leadership development.

Besides loving to study and teach, his passion is to find ways to blend the spiritual with the practical. James and wife, Ashley, have three daughters Karis, Kelsey, and Kyla. They enjoy movies and are avid fans of the Eagles.

Kyle Labadie

Kyle Labadie

Instructor

Kyle Labadie is the Co-Pastor of Freedom Life Church in San Antonio, Texas. He holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Church Ministries from South Western Assemblies of God University and has held credentials with the Assemblies of God in his early years of ministry (2007-2010). Through his life, Kyle has served in various roles of ministry as Student Pastor, Associate Campus Pastor, Campus Pastor, and a part of the Senior Leadership Team. He has been married for over 8 years to his beautiful bride Shawn, and has one energetic little boy, Tobias. Kyle’s desire is to see the Body of Christ healthy and operating in the fullness of its gifts, talents, and abilities through the power of Holy Spirit. He enjoys exercise, health foods, and hip hop.

Karen Macri

Karen Macri

Faculty

Karen Macri has served in ministry as a Biblical Counselor for over 15 years. She has also taught for many years on multiple levels from grade school through collegiate. She has a Bachelors In Political Science and a Masters in Biblical Counseling. Karen is also a certified Life Coach and a certified Enneagram Coach. She has served in multiple ministry areas within the church including worship, children/youth and women, and founded and led a Homeschool Co-Op for almost 20 years.

She has five adult children and five grandchildren. In her spare time Karen is a watercolor artist, and loves to read on a wide variety of subjects.

Brian Williams

Brian Williams

Instructor

Brian lives in the space between congregational life and the academic community. He teaches biblical and theological courses in university and seminary settings. He is currently serving as a Field Strategist for the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Pastor of Ivy Memorial Baptist Church in Hampton. His passion is to provide seminary type training opportunities and experiences for ministry leaders. Brian has a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Baylor University.

He and his wife Donna have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.

Amy Kimball

Amy Kimball

Faculty

Amy has enjoyed serving in many ways at her local church over the years, including directing a leadership and discipleship internship, teaching Bible courses and small groups, and is currently leading the children’s ministry with her husband Jordan.  Prior to her family being stationed with the Air Force at Langley AFB in Hampton, VA in 2013, she and Jordan enjoyed two years of living in Anchorage, AK.  It was in these mountains that she discovered her love of theology, discipleship, and teaching God’s word as she served as a missionary for the Evangelical Covenant Church.  She holds a Master of Christian Ministry from Wayland Baptist University, a Master of Divinity from Denver Seminary, and is currently pursuing a PhD in the New Testament.  She is a mother to three children whom she stays home with and homeschools.  She also founded a homeschool co-op in 2020 with a friend, in an effort to find other families to socialize with during an isolated time in our world.  Her family enjoys camping in their trailer all over the East Coast and taking frequent trips back to Alaska to visit friends and dream about their future there someday.

Don Nichols

Don Nichols

Faculty

Don Nicholsretired from the Federal Government and moved to Hampton in 2016. He and his wife, Kathy, help care for their three grandchildren and support their church community in a variety of capacities. Don creates professional quality photos for the community at no cost, as one way of building and supporting relationships with others. Many of his images can be found on his website, www.wingfear.com. He has led a variety of life groups at Freedom Life Church, serves on the ‘Home Team,’ is active and in the Men’s group, and taught or facilitated groups focused on the importance of relationships.

When he retired, Don was a Senior Executive in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). His previous professional career spanned a variety of positions in the Federal government. Don enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1981, serving as an aircraft mechanic. After receiving a commission in 1987, he supported Air Force nuclear-related activities. He completed his Doctorate in Engineering Physics from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1994, and retired from the Air Force as a Major in 2001

Haley Mazzuchi

Haley Mazzuchi

Faculty

Haley Mazzuchi serves as Administrator and Operations Manager for Freedom School of Ministry. Haley earned her Social Work degree from Radford University and is a licensed cosmetologist. She enjoys singing on the praise and worship team for Freedom Life Church. In her free time Haley loves spending time with her husband and their daughter going to new places and spending time outdoors. She also enjoys baking and watching movies with her loved ones.

Donna Norman

Faculty

Donna is a wife, and mother of three who enjoys reading books, playing board games with family and friends, and serving in her assigned ministries. Her affirmation scripture is 2 Timothy 1:7 where she meditates on God-given power, love, and a sound mind. As a Certified Executive and Personal Development Coach, Donna focuses on helping others use faith to define their truth, strengthen personal accountability, broaden perspective, and progressively grow in life or career.

Donna has a 25+ year career in Business, Human Resources, and Leadership Coaching. Her experience comes from working for multiple Fortune 100 companies, higher education, and small business. In addition to her professional coaching certifications, Donna is an author and a graduate of the Freedom School of Ministry.