Barry Barenfanger
Barry Barenfanger
Director of Facilities
BS, Hospitality and Business Administration, Eastern Illinois University
My wife, Mindy, and I have been blessed with six children, whom we had the opportunity to homeschool. We are now proud grandparents of Boaz (future Knight). Family and education have been foundational in our lives, and they continue to shape how I approach both life and my work. I am also a US Army veteran and served during Desert Storm. That experience taught me the importance of service, responsibility, teamwork, and caring for the people alongside you—values that have continued to influence me throughout my career and life.
Mindy and I both grew up in a small farming community east of the Mississippi River, near St. Louis. Our connection began early—the same doctor delivered both of us, four years apart. Her mother was my elementary school teacher and her father was my English teacher in high school. Those experiences gave me an early appreciation for the role teachers and schools can play in the life of a family and community. I have spent my career in the hospitality industry, managing hotels, resorts, state parks, and facilities. Throughout that work, my focus has been on caring well for people and creating “unreasonable hospitality”—looking for ways to anticipate needs, serve others well, and create an environment where people feel welcomed and valued. That same approach carries naturally into caring for students.
After the experience of raising our children in an environment centered on faith, learning, and purposeful living, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of students’ lives during their formative years. I am especially inspired by the opportunity to help students love beauty, think deeply, and pursue Christ’s calling, and to encourage them as they grow in wisdom, character, and purpose.
