Instructors
Ben Akers, S.T.L.
Director
Ben Akers is the Director of the Denver Catholic Biblical School and Catechetical School. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary and St. Francis School of Theology. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Theology and Philosophy from Christendom College in Virginia. He was born and raised in that same great commonwealth before heading west to work as a campus missionary for FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado in Boulder. While serving on campus, he was able to attain a Master's degree in Sacred Scripture. He then went on to study and work in Rome, Italy directing a study abroad program for Christendom College. While in Rome, he attained a Licence degree in Sacred Theology (STL) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and he is currently working on his doctoral dissertation. He and his wife, Heather, have been married almost 10 years and have a young daughter.
Deb Holiday
Instructor
Deb Holiday was born and raised Catholic, Deb Holiday has a deep love for her Church. Shortly after arriving in Denver, she became a catechist fulfilling a desire to share her love of the faith with others. Deb is a graduate of CBS, which gives her a valuable perspective as an instructor. CBS awakened her true passion - studying and teaching Scripture. In addition, Deb holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Rutgers University (which comes in handy given the other instructors she has to work with) and is currently completing her M.A. in Theology (Sacred Scripture) at the Augustine Institute. She has also been active in ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) as both a facilitator and editor. Deb and her husband Steve live in Centennial with their two children, Steven (15) and Kristin (13).
Kyle Mills
Instructor
Kyle Mills came to Christ in college at Colorado State University. Years later, in 2003, Kyle was received by Archbishop Charles Chaput into the Catholic Church on Divine Mercy Sunday. Besides his love for teaching Sacred Scripture, Kyle has worked in both corporate America and small business. He worked for Qwest Communications as a business manager and then operated his own small business in residential Real Estate. Currently, he owns and operates, Logos Investments, LLC, a small real estate investment company. Kyle has been involved in a variety of ministries including short term missionary work in Pakistan and China, college ministry at Stanford University, and homeless ministry in Downtown Denver. A native of Colorado, Kyle has also has served as a mountaineering, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting guide at a Christian company in Buena Vista, Colorado. Kyle holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO and a Master's in Theological Studies degree from the International Theological Institute in Austria. Kyle is married to Amberly, his wife since 2005. They have three children, Kolbe (6), Quincy (4), and Cana Therese (1).
Traci Dempsey
Instructor
Traci is a convert to the Catholic faith. After many years of searching for her spiritual foundation, she converted to the Catholic faith in 1986 before marrying her husband, Mike. Traci graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. After several years in the business world, she decided to focus her efforts on her family and raising her children. As her children grew older, Traci's desire to know the Scriptures grew with them. She is an ardent student of God's Word. Traci is a graduate of CBS and also completed the two-year Walk Through the Catechism program of the Catechetical School. She has been an instructor associated with CBS for three years. She is currently completing an M.A. in Theology with a concentration in Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute. When not reading, she enjoys boating, running and playing tennis. Traci and her husband Mike have been married for twenty-two years and live in Aurora with their daughters, Erin (17) and Meg (17) and three golden retrievers.
Derek Barr
Instructor
After 19 years as a police sergeant, Derek Barr left public service to teach Sacred Scripture for the Denver Catholic Biblical School. Derek is a graduate of the Augustine Institute where he received an MA in Biblical Theology. In 1992, while serving in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Derek married Paige, a lifelong Catholic. Previously an Evangelical Christian, Derek underwent a conversion over 14 years of Paige's rigorous prayer as he researched the Catholic Church. He was received into the Church at Easter Vigil in 2006. Derek is the proud father of four girls and a boy. He loves to spend his free time with them, fishing or working on his hobby: construction projects. He also enjoys teaching as an adjunct instructor for the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons and teaching courses for the Denver Catholic Catechetical School. Derek's hope is to bring enthusiastic love for the Bible and for the beauty of the Church to the students of the Denver Catholic Biblical and Catechetical Schools.
