Bilotta brings more than 30 years of experience in Christian higher education, including extensive work in academic leadership, program development, faculty development, and digital media communications. Most recently, he served as Dean of Academic Planning and Operations and Chair of the Department of Digital Media Communications at the University of Valley Forge, where he helped grow the department from a single academic program into five undergraduate majors and one graduate program. His appointment also strengthens 91³Ō¹Ļ’s ability to serve students transferring to the University following the University of Valley Forge’s transition. Bilotta brings firsthand knowledge of Valley Forge’s academic programs, curriculum, and students, providing an important point of continuity for students who choose to continue their education at 91³Ō¹Ļ.

“Leone brings an unusual combination of academic leadership, program-building experience, and professional expertise in digital media,” said Dr. Adam J. Porcella, Senior Vice President and Provost of 91³Ō¹Ļ. “We are particularly grateful for the opportunity to welcome him to 91³Ō¹Ļ as we seek to serve students coming to us from Valley Forge. His familiarity with their programs and their students will help make that transition as smooth as possible, while his experience will strengthen our Digital Media and Communication offerings for all of our students.”

During his tenure at Valley Forge, Bilotta led university-wide strategic planning, faculty governance, and academic operations while developing new academic programs and strategic industry partnerships. He also played a leadership role in the institution’s integration of artificial intelligence into curriculum and institutional practice.

A longtime practitioner in music and media production, Bilotta has more than 15 years of experience leading worship and touring with music groups. He has served as executive producer for 17 albums and consults nationally on church audio and production systems. His professional background brings practical, industry-informed experience into the classroom and complements 91³Ō¹Ļ’s emphasis on preparing students for vocational service. Bilotta earned a Master of Music in Music Education with a concentration in Technology from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Westfield State University. Bilotta’s appointment reflects 91³Ō¹Ļ’s continued investment in the Digital Media and Communication program and its commitment to providing students with academically rigorous, professionally relevant education within a distinctly Christian context.

The newly formed School of Professional Studies brings together a broad collection of academic programs and departments, including the departments of Business and Technology, Teacher Education, Music, and Graduate Counseling. The EdD and Criminal Justice programs are also housed in this school. Dr. Stephen Dill is serving as the interim dean.

The School of Liberal Arts & Sciences maintains its name in this transition but (in transferring a few programs to the School of Professional Studies) has a renewed focus on the interdisciplinary education found in the liberal arts. Dr. Victoria Aquilone has been appointed as dean ahead of the Fall 2026 semester. The previous dean, Dr. Aneesh Khushman, is serving as the chair of natural sciences.

The School of Bible & Theology (previously the School of Divinity) is also home to 91³Ō¹Ļ Theological Seminary. The seminary was not introduced in order to offer new programs, as 91³Ō¹Ļ has offered graduate-level Bible education since 1992. This was instead a decision that reiterates and clearly communicates 91³Ō¹Ļ’s longstanding commitment to biblical and theological education to prospective students and churches. The Master of Divinity, Master of Arts (Religion), and Master of Arts (Executive Ministry Leadership) are offered through the Seminary. A more robust look at 91³Ō¹Ļ Theological Seminary will be available in the Fall 2026 issue of , to be released in late October.

91³Ō¹Ļ business students were finalists in the 2025 America250PA Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (DEIC). The DEIC is a multi-round competition that challenges students from Pennsylvaniaā€™s postsecondary institutions ā€œto design and develop integrated marketing campaigns that explore solutions to real-life challenges and questions.ā€

The 2025 DEIC consisted of three rounds, the final round held in person at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA, in October 2025. 91³Ō¹Ļ was one of five colleges invited to the final round. Faculty member Janelle Curtis-Beaman accompanied students Philip Oo, Matthew Mika, Colin Oā€™Brien, and JiEun Oh to Harrisburg to present their campaign.

This yearā€™s theme was “Miles of Impact: America’s First Superhighway.ā€ Students were challenged to ā€œdesign and pitch original integrated marketing campaigns that bring the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s story to life.ā€ 91³Ō¹Ļ students presented their campaign, ā€œWhere did you come from, where did you go?ā€ to celebrate 85 years of the Turnpike connecting Pennsylvanians while looking forward to the future of travel. They pitched a user-generated marketing campaign that would employ a statewide scavenger hunt that would encourage users to share experiences that promote connection, heritage, and progress.

91³Ō¹Ļ is proud to offer opportunities for experiential learning like this, giving students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in tactile ways that bolster their resume and give them confidence as they enter the job market. 

There is a growing contingent of 91³Ō¹Ļ graduates for whom ā€œ91³Ō¹Ļ Special” immediately evokes involving all five senses. Itā€™s requested like a secret menu item with a flash of a 91³Ō¹Ļ student ID. Buy a large drink and a large fry, and get an original sandwich or eight-count nugget for free. Todayā€™s students know the schedule: Monday at Oxford Valley. Tuesday at Langhorne. Thursday at Neshaminy.

The 91³Ō¹Ļ Special remains the cheapest meal a college student can buy off campus. And while that is attractive, it is not what keeps students coming back. The food is good, and it serves as the foundation for something even better. A Chick-fil-A booth has served as a mainstay for many 91³Ō¹Ļ studentsā€™ community building and cheap first dates. And for a select few, it introduced them to a future career as a Chick-fil-A owner-operator.

Chick-fil-Aā€™s franchisee selection process is extremely competitive. It receives an average of 40,000 applications per year and from that accepts little more than 100, substantiating the claim that it is easier to get into Harvard than it is to be selected to be a Chick-fil-A operator. Despite these slim chances, 91³Ō¹Ļ alumni still represent among the operator ranks. 2026 includes the opening of the fifth owned and operated restaurant by a 91³Ō¹Ļ alumnus.

These four men who have been selected to lead come from various backgrounds and took vastly different career paths toward ownership. The common thread? Their 91³Ō¹Ļ experience was a pivotal moment on their trajectory to Chick-fil-A ownershipā€”from business degrees and peer relationships to introducing them to their very first chicken sandwich.

Alex Crawford ā€™17/Gā€™17
Rochester, NY

The Fall of 2013 is when Alex began to study Bible and business at 91³Ō¹Ļ. Itā€™s also when he had his first Chick-fil-A sandwich. Chick-fil-A was a staple of his 91³Ō¹Ļ experience. While he was inspired by the culture (and the food!), he did not take a direct path to franchising. Alex interned with a local Geico office in his final semester at 91³Ō¹Ļ. He was then invited to join their Emerging Leaders program after graduation. This began a career that would require his family to move several times. Alex and his wife, Lindsey (McCulloch) ā€™17, moved five times as Alex moved up the Geico ranks. Their family eventually settled in Buffalo, NY, where Alex sat at the helm of the corporationā€™s customer service.

Alex is a lifelong New Yorker hailing from Long Island, but despite being back in his home state, the freezing temperatures of Western New York were a significant adjustment. The Crawfords did, how ever, quickly warm up to and fall in love with the people and culture of the area. Instead of seeing Buffalo as a transplant location for Alexā€™s career, they saw it as a place where they wanted to plant deep roots for their family.

While Alex wanted to stay in Western New York long term, that did not mean he wanted to stay with the corporation that originally brought him there. He enjoyed his work at Geico, but he ultimately decided to pursue a dream he had considered for several years: to own and operate a Chick-fil-A. He saw this career path as ā€œthe clearest alignment of my MBA and Bible degrees.ā€

Deciding to apply was just the start. Over the course of two and half years, Alex participated in several phone interviews; flew to Chick-fil-A headquarters four times for in-person meetings; and participated in a stress test, where he was thrown into a Chick-fil-A during the lunch rush to see how he would react and adapt. Chick-fil-A has high standards for the character of their operators, so extensive interviews with applicant references are central to the selection process. Among his professional references were Dave Heffernan, the owner of two of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s local Chick-fil-As, and Dr. Tony Hurst, part-time faculty member at 91³Ō¹Ļ.

Many operator-hopefuls work full-time at a Chick-fil-A location for years before submitting a franchisee application. Alex was not in that position, but he understood the advantage of direct team member experience. In the midst of interviewing, he decided to get a part-time job at a local Chick-fil-A. He worked one, eight-hour shift before he got the call to open a store of his own.

Alex is part of the 20% of Chick-fil-A operators who were selected outside of the CFA leadership development program. This minority position has several somewhat obvious challenges: He was selected to be an operator with out an intimate knowledge of every part of the menu, without the experiences of running a shift during a peak mealtime or navigating the challenges of being short-staffed. But at the same time, his experiences at Geico translate directly to some of the most important qualities of any Chick-fil-A operator: excelling in customer service, leading by serving, and using data-driven approaches to innovate and adapt to challenges. And since he
did work one shift, he already had a name tag.

Chick-fil-A Citygate opened in Rochester, NY, on February 5, 2026. The business of selling chicken and waffle fries is still brand new, but his seasoned leadership has him well-positioned to lead his team to serve his community well.

Brad Burkholder WWCā€™06/ā€™09
Harrisburg, PA

When Brad graduated high school, he decided to leave his home in Lebanon, PA, to commit to a year at Wisconsin Wilderness Campus. This year of studying the Bible in the great outdoors was what Brad describes as ā€œthe best year of my life,ā€ and it set him on a trajectory that would give him a career and the opportunity to return to his Central PA roots.

Upon finishing his year at WWC, Brad chose to continue his studies on the main campus as a business major. It was here in Langhorne that he first became acquainted with Chick-fil-A. In his undergrad years, he attended three Chick-fil-A grand openings. These events combined two of his favorite things: camping out in a tent, and free food.

The hard-earned free meal coupons on top of the 91³Ō¹Ļ Special student discount meant that Brad had every reason to spend an above-average amount of time at Chick-fil-A Oxford Valley Road. Through these visits, he built a relationship with the storeā€™s owner, Dave Heffernan. Seeing that Brad was a business major, Dave suggested the obvious: Brad should pursue a career with Chick-fil-A. Brad was not interested in that: ā€œI said, ā€˜Iā€™m not doing fast food.ā€™ I just like eating it.ā€

This opposition did not last more than a few months after graduation. The summer after he graduated, Brad was ready to get married and needed a job. Dave connected him with a new operator at Chick-fil-A Exeter in Reading, PA. It was in this restaurant that he began to truly see Chick-fil-A as more than ā€œfast food.ā€ The turning point was a guest interaction with a grandfather and his grandson:

ā€œHe said, ā€˜Can you tell my grandson about the story of Chick-fil-A? Because itā€™s such an amazing story.ā€™ So, I shared the history and core values of all Chick-fil-A restaurants. . . . Thatā€™s when I realized this is a different company. This isnā€™t just some fast food career. Thereā€™s more to it.ā€

It was after this interaction that Brad ā€œlocked in,ā€ studying CFA training videos after late-night closing shifts and personally committing to being the best employee he could be. His operator noticed this shift andā€”like Dave did just a couple of years before himā€”he encouraged Brad to pursue a long-term career with the company. This time, Brad was ready to heed that advice. After 1.5 years at Chick-fil-A Exeter, Brad was selected to be the interim manager of the Chick-fil-A in the Berkshire Mall. A year later, he became its operator at just 25 years old.

Brad is quick to share that his time at the mall wasnā€™t glamorous. The Berkshire Mall location was one of the lowest volume restaurants in the entire chain. What this location did not offer in profits, it offered in what money canā€™t buy: a chance to be humbled at a young age, space to make mistakes, and an acute awareness that he was in the right career. It also offered the opportunity to work near his hometown, a non-negotiable for his growing family. If he were ever to leave the mall, it would be without uprooting his familyā€™s life in Central PA. Four years passed. Then God opened a new door: Brad was selected to operate a new Chick-fil-A location in Harrisburg, just 20 minutes from his childhood home.

Brad celebrated ten years at Chick-fil-A Lindle Road in March 2026. Looking back over the past decade, one of the highlights has been the freedom he has to dynamically integrate his faith into his work. He has led devotionals in board meetings, prayed with his staff, and hosted Bible studies in his restaurant. ā€œIf I were to create my own restaurant or business, I would build it on the same values as Chick-fil-A. I am passionate about Chick-fil-A because they align with my values and beliefs. Thatā€™s how I know Iā€™m in the right place.”

Josh Maxwell ā€™06/Gā€™12ā€™14 and Luke Trader ā€™10
Egg Harbor Twp, NJ and Christiana, DE

By the time Josh graduated high school, he had been living out of his car for nearly two years. He left home at 16 because of his fatherā€™s addiction to drugs and alcohol. So, when he arrived at 91³Ō¹Ļ to begin the youth and family ministries program, he found a homeā€”both physically on campus and in the relationships he built with Dr. Matt McAlack and his future wife, Corrie. It was at 91³Ō¹Ļ that he also built a friendship with classmate Luke Trader ā€™10, who would later be the one to bring him into a career at Chick-fil-A.

Josh and Luke first met on a plane to Germany. They were seated next to each other on the initial flight to the University-sponsored Martin Luther tour over spring break in 2005. Luke was a full-time youth pastor completing his degree one course at a time, so their paths did not cross much on campus before or after this trip. But the friendship built on this trip would continue to grow through the years that Josh volunteered in Lukeā€™s youth ministry.

A few years after graduation, Josh and Corrie were married and serving at a church in Nevada. It was there Josh decided that full-time vocational ministry was not where he wanted to be, but he didnā€™t know exactly what he should do instead. He moved his family to New Jersey, to be near Corrieā€™s family and figure out what to do next. Thatā€™s when Luke offered him the opportunity to work with him again, this time at Chick-fil-A.

Luke had recently left full-time ministry and was working for Chick-fil-A Corporate, serving as an interim manager at the Quaker Bridge Mall location. When Josh told him that he moved into the area and was looking for work, Luke offered him a $10/hour team member position, which Josh quickly accepted. Several months later, Luke transferred to another mall location in Wilmington, DE, and he invited Josh to come with him. That offer was much harder to say yes to, but he still accepted:

ā€œI was driving an hour and 20 minutes each way to work in my 1992 Ford Explorer,ā€ said Josh. ā€œI was working 60, 70, 80ā€“hour weeks, but I didnā€™t feel I was competitive enough to become an owner/operator.ā€

To bolster his resume, he returned to school full-time. He transferred to a restaurant in Delran, NJ, and used the time he saved on his commute to earn an MBA degree from 91³Ō¹Ļ, graduating in 2014. Degree in hand, he felt prepared to enter the candidate pool. The following year, he accepted the offer to become the owner/operator of a Chick-fil-A in Jackson, TN.

Josh operated Chick-fil-A Old Hickory Mall for three years. In his first year, he earned the regional Rookie of the Year designation, Symbol of Success, and Champions Clubā€”internal awards for Chick-fil-A Operators who hit certain sales and profit quotas year over year. In 2018, he returned to New Jersey to take over as Operator of Chick-fil-A Egg Harbor Township. As for Luke, he became the Operator of Chick-fil-A Christiana in 2016 and, as of April 2025, Chick-fil-A University Plaza in Newark, DE.

You can look at Josh and Lukeā€™s stories and see two youth pastors that left the ministry. In a sense thatā€™s true. But if you think that means they are no longer doing ministry, youā€™d be mistaken. Service is at the center of Chick-fil-Aā€™s culture; they call it ā€œsecond-mile service,ā€ echoing Jesusā€™ call from the Sermon on the Mount. This happens every day, all day between Chick-fil-A team members and guests. But it has the potential for even more impact when the operator goes the extra mile for his employees:

ā€œWe want to have a positive influence on all guests who come through the drive-thruā€”which is only two to three minutes a visit,ā€ said Josh. ā€œBut as an operator, I have six to eight hours a day, six days a week where I can make an impact on my staff.ā€

Both Josh and Luke have been very successful over the 10+ years that they have operated their restaurants. It is the result of hard work and a commitment to excellence. While this has sometimes been celebrated with accolades, it isnā€™t what is most important:

ā€œItā€™s not about who has the most sales and who can be the best. Itā€™s better to ask the questions, ā€˜How are we serving people, and how are we serving God?ā€™ Itā€™s an awesome opportunity to be a part of a business that asks those questions and to be able answer them faithfully.ā€

This year’s Golf Classic brought together 176 golfers and raised over $137,000!

As another successful Golf Classic concludes, 91³Ō¹Ļ remains grateful for the generosity of those who make this tradition possible. The University looks forward to continuing the tradition of the Golf Classic in 2027. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or participation in next yearā€™s event, please contact Graham Thorpe at gthorpe@cairn.edu.

Over the weekend of May 15ā€“17, 2026, 91³Ō¹Ļ hosted its annual JAM weekend (Junior High Adventures in Ministry). This summer evangelism event equips teens to share the good news of Jesus and immediately gives them an opportunity to do so. This year, 310 students and leaders from 17 churches attended and shared the gospel with the 240 children who attended Kidsā€™ Day on Saturday.

This yearā€™s theme was ā€œUnshakeable Hope.ā€ In a world full of uncertainty, todayā€™s teens are craving something real. The messages of the weekend, given by alum Eddie Jurimas ā€™14, centered on the reliable truth of the gospel and the hope we can have in Jesus Christ. The teens not only needed this message, they were eager to share it with others:

ā€œSome people sell teenagers short. They may see future potential, but donā€™t realize how powerful their influence can be right now,ā€ said Dr. Matt McAlack, professor of youth and family ministry and JAM director. ā€œFrom the beginning moments of JAM, the teens were very engaged in the gospel training and excited to share the message with their buddy the following day. On Sunday morning, over 25 teens stood to share their testimonies and give glory to God.ā€

The space for youth groups is already full for 2027, but if you want your childrenā€™s ministry group to participate in next yearā€™s JAM weekend, you can register today at .

Following the awarding of diplomas and degrees, University President Todd J. Williams delivered the commencement address. Drawing from 2 Timothy 2:1ā€“9, he challenged graduates to view their calling through the lens of faithfulness rather than personal achievement. God grants us all unique gifts and opportunities in life. Dr. Williams reminded graduates that we all stand before God equal in our need for God and his grace. 

Reflecting on Paulā€™s descriptions of the soldier, athlete, and farmer in 2 Timothy, Dr. Williams encouraged graduates to remain focused on serving Christ above all else. He reminded students that the Christian life is not about earning redemption through hard work or performance, but about living in response to the forgiveness already given through Christ. In a culture often consumed with self-promotion and personal success, Dr. Williams encouraged graduates to shift their focus toward lives of service and devotion to the glory of God.

Provost Adam Porcella announced the undergraduate students with the highest academic achievements. He recognized Felicity Anne Crippen and Adaira Nicole Hufford for earning the second-highest GPA of 3.99 and Abigail Grace Raymond and Eli Blake Cerezo for achieving a perfect 4.00 GPA. In addition to celebrating academic achievements, the University recognized several faculty members for advancing in faculty rank this academic year. Dr. Bryan Murawski was named faculty member of the year.

The ceremony concluded with the longstanding tradition of singing the University hymn, ā€œGreat Is Thy Faithfulnessā€, a reminder that while we are called to be faithful to Christ, he has promised to be ever faithful to us. 

Congratulations, Class of 2026!

If you would like to watch the recording of this yearā€™s Commencement, it is available here.