BWGI International Institute Faculty
David Eckman Ph.D. has been a pastor for 16 years followed by 7 years as a Dean and Executive Vice-President for Western Seminary. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Master of Theology, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Philosophy in Hebrew Studies and Old Testament.
David Eckman is an author of numerous books and an international speaker and educator. He is also a contributor to others books such as the New King James Study Bible.
David grew up in a dysfunctional family. He found emotional freedom when he finally experienced how God truly loved him. In 1997 he founded BWGI Ministries, which fosters spiritual transformation through helping people understand who they are in Christ.
Pastor Ming holds a Master of Arts in Bible Study from Dallas Theological Seminary. He went to the University of Melbourne in Australia for a doctoral degree in Chemistry.
He started his full-time ministry at a church in the San Francisco Bay Area for 6 years before moving back to Melbourne to shepherd his current congregation in 2019.
Reverend Tom Chiu was born in China and raised in Hong Kong. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from MIT. After spending over 30 years in the semiconductor industry, he was called to a full-time ministry and earned his M.Div. from Western Seminary in 2012. In 2024, he completed his D.Min at Fuller Seminary.
Following his M.Div graduation, Rev. Tom and his wife, Lucia, served churches in Shanghai and Hong Kong. He is an ordained Cantonese Minister at Lord's Grace Community Church.
Dr. Kimberly Grassi is a professor of Old Testament studies at Western Seminary. She has her M.Div. from Western Seminary and her Th.M. and Ph.D. from Gateway Seminary.
Kimberly is the author of two Bible studies: Proverbs and Hebrews, as well as small group study guides on 2 Corinthians, Apologetics, and Topical Studies for High School students.
Gary pastored for 20 years. He holds a Master of Divinity from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and a Doctor of Preaching from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is currently the President of an Executive Development Company.
Gary was highly decorated as the youngest Drill Instructor in U.S. Army history at age 18. He was also awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor in combat. Gary has published two books, "Stranded in the Wild" and "Purpose Centered Public Speaking." His third book, "The Journey to God," will be available in early summer of 2026.
Gayle graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Biological Sciences and University of San Francisco for her M.B.A. in Management & Marketing. She was the Operations Manager for the Services & Support Division of North America for ThermoFisher, a Fortune 100 company. In 2017, she left her career to serve as Executive Director for BWGI. Gayle graduated in 2026 from Johns Hopkins University with an M.S. in Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology to strengthen BWGI's discipleship impact by designing pedagogically sound, technology-enabled learning experiences that scale Dr. Eckman's teaching to an international digital audience.
Irene grew up in Brazil and moved to the Netherlands, where she received a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Delft University of Technology. She has worked in Brazil, Germany, and the US as an SAP (a major ERP system) functional and technical consultant.
Irene received salvation, attended and served in a bible-teaching church for over 15 years but it was only through BWGI ministry and Dr. Eckman's materials that barriers were removed to truly experience God the Father's transforming love and bring the truth of the Bible into her heart. Irene has been connected to BWGI ministries for over 4 years.
Olivia has a Graduate Diploma in Theology, and a Diploma in Financial Planning. She is from Hong Kong and speaks English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. After a decade or so in business she became a church worker, led in the founding of a church plant, and became the Executive-Pastor of that church.
Because of her family background she has a great interest and compassion for those who have become Christians from such backgrounds.