Meet Our Team

Keith Chancey is the founder of the Kanakuk Institute. He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and Dallas Theological Seminary with more than 45 years of ministry experience at KLIFE, Denton Bible Church and Kanakuk Kamps. Keith is married to Karen and together they have two children and two grandchildren who he is affectionately known by as “Champs!” Keith desires for young men and women to be equipped for a lifetime with God’s Word no matter what their occupation is. This is what really sparked the vision to start the Kanakuk Institute in 2002. Keith has a heart for as many people to come to know Christ as possible, and his love for God is contagious!

Karen Chancey founded the Kanakuk Institute alongside her husband Keith and has more than 43 years of ministry experience. She has been a missionary with AIM and a Women’s Director at both KLIFE and Kanakuk Kamps. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Dallas Theological Seminary and has a passion to teach the Word of God. Karen is a certified leader/teacher for Precepts Ministries, Evangelism Explosion, Walk Thru the Bible, and Evangelical Teacher Training Association. She loves teaching at the Kanakuk Institute while also coming alongside the students as they discover more about God and His Word. She and Keith have two children and two grandchildren, which call her one of her favorite titles, “Cookie!”

Chad Hampsch helped start the Institute with Keith and Karen and is now the Vice President. In addition to his role at KI, Chad is a Director at Kanakuk Kamps and a part of the teaching team at First Baptist Church Branson. Chad is married to Cat and together they have four children. While Chad wears many hats, most often you can find him in his St. Louis Cardinals one, his favorite is husband and dad. Chad is passionate about helping others understand how to accurately handle the Word of God and blesses our students as he uses his spiritual gift of teaching to do so.

Catherine Hampsch said yes to marrying Chad and starting the Kanakuk Institute all at once! She has been part of every year of students since 2002. She and Chad love being mom and dad to their four children. She is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and has more than 20 years of ministry experience. Cat’s humble confidence and wisdom are assets to how we as a staff get to invest in our students. Although she’s quieter in her passion, Cat cheers for the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues as much as Chad and the rest of her family!

Grant Gaines has been part of the Kanakuk Institute staff for nearly a decade as the Dean of Men. He was a student in the Class of 2013, then served with a ministry called AfterDark before joining the team. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas where the Lord really began to get a hold of his heart. Grant is married to Sarah and together they have three children. He plays a primary role in the discipleship of our male students and lives his life in a way that gives them an example to follow. Grant is a gifted Bible teacher as well as a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan!

This is Beth Ann’s 1st year on staff for the Institute, after graduating from the Institute in 2013 and then working for Kanakuk’s outreach ministry, After Dark for a few years before she shifted to being the Assistant Women’s Director of K-1. Beth Ann will be co-organizing all student life activities with Grant Gaines, meeting with and following up with female students, leading a touch point group, enforcing and taking attendance, and teaching Inductive Bible study. She will also be carrying on in her role with K-1.

Joy Oatman Vickers attended the Kanakuk Institute as a student in the Class of 2010 and has been a part of our staff ever since. She is a Bearcat, a graduate of Southwest Baptist University. Joy is gifted in a way that brings clarity and structure to the administrative needs of KI as the Director of Operations, all while also bringing adventure, fun and humor. She loves helping students discover how loved they are by God while also strategically knocking off travel destinations from her bucket list each year!

Julie Brinkman serves as our Office and Academic Manager. The academic component of the Kanakuk Institute is critical to our program, and Julie oversees, manages and enhances the student experience through it. A graduate of Abilene Christian University, Julie then attended KI in 2017. She has lived in Branson ever since and has found ways to plug into the community through the local theater both performing and directing. Julie loves helping students fully understand and comprehend all they are learning about God’s Word and enjoys walking alongside students to help in this process.

Cody Terrill joined our staff officially in 2019 after volunteering for years simply because he believed in the work God’s doing at the Kanakuk Institute. While insurance is his full-time employment, Cody finds time to significantly contribute to Men’s Recruiting and Discipleship. His laid back, relational gifting allows him to build equity with our students and recruits quickly as he simply desires to see them love God more. He graduated from Baylor University, then attended KI as a student in 2013. Cody’s married to Courtney and together they have two children. He spins many plates, but he still finds time to cheer on the Cubs and the Bears (both Chicago and Baylor)!

Jennifer Ford attended the Kanakuk Institute in the Class of 2013 after moving to Branson from Dallas when she married her husband, Don Ford. She then joined our staff and serves in a significant role with Women’s Recruiting and Discipleship. Jenn brings vast experience to our team formerly working in both the business/sales as well as ministry worlds. She has led the charge in adding in a coaching element to our student experience that has moved the needle for next steps decisions for our students. Jenn is an avid Oklahoma Sooners fan, and she and Don thrive in the realm of hospitality together using their home as a ministry tool.

Janna Brown has lived in Branson for more than three decades where she and her husband Terry have raised their three adult children. They have actively served in their local church and have been serving as a host family for the Kanakuk Institute since 2002. When we bought our own property, The Cottages on Lakeshore, we knew we had a hole we needed to fill in the Cottages Customer Specialist. Janna’s gift of hospitality made her the perfect fit! She serves our vacationers all summer long, then also our students throughout the year. She is passionate about seeing young people understand the freedom available in Christ alone. Janna is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the discipleship program, Doulos. You can find her cheering on the Jayhawks regularly, but she loves cheering on her grown kids the most!

This is Madison’s first year on staff with the Institute. She attended the Institute, graduating from the Class of 2023 and now is taking over our marketing department. She will handle all marketing including branding, photo/video, graphic design, and communications including social media, website, email/text platforms.