Joel & Tia Gaines

Joel R. Gaines serves as the Head of School at The City School in Philadelphia. He graduated from Cairn University (formerly Philadelphia Biblical University) with a BS in education and biblical studies, and earned his MEd in education from Cabrini University. He is the Director of Educational Leadership at UnifiEd: A Center for Hope and Unity. Joel is passionate about seeing students flourish academically, emotionally, and spiritually toward comprehensive shalom. He has 17 years of administrative experience spanning urban, suburban, public, and Christian schools. Joel is married to Tia and they have one son Josiah, and three daughters Hosanna, Eliana, and Adoniah.

Tia Gaines is the Director of Educational Strategy at UnifiEd: A Center for Hope and Unity. She is a writer and conference speaker who devotes herself to diversity, inclusion, and equity within Christian education as well as innovation and technology. She has been teaching for 16 years, with 11 of those years spent in online education. Tia coaches and trains over 300 teachers on teaching strategies in a virtual setting. In addition, Tia co-leads the Grace and Race Ministry at her church alongside her husband Joel. She has created curriculum and resource material on the topics of cultural humility, as well as intercultural competency, dialogue, and reflection.