DOUGLAS J. PIETERSMA, Ed.D.

Researcher in the Field of Home Education

Dr. Pietersma is a researcher in the field of home education, a home-educating father, and a professor of education and a pastor. His professional work includes being the editor of The Home School Researcher, a peer-reviewed research journal of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI). He oversees the review and revision of submitted manuscripts as well formatting of approved manuscripts for hard copy and online publishing. He is also a research associate with NHERI. Dr. Pietersma’s published dissertation is titled THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF HOMESCHOOLING FAMILIES AND THE TRANSFERENCE OF FAITH TRADITION: A NARRATIVE EXPLORATION. He also serves as an adjunct assistant professor of education in the School of Education at Regent University where he teaches graduate courses, serves as a mentor for graduate and post-graduate students, as a dissertation committee member, and as a dissertation chair.

Dr. Douglas J. Pietersma is also the founder and owner of AltaMeta Enterprises, LLC. Current divisions of AltaMeta Enterprises include: AltaMeta Home School Auxiliary, providing supplementary curriculum to Christian homeschool families; AltaMeta Kenpo Ohana, character training fitness programs which utilize traditional Hawaiian Kenpo martial arts; AltaMeta Language Services, providing linguistic services including translating, interpreting, tutoring and tailored language training in Spanish; Dr. Pietersma is concurrently Director, Chief Instructor, and Managing Linguist of the aforementioned AltaMeta divisions. Chief Instructor Douglas holds a fourth degree black belt in Hawaiian Kenpo.

For more than 35 year, Douglas has served in various church ministries throughout the United States and in overseas locations. His church ministry service experience includes teaching Sunday school (children, teen, and adult), lay preaching, transportation ministry, short-term mission coordination, personal evangelism, music direction, church
financial management, and technical service operations. In November of 2024 he was called to the pastorate at Elk Mountain Community Church in Elk Mountain, Wyoming, where he serve a rural community in close proximity to a National Forest where he also enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, camping and amaeture lumberjacking.

Douglas was born on April 15, 1973, in Oslo, Norway where his father, Master Sergeant John Pietersma (United States Air Force, Retired), was stationed. Prior to his current positions, he served in the United States Air Force for 20 years as a Spanish linguist and an intelligence officer, retiring at the rank of Major. Dr. Pietersma is married to Tifara (née Jonas) of Great Falls, Montana. Their two children, Cheyenne and Dakota, are both K-12 homeschool graduates.

SELECT EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS:
2024 Pastoral Ordination – Elk Mountain Community Church, Elk Mountain, Wyoming
2020 Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) – Christian Education Leadership, Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia
2017 Education Specialist (Ed.S.) – Christian Education Leadership, Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia
2008 Master of Strategic Intelligence (MSI) – American Military University, Charles Town, West Virginia
2000 Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) – Spanish, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
1999 Associate of Applied Science (AAS) – Communications Applications Technology, Community College of the
Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
1996 Basic Linguist Certification – Spanish, Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, California
1995 Bachelor of Bible (BB) – Missions Studies, Texas Baptist College (now Texas Independent Baptist Seminary,
Longview, Texas