The Legacy of the Impossible | Issue 2025

A Conversation With Dr. Clifford Daugherty: Reflections of 40 Years of Faithful Leadership
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Entering the room for this interview felt like coming full circle. Valley Christian changed the course of my life, and the man I was about to sit down with was at the helm of that change.

Dr. Clifford Daugherty is larger than life in so many ways. He is a force of nature, leaving ideas and enthusiasm in his wake. But what struck me most, after hours together, was not the size of his vision. It was his humility, his gratitude, and his steadfast love for people. When I first knew him, he was simply the new principal at my little high school. I was friends with his daughter, and he sometimes gave me a ride home, patiently listening as we chattered away in the back seat. Looking at him now, the visionary who shepherded Valley Christian Schools (VCS) from a modest campus to an internationally recognized place of innovation could feel intimidating. But in person, I saw a man deeply aware of God’s hand in every chapter of the story.

“Things would happen when we would get to the point where no one would think it’s possible,” he told me. “That’s when God would say, ‘My turn; let’s do it.’ No one can doubt that it was God who did it.”

Impossible. That word came up again and again in our time together. Impossible, until God moved.

BUILDING WITH FAITH

One of the things I had never realized was how personal the sacrifices were in those early years. Cliff and his wife, Kris, went from home to home hosting dinners as part of a grassroots capital campaign.

“We were just constantly letting people know that we were having these dinners, and people really stretched,” he recalled. “You could imagine how small the salaries were for teachers. There weren’t that many of us either compared to now. So, what we needed to raise was a lot. And people made it happen.”

But the truth is, it took enormous faith. At one point, payroll could not be met. Teachers and staff lined up to say how much they needed to pay their bills. Somehow, when the last person had spoken, there was just enough to cover it all.

Even in dark times, he’s learned that “You can never out give God,” he said with certainty. “It’s more blessed to give than receive.”

2024 | DR. DAUGHERTY & WIFE KRIS AT FINAL KEYNOTE
The final keynote Cliff delivered as President of Valley Christian Schools centered on the theme of courage and underscored VCS’s ongoing commitment to missional outreach.

A MARRIAGE OF STEADFAST FAITH

Listening to Cliff speak about Kris, I couldn’t help but smile. His admiration for her was clear. “I’m most secure and most relaxed when I’m with Kris,” he told me. “We’re 56 years married, and so we’re about to decide that it was a good match.”

He laughed as he shared how both his wife and his assistants keep him on track. “Do you have your keys? Did you grab your notes? They go down the checklist,” he said. “One of the things we’ve learned is that I’m never allowed to keep an original document. They make copies, because if they see me walking out with one, they know it won’t come back.”

Kris, however, is more than just practical support. She is the quiet strength that has walked with him through every storm. “She would say, well, it’s just money,” he recalled. “She’s patient and has never broken a confidence. She doesn’t feel like she has to be in on everything. She is my spiritual sounding board. She’s a very special wife.”

I couldn’t help but tell him, “You won the lottery.” He grinned, “Yep.”

1998 | SKYWAY CAMPUS GROUNDBREAKING PRAYERS
Dr. Daugherty led a prayer as Bibles were placed within the school’s foundation on Skyway. Each major milestone was covered in prayer, strengthening the campus from the ground up. With every brick laid, intentional prayer guided the construction, shaping the world-class campus VCS is known for today.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

When I asked what had kept him grounded through the decades of leadership, his answer was simple: Scripture and prayer.

“In the 1970s, I made a commitment to read the Bible no less than five minutes a day,” he said. “Some days, that’s all I could do. Other days, I would just keep reading. But if you do that, you will have the thoughts of God that will direct your life. God uses His Word that we’ve read to speak to us through the Holy Spirit.”

The second practice was prayer, particularly intercessory prayer. For years, Cliff had known that parents and friends of the school prayed regularly. But it wasn’t until he attended a conference in Argentina that he understood the depth of it.

“I didn’t want to go,” he admitted. “It was expensive, it was far away, and Kris doesn’t like to fly. But then someone offered to pay for it, and I realized God was saying, ‘You’re going.’”

There, he saw the power of intercession and came home with new eyes for the faithful prayer warriors at VCS. One evening during the 1990-91 school year, he stumbled upon them praying in a room when he had only meant to turn off the lights. “I thought, well, you’re the superintendent of the Christian school, so you better stay and pray,” he said with a smile.

That meeting grew into a weekly rhythm of intercession that continues to this day. “The Word, combined with meditation and prayer, gives you access to the Omnis,” he said. As he often reminds others, we’re never left without resources; the “Omnis” of God’s character (His omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence) are always at work, guiding every step of the journey. “That is our foundation.”

The Word, combined with meditation and prayer, gives you access to the Omnis. We’re never left without resources; the “Omnis” of God’s character (His omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence) are always at work, guiding every step of the journey. —DR. CLIFFORD E. DAUGHERTY

RESISTANCE AND GROWTH

We talked about resistance. Specifically, how it shows up not just in organizations, but in ourselves.“Every one of our new programs always had resistance,” he explained. “It was a threat to what existed. But the truth is, the more we have to offer, the more people come, and that makes every program stronger.”

He gave the example of convincing Troy Gunter, Vice President of K-12 Conservatory of the Arts, to step into leadership. “Troy did not want to be an administrator,” he said. “But I told him, you know me, I can’t really play a note. If you don’t do it, I’ll do it, and you’ll have to live with my decisions about the arts.”

We both laughed at the honesty in that.

But he was right, growth always brings resistance, and resistance often signals that something important is about to happen. He reflected further, stating, “This pattern played out in each of our major programs like Athletics, Conservatory of the Arts, our STEM program in AMSE (Applied Math, Science, and Engineering Institute), and BEI (Business, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation). The credit for the success of each belongs to the Lord, and His work through the effective leadership of people like Eric Scharrenberg, Troy Gunter, Werner Vavken, Danny Kim, and Hannah Kim.”
 

2012 | A³ PHILOSOPHY: Academics, ARTS, ATHLETICS Dr. Daugherty envisioned a program where every child could pursue their God-given talents. He developed the A³ philosophy to broaden education across three disciplines: Academic Excellence, Artistic Beauty, and Athletic Distinction.

THE JOY OF IDEAS

Cliff admitted that he sometimes gets too excited when a new idea sparks. “I get so excited about a thought that I can jump on people when they’re talking,” he said. “I try my best, but it’s very difficult. I just get so excited.”

I confessed that I sometimes do the same thing, even putting my hand over my mouth to stop myself. He laughed, “I’ve upset a few people that way, but ideas come from people. That’s how God works. He uses many people.”

Most of the programs that define VCS today were born out of conversations, of listening, of pulling together ideas from others. “You need to be a believer in what’s going to happen,” he said. “If you can see it, feel it, and believe it when nobody else does, that’s faith. The mustard seed is just a stubborn little guy who won’t quit.” So are we.

2024 | THE PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION
Dr. Daugherty with his successor, Brian Clemons, as they discuss the next chapter in Valley Christian Schools’

A NEW SEASON OF LEADERSHIP

Cliff expected to retire completely, giving Brian Clemons, the new CEO and President, space to lead without him in the background. But at both the board’s and Brian’s encouragement, he accepted a new role as Chancellor. The position is still evolving, with his main focus on co-chairing Valley’s endowment initiative. For Cliff, it’s a way to support the school’s future while also slowing down, spending more time with Kris, and trusting God with whatever comes next.

IMPOSSIBLE, UNTIL GOD

Looking back, the story of VCS is one of impossible things made possible. Payroll met when it seemed there was no way. A school preserved when finances should have ended it. Programs born out of resistance that became magnets for students.

Each chapter of the story echoes the same truth Cliff shared with me: “If it seems impossible, that’s when God comes through and says, ‘Don’t take credit. I did it.’”

As I left our time together, I carried not just a deeper respect for Dr. Daugherty, but also a renewed faith. The impossible is never the end of the story. It is simply the beginning of what God can do.

And perhaps that is the legacy Dr. Daugherty leaves most of all. Not just buildings, programs, or recognition, but a living testimony that the God who calls us to dream is the God who makes the impossible possible.

Dr. Daugherty envisioned a program where every child could pursue their God-given talents. He developed the A3 philosophy to broaden education across three disciplines: Academic Excellence, Artistic Beauty, and Athletic Distinction.

2025 | DR. DAUGHERTY AT GRADUATION
Dr. Daugherty walks to the stage, Bible in hand, for his final high school graduation as president, a symbolic graduation into his new role as Chancellor.

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