Deacon Verne was ordained a deacon in St. Augustine’s church in 1982 and has over 23 years of campus ministry experience at St. Augustine’s as a deacon. He was born in Orofino, ID and grew up on a nearby ranch. He holds a BSCE, an MBA, and a Ph.D in Structural Engineering from the University of Idaho and has taught at both the U of I and WSU. He and his wife Linda have eight children.