Rod Shackelford’s ties to The Master’s University run deep.
He listened to Dr. John Dunkin’s preaching as a middle schooler, played sports with Matt MacArthur in high school and college, and later watched his own sons compete in athletics at TMU.
It was also at TMU that Shackelford (’87) grew in his love for Christ and Scripture and where he made connections that set him on a career path in the orthopedic device industry.
Shackelford remains deeply connected to the University, both as a board member and as the owner of ImpactOrtho, a medical sales and education company and the sole provider of Arthrex medical devices in Arizona. ImpactOrtho is a corporate partner of TMU.
“I’m committed to the mission — Christ and Scripture,” Shackelford said, “and wanting to ensure the fidelity of what this institution is about for the next generation, for my grandkids and their grandkids.”
Some of Shackelford’s earliest exposure to TMU (Los Angeles Baptist College at the time) came when he was in middle school. He was attending a church in the San Fernando Valley when Dr. John Dunkin, LABC’s longtime president, stepped in as interim pastor.
That was only the beginning. Shackelford competed alongside Matt MacArthur in high school baseball, football, and track. The friendship was key to Shackelford’s family eventually transitioning to Grace Community Church, where he sat under the teaching of Matt’s father, Dr. John MacArthur. A few years later, Shackelford and Matt were playing college baseball together at Cal State Northridge when they transferred to The Master’s College, where Dr. MacArthur had just become president.
Shackelford’s siblings, Jill and Danny, also attended TMC, and more recently his sons Ryan, Reid, Aaron, and Andrew attended the school, competing in baseball and basketball.
For his part, Rod says he was most impacted at TMU by his Bible classes and by godly mentors from the school and Grace Church.
“That just built the foundation of truth in my life,” he said.
A look inside ImpactOrtho’s facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, which includes an operating room where surgeons can practice procedures.
He says truth is also central to his work at ImpactOrtho, which provides equipment, training, and support for more than 8,500 Arthrex products and surgical procedures. The company’s core values — humble, trustworthy, and driven — are each based on biblical principles.
Shackelford points to Christ as the greatest example of humility, demonstrating what it looks like to put the needs of others before oneself.
With regard to “trustworthy,” Shackelford sees two distinct aspects.
“You have to be someone who has integrity,” Shackelford said, “but also someone who is good at what you do. Otherwise, you can’t work for us because being competent serves the surgeons. They need to be able to rely on you.”
And driven?
“You have to strive for excellence even when no one’s watching,” Shackelford said.
This approach has led to tangible business results. In 2020, Shackelford was selected as the sole distributor in Arizona of Arthrex. And in 2022 and 2024, his company was selected as the southwest regional agency of the year. But Shackelford still believes the most invigorating part of his work is getting to represent Christ in the workplace and provide mentorship to the employees God entrusts to him.
“It’s more about the people,” he says, “giving them a vision for their career and a pathway of how to be successful in this business sector.”
Since joining TMU’s board of trustees in 2022, he is also using his business acumen to help TMU steward its resources so that it can best prepare men and women for lives of faithfulness to Christ.
“As long as I can be of value, I want to be here.”
You can learn more about ImpactOrtho at impact-ortho.com.
