I’m a proud product of the Northwest—both the region and Northwest University (though back in my day, it was still Northwest College). I grew up in North Idaho with an early desire to follow Jesus. As high school graduation approached, I chose Northwest because of the meaningful connections I had through mentors who had attended before me.

During my undergraduate years, I found lifelong friends, met and married my wife Leanne, and dove into the life of the local church to put into practice what I was learning in the classroom. One night, in a small prayer room on campus, I asked Jesus to speak to my heart and grip me with purpose. That night, I received a calling: “Be a voice of encouragement to a generation of people toward Jesus.” That call has fueled my life ever since.

Over the years, that calling has taken me on quite a journey. I served as a youth pastor for eight years, encouraging students in their faith. For five years, I traveled full-time as a public school assembly speaker, developing curriculum and resources to give students practical “handles of hope.” I also had the privilege of speaking in churches and at Christian events across the country. Later, I became the lead pastor at North Point Church in Springfield, MO, where we celebrated nearly 4,000 people going public with their faith through water baptism.

After 13 years of pastoring North Point, the call I first heard at Northwest led me back to Northwest. In the fall of 2025, I returned to Kirkland to serve as the seventh president of this incredible university.

My greatest priority is creating an environment where students can hear God’s call on their lives and be equipped to live it out. I believe in this generation. I believe in the power of God’s call. And I believe that world-changing, eternal impact can rise right here from the Pacific Northwest!

Leanne and I were married in 1997 while still students at Northwest. Our oldest daughter, Janaya, works at Convoy of Hope in Springfield, MO. Our youngest, Sydney, is married to Terrell Dawson. Sydney serves at the Springfield Dream Center, and Terrell pastors young adults and students at North Point. As a family, we’re partial to game nights and Mexican food. And when I’m not working, you’ll probably find me in the cafeteria swapping stories with students—or on a pickleball court trying to stay young!