JobfitMatters Executive Search is pleased to announce that the Taylor University Board of Trustees has unanimously elected D. Michael Lindsay, Ph.D. as its next President.
Since 2011, Dr. Lindsay has served as president of Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. He previously announced his intention to step down as Gordon’s president effective June 30, 2021. Under his leadership, the school experienced record years of opportunity and growth, representing banner results in terms of fundraising and endowment growth; campus diversity, academic and student program development; sponsored research; athletic success; student satisfaction; and faith expression on campus. Gordon recently ended its best fiscal year ever and this spring is completing the school’s most ambitious and successful fundraising campaign to-date, including the largest gift ever given to a Christian college.
“Dr. Lindsay is a gifted individual of deep personal faith and proven servant leadership. He excels in areas of innovation and creative adaptation, and he is uniquely qualified to lead the University forward with humility, wisdom and courage,” said Chris Goeglein, M.B.A., Board Chair and Search Committee Co-Chair. “A respected Christian leader, Dr. Lindsay has a broad understanding of the complexities facing Christian higher education. His spiritual and intellectual development in cultivating and discipling the next generation of servant leaders is truly a calling.”
The Taylor Presidential Search Committee worked with JobfitMatters Executive Search in this important process. Co-Chair Chris Goeglein commented, “It was a pleasure to partner with JFM from start to finish. The rigorous process led by JFM ensured a competitive, thorough and successful search with an outstanding result for Taylor University.”
Dr. Lindsay was the unanimous selection of the Presidential Search Committee, and he was elected unanimously by the Board of Trustees. He will enter the Office of the President on Aug. 16, 2021, assuming the role from previous Taylor Board Chair Paige Comstock Cunningham, Ph.D., J.D., who has served as Interim President of the University since Aug. 15, 2019. Dr. Lindsay shared, “Rebecca and I feel deeply called to this new chapter at Taylor, and we thank God for the role that JobfitMatters played in helping us discern our next place of service. We felt honored, well cared for, and thoughtfully engaged throughout the search process.”
Prior to arriving at Gordon, Dr. Lindsay was a member of the sociology faculty at Rice University, where he won multiple awards both for his teaching and academic research. He is the author of two dozen scholarly publications and numerous books, including Faith in the Halls of Power, which was nominated for the nonfiction Pulitzer Prize in 2007, and his award-winning View from the Top, which has been translated into Chinese and Japanese. His forthcoming book, Hinge Moments, will release April 27, 2021, with InterVarsity Press.
Dr. Lindsay earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University and graduate theological degrees from Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University and Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Baylor University where he has been named Outstanding Young Alumnus.
Dr. Lindsay has been married for 25 years to Rebecca, an accomplished teacher and speaker who will serve as Taylor’s Ambassador for the University. They are the proud parents of three daughters, Elizabeth (17), Caroline (10) and Emily (10).
See the full video announcement here.