Meet New VP of Spiritual Life and Missions
Student success! It is my desire to give full attention to helping students achieve the mission and core values of Oakwood University.
Growing up on the campus of Oakwood College gave me a firsthand “Oakwood Experience.” Attending the College Church dramatically impacted my life. The intellectual training I received at the college, and the robust spiritual training obtained in the church served to inextricably infuse into my thinking, teaching, and administration the importance of Seventh-day Adventist Christian higher education. In addition, the college and church environments played pivotal roles in my academic and spiritual development.
As your new Vice President for Spiritual Life & Missions, I am looking forward to connecting with faculty, staff and students and making a difference on this campus and in the community. With more than 25 years as a pastor, counselor, academic advisor, conference evangelist and student affairs administrator, I believe my experience and skill sets have strategically prepared me for this very important role in leading the Office of Spiritual Life at Oakwood University to the “Next Level” of spirituality for the students and the college community.
It is my desire to help create an engaging spiritual environment where students can be successful, where they feel socially connected, spiritually strong, and where they can achieve academically. I am passionate about leadership. My leadership style is one of “servant leadership,” and I am always thinking of new and innovative ways that can help take faculty, staff and students to a higher level in their relationship with God and each other.
As an alumnus of Oakwood and now an employee, I am excited to be coming home to help further the mission of Oakwood University and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
I am married to the lovely Melanie Richardson of Macon, Georgia. This upcoming school year, she will be assuming the role of a Speech Pathologist in the Madison City School District. We have been married for 25 years, and we are blessed with two sons, Brandon and Jaylin, who are currently students at Oakwood University.
