Kuyper College Names Dan Churchwell as Next President
Kuyper College today announced the selection of Dan Churchwell as its next president, following a thorough and prayerful national search conducted by the Presidential Search Committee in partnership with Grand Rapids-based Specialized Recruiting Group.
The Kuyper College Board of Trustees voted to approve Churchwell’s appointment, and he is expected to begin on Monday, July 20.
Churchwell currently serves as Director of Programs and Education at the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, where he oversees a global portfolio of educational programs, manages multi-million-dollar grant relationships, and leads strategic partnerships with universities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations worldwide.
He also brings to the Kuyper presidency two decades of Christian higher education experience, including a deep theological grounding and a proven record of institutional growth, program innovation, and financial stewardship.
Kuyper Board Chair Eric Hoogstra expressed gratitude and hopefulness at the end of a good search process.
“We are excited to welcome Daniel Churchwell as our next president, and we look forward to seeing how he uses his background and skills to move Kuyper College forward,” Hoogstra said.
Prior to his work at Acton, Churchwell spent seven years at Moody Bible Institute’s Spokane campus, where he contributed to 300 percent institutional growth, led Washington State accreditation efforts, developed curriculum across four academic departments, and placed more than 800 students in internship and service experiences through partnerships with national organizations.
He also served at Whitworth University for three years as a full-time lecturer in business and social ethics. His work in these institutions deepened his work at the intersection of learning, vocation, and community engagement, watching students discover their calling through hands-on service alongside community members addressing real needs.
His academic preparation includes graduate work in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University), a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Central Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts from Northland International University. He is an ordained elder and a committed student of Kuyperian thought, making his appointment a natural extension of the college’s founding convictions.
A nationally recognized speaker, he has addressed universities, conferences, and churches on the intersection of faith, work, economics, and culture, a platform that positions him well to serve as Kuyper’s ambassador to donors, church partners, and the broader Reformed community.
“The calling to form lifelong learners for purposeful lives of work and service to God and neighbor resonates deeply with my own journey,” Churchwell said. “I believe God is doing something special at Kuyper, and I am honored to be part of that story.”
Kuyper College is one of only nine federally designated Work Colleges in the United States, a distinction that integrates academic study with meaningful campus work as a core component of every student’s education. Churchwell sees the model as both a strategic advantage and a deeply biblical vision for higher education, one that directly addresses student debt, vocational confusion, and the cultural question of what work is ultimately for.
“The Work College designation positions Kuyper to speak into a cultural moment where young people desperately need to understand the dignity of work, the integration of faith and vocation, and the call to serve neighbor as a deeply biblical vision of human flourishing,” Churchwell said.
“As President, I will work to champion this distinctive identity while strengthening the academic foundation that makes it possible.”
Outgoing Kuyper President Patricia Harris, who is retiring after four years as provost and nine as president, is thrilled to be succeeded by Churchwell, who she knows well from his time at the Acton Institute.
“Kuyper exists to form lifelong learners for purposeful lives of work and service to God and neighbor, and Dan Churchwell embodies that calling in everything he does,” she said. “His deep roots in Reformed thought, his passion for the Work College model, and his love for students make him a truly fitting president for this institution. I am grateful for the years I’ve been entrusted with this community, and I’m genuinely excited about what God has ahead for Kuyper.”
Churchwell said that as he considered the Kuyper presidency, he kept going back to his own roots as a young man growing up in the Christian faith and the ways in which serving at Kuyper would be a meaningful continuation of that journey.
“I was raised in a Christian home by loving and dedicated parents,” he recalled. “Both showed me the way of the cross. The faithful witness that I received in those formative years has led me on a life of service that I am still developing. I was the beneficiary of Godly wisdom so I have sought to “pay it forward” in as many situations as God allows.”
Churchwell and his family are Grand Rapids residents. A series of community events will be held in the coming months to welcome him to the Kuyper community and to give faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the college a chance to meet him.
