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MEET THE NEW PRESIDENT
Ross Allen Named Bethel University’s Sixth President-Elect Allen is the first Bethel alumnus to lead the university
After an extensive nationwide search, the Board of Trustees unanimously named Ross Allen the sixth president-elect of Bethel University on February 27, 2020. Formerly chief financial officer and vice president for business and finance at Azusa Pacific University, Allen was chosen to succeed President Jay Barnes, who will retire on June 30, 2020.
For nearly his entire career, Allen has specialized in helping organizations transform their financial results and advance their mission and vision. During a 25-year tenure at Medtronic—a multinational medical device company—he led seven successful corporate transformations in Denmark, Switzerland, and across the United States. In his most recent position at Azusa Pacific University, a private Christian school in California, Allen played an instrumental role in positioning the institution for a strong and vibrant future.
“It’s deeply humbling to look back and see how God has used the last 20 years to prepare me for this role at Bethel,” Allen says. “It’s an honor, and I’m thrilled to be able to work with such talented people who
are passionate about developing scholars to pursue God’s glory and do great things for Christ.”
Allen was a Royal long before he received the call to the presidency—he attended Bethel as an undergraduate student, where he ran track and cross country, met his wife, Annie, and graduated with a business administration degree in 1984. “My time at Bethel profoundly shaped who I am and how I live,” he says. “It’s the place where my faith became my own, where I started my family, and where I realized I could glorify God through a career in the marketplace.”
During an annual retreat to Yosemite National Park with college students, Allen had “a literal mountaintop experience” that helped him recognize an unexpected call to a second career in Christian higher education. He remembers looking out over the Sierra Nevada mountain range, silently trying to discern what God wanted him to do next. “I sensed God speaking within my heart,” he says. “I felt as if God was saying, ‘Look around you, Ross. Everything screams out My glory. There’s nothing you can do that’s more glorifying to Me than stepping forward in faith.’ In that moment, I realized I needed to stop searching and make a commitment.”
A few days later, Allen accepted the chief financial officer role at Azusa Pacific University, where he helped lead a dramatic turnaround and prepare the university for a new season. “The results Ross achieved in his previous role align with our recent work to position Bethel for a bright future,” says Presidential Search Committee Chair Jim Green. “We are incredibly excited to see how his ability to build relationships with faculty and staff—along with his experience in healthcare—will drive Bethel’s mission forward.”
Pending a final vote of affirmation this summer by the Bethel Corporation (which consists of delegates to the Converge and Bethel biennial meetings), Allen will begin his first term on July 1, 2020.
Visit bethel.edu/magazine/rossallen to read more and see a video interview.
