DELEGATES
Robin Baker, Ph.D., president, George Fox University. Dr. Baker became president of George Fox in 2007, and in that time it has grown to become the largest private university in Oregon. He previously served eight years as the university’s provost. Under his leadership, the university has expanded academic programs in professional fields, including undergraduate engineering and nursing, and graduate health science programs, including physical therapy and physician assistant. He also has overseen the addition of opportunities in intercollegiate athletics, adding football and lacrosse teams. He began his career as a history professor at Wheaton College and served at universities in the South and Southwest. He completed a PhD in Civil War and American Political history with honors at Texas A&M University in 1989. His wife Ruth will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
Steven M. Corey, Ph.D., president, The University of Olivet. Dr. Corey has been president of Olivet since 2010. Located in south-central Michigan, the private university was was the first higher education institution in Michigan to admit women and persons of color on a co-equal basis with white men. Under his leadership Olivet College became The University of Olivet in 2023, reflecting its becoming a more comprehensive institution committed to making a private college education more accessible to students while also launching a robust portfolio of online degree completion, graduate and workforce development programs. Olivet has also dramatically increased its financial strength, increasing total net assets, endowment, and total enrollment-related revenue. Previously, Dr. Corey held positions as executive vice president at Prescott College; fellow for administrative collaboratives with the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association; and vice president of Cumberland University. He earned his Ph.D. in higher education finance at the University of Arizona, MBA at Cumberland University, MS at Arizona State University, and BS at California State University at Fresno. His wife Kelly will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
J. Bradley “Brad” Creed, Ph.D., president, Campbell University. Dr. Creed has served since 2015 as fifth president of Campbell University, a private institution in North Carolina enrolling more than 5,000 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on four campuses. Its graduate schools include Medicine, Divinity, Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Law, Business, Education & Human Sciences. Prior to joining Campbell, he was the Provost and Executive Vice President and Professor of Religion at Samford University for 14 years, Earlier, he was a professor of Christian History, Associate Dean, and Dean at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University. He also served as the Scholar in Residence at the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., and visiting a Professor of Church History at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Falls Church, Virginia. he earned his BA in Religion at Baylor University and his M.Div. and Ph.d. degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a frequent speaker for universities, civic organizations, and churches. Creed is also the author of several published works and articles on religion, ethics, education, and history which have appeared in journals, magazines, and books. His wife Kathy will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
Joseph Hopkins, D.Mus., president, Campbellsville University. Dr. Hopkins has served since 2022 as president of Campbellsville, a private institution located in Campbellsville, Kentucky with off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Harrodsburg, Hodgenville, Liberty, Louisville, and Somerset and instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Summersville, one in Costa Mesa, California, and a full complement of online programs. Previously, he served as dean of the Samford University School of the Arts, dean of the Petrie School of Music at Converse College, and chair of the Department of Music at the University of Evansville. He founded the Harlaxton International Chamber Music Festival and served on the faculty of the Operafestival di Roma (Rome, Italy). He holds degrees from Shorter College, Baylor University, and Indiana University, and completed a diploma from the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University. He was named a Fulbright Senior Specialist to Indonesia. His wife Suzanne will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
Dáire Keogh, Ph.D., president Dublin City University. Professor Keogh began his term as president of DCU in July 2020. He previously served as Deputy President of the University (2016-2020). Prior to that, he was President of St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra (2012-2016), and played a key role in its incorporation with DCU. Dáire has published extensively on the history of popular politics, religion, and education in Ireland. A former Government of Ireland Senior Research Fellow, he is currently Principal Investigator of an Irish Research Council funded project to publish the extensive correspondence of Cardinal Paul Cullen. He is a founding member of the European Quality Assurance Register Committee, the body charged by EU Governments with monitoring quality assurance in higher education across the continent. He is a Chartered Director and is a member of several Boards including Women for Election. Dáire is also a member of the Irish Association of the Order of Malta, and he recently completed a term as a Council member of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and a Board member of the Centre for Cross Border Studies (2012-2017). Dáire is a graduate of the National University of Ireland (BA), the Gregorian University Rome (BPh), the University of Glasgow (MTh) and the University of Dublin (PhD). His wife Katie will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
John C. Knapp, Ph.D., president, Washington & Jefferson College. Dr. Knapp became the 13th president of W&J in 2017. Founded in 1781, W&J is one of America’s oldest and most distinguished liberal arts institutions. He also serves as professor of religion in the college’s Department of Philosophy. Previously he was president of Hope College in Holland, Mich., where he led the development and implementation of a 10-year strategic plan to enhance academic quality, campus diversity, employee development, and post-graduation outcomes for students. Earlier, he was founding director of the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics & Leadership at Sanford University and founding director of the Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility at Georgia State University. He earned his Ph.D. in theology and religious studies at the University of Wales Trinity St. David, where In 2022 he was chosen as one of 200 outstanding alumni of the last 200 years when the university celebrated its 200th anniversary. He earned a Master of Arts degree in theological studies at Columbia Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science degree at Georgia State University. An internationally known author and speaker, his career has spanned the education, non-profit, and business sectors. His wife Kelly will accompany to The Oxford Conclave.
Michael H. Mittelman, OD, president, Salus University. Dr. Mittleman has served since 2013 as sixth president of Salus University (established by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry). In June 2023 he announced the university’s plans to merge with Drexel University, bringing together two Philadelphia institutions committed to health sciences education. He brings global experience and perspective to his work as a professional in medical education and the rapidly changing world of research and healthcare delivery. Beginning as a Navy optometrist following his 1980 graduation from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, he served for more than three decades in the U.S. Navy in a succession of increasingly responsible, mission-critical command positions. Prior to joining Salus, he was Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy and had achieved the rank of Rear Admiral (Upper Half). His career included posts around the world – covering land, sea and air responsibilities. He earned a BA at Jacksonville University and an MPH at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He graduated from the Naval War College and earned an MBA at Temple University. He earned Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. His wife Tanis will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
Andrew Westmoreland, Ed.D., president emeritus, Samford University. Andy served as president of Samford University from 2006 until his retirement in 2021. Under his leadership, enrollment increased by almost 30 percent and the university saw 11 consecutive years of enrollment growth. More than 30 new or enhanced academic programs were added at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including many in the College of Health Sciences that was established in 2013. The university raised more than $400 million in philanthropic gifts and invested approximately $100 million in its physical plant and campus. Earlier, he was president of Ouachita Baptist University for eight years. He earned an undergraduate degree in political science at Ouachita Baptist University, a master’s degree in political science at the University of Arkansas, and a doctorate in higher education administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His wife Jeanna will accompany him to The Oxford Conclave.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Peter Millican, Ph.D., Gilbert Ryle Fellow and Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, University of Oxford. Dr. Millican is head of education and outreach for Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence and founder of its degree programme in Computer Science and Philosophy. Since 2018, he has hosted the University of Oxford’s Futuremakers podcast, involving discussions (usually four-way) with Oxford researchers working in areas with significant implications for our future. The first season was on artificialiIntelligence, Dr. Millican’s primary research interest has been philosophical issues arising from the work of David Hume, philosopher of the Scottish Enlightenment. The website davidhume.org is a long-running project to make Hume’s work accessible in authoritative electronic editions, together with high-quality secondary material.
Elizabeth Kiss, D.Phil., Warden of Rhodes House and CEO of the Rhodes Trust. Dr. Kiss (pronounced ‘quiche’) became warden of Rhodes’in August 2018, the first woman to hold this position. She oversees the world’s oldest graduate scholarship, the Rhodes Scholarship, as well as several partnership programmes. Founded in 1903, the Rhodes Scholarships support outstanding students from around the world for graduate study at the University of Oxford. One hundred Scholars are selected annually on the basis of intellect, character, leadership potential, and commitment to service. Dr Kiss has launched the 125th Anniversary Strategic plan for the Rhodes Trust which will expand the annual number of Scholars to 125 with a wider global profile. Before joining the Rhodes Trust, Dr Kiss served 12 years as president of Agnes Scott College which broke records for enrollment and retention and was named the second ‘Most Diversified College in America’ by Time, the country’s most successful liberal arts college for graduating low-income students by the U.S. Department of Education, and the #1 Most Innovative National Liberal Arts College by U.S. News and World Report. From 1997 to 2006 Dr Kiss served as the founding director of Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics, building a university wide interdisciplinary centre focused on promoting moral reflection and commitment in personal, professional, organisational and civic life. She earned the BA in philosophy, magna cum laude, from Davidson College in North Carolina, becoming Davidson’s first female Rhodes Scholar and receiving a BPhil and DPhil in philosophy from the University of Oxford.
Dame Helen Ghosh, Master of Balliol College, University of Oxford. Dame Ghosh, DCB (pronounced gauche)] is a former British civil servant who has been Master of Balliol College, Oxford since 2018. She was previously Director-General of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty from November 2012 to April 2018. Earlier, she was Permanent Secretary of the United Kingdom’s Home Office from January 2011 to November 2012, and prior to that was Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) from November 2005 to the end of 2010. On appointment at DEFRA, she was the only female permanent secretary to head a major department of the British Government. She read Modern History at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, from 1973 to 1976 and was a Senior Scholar at Hertford College, where she completed her MLitt on the cultural history of sixth-century Italy. She left Oxford to join the Civil Service.
David Boughey, Ph.D., Interim Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor & Deputy Dean. University of Exeter. Professor David Boughey joined the University of Exeter Business School in 2009 and in September 2021 completed a second term as Associate Dean for Education. Previously he was head of the School of Strategy & International Business at Bristol Business School, UWE. Whether through study or work, Professor Boughey has experienced university life at a range of different institutions. During his BA in History at Royal Holloway University of London, he studied for a year at Washington & Jefferson College in the United States. After completing his undergraduate degree, he moved to Oxford for a Masters in Economic and Social History, before returning to Royal Holloway for his Ph.D. in Business History, where he also gained his first post as a lecturer.