Sessions
President's Update & Award Presentations
9:30 AM Sat
Chapel Service
10:30 AM Sat
Dr. Kevin J. Brown is completing his fourth year of presidency at Asbury University, which began in July 2019. He brought with him nearly two decades of combined experience in the higher education and banking industries.
Upon the announcement of his unanimous election as 18th president, Dr. Brown was well-known to the Asbury community. He had already served as a professor for six years in Asbury’s Dayton School of Business, ending as associate dean, and earned recognition for his excellence in the classroom with the Frances Ewbank Excellence in Teaching Award and the Student Congress “Outstanding Service to Asbury Students” award. As president, he continues to guest lecture and teach business classes for the University.
With an academic background spanning economics, theology and ethics, Brown holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies (University of Glasgow, Scotland, 2012), an M.Litt. in Bible and the Contemporary World (University of St. Andrews, Scotland, 2009) and an MBA (University of Indianapolis, 2002). He began his professional experience in the banking world, working for almost ten years at Wells Fargo Bank and serving the last four as a market president. A lifetime learner with a desire to teach, Dr. Brown transitioned to higher education and spent the next four years teaching business at Anderson University in Central Indiana before moving to Kentucky to join the Asbury University faculty in 2013.
Since assuming the role of president, Dr. Brown has worked to uphold Asbury’s mission of academic excellence and spiritual vitality while advancing the methods and modalities needed to compete in today’s complex marketplace.
Under his leadership, Asbury launched a new Honors Program, providing students with enriched learning experiences and additional scholarship opportunities. A comprehensive capital campaign crossed the finish line, raising over $83 million that included a $10 million gift to fully fund a new state-of-the-art Collaborative Learning Center and advance the sciences. In the fall of 2021, Asbury received a $1.5 million grant from the Price Foundation to fund the establishment of all-expense paid Christian living and biblical worldview retreats for incoming Asbury students. In athletics, Asbury obtained approval for NCAA Division III membership, enhancing athletic recruitment efforts as well as the student-athlete experience. To support future enrollment, Dr. Brown signed Christian Education Partnerships with Lexington Christian Academy, Christian Academy of Louisville, Christian Academy of Indiana, Portland Christian School and Trinity Christian Academy, making a Christian higher education affordable for high schoolers at these institutions.
Once considered Wilmore’s best-kept secret, Asbury University made its worldwide debut on season three of Amazon Prime’s “The College Tour,” allowing prospective students and families the chance to virtually visit campus from anywhere around the world and receive an inside look from real Asbury students and the president himself.
Brown and his wife, Maria, live in Wilmore. Together, they have three children, Cambel (18), Ada (15), and Oliver (12), along with a dog named Otto.