Gayle D. Beebe has served as president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California since 2007; previously he was president of Spring Arbor University in Michigan (2000-2007). He has spent more than three decades in higher education and has written or edited 10 books and more than 40 articles. Having served as one of the general editors for The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, he is also the author of The Interpretive Role of the Religious Community in Friedrich Schleiermacher and Josiah Royce and coeditor of Keeping the Concept in the Social and Natural Sciences; Keeping the Concept in the Philosophical, Practical and Productive Arts; A Concept to Keep; and Religion and Its Relevance in Post-Modernism.

During his time leading nationally ranked Westmont College, Beebe implemented transformative initiatives that marked a period of unprecedented growth and expansion for the institution. His influence extends beyond campus boundaries, and he has brought internationally acclaimed speakers to Westmont’s President’s Breakfast and the Lead Where You Stand conference, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and significant political and governmental leaders.

He earned master’s degrees in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, in philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont Graduate University, and in business administration in strategic management from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont, and a doctorate in philosophy of religion and theology at Claremont. He attended Westmont for a semester in 1980 while earning his bachelor’s degree at George Fox University. Beebe lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, Pam. Their three adult children all graduated from Westmont.

Read a conversation with Gayle D. Beebe on the crossroads of faith and work.