Press Releases

Oakwood University Announces the Selection of its 12th President

Gina Spivey-Brown will be the first female president of the Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama.

March 28, 2025 | Oakwood, Ala. | Oakwood University Office of Marketing Communications and Media Production

The Board of Trustees of Oakwood University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Gina Spivey-Brown, Ph.D., RN, MSA, FAAN, FNAP, FADLN, as the 12th president of Oakwood University. The announcement concludes a comprehensive and prayerful search process. Spivey-Brown will officially assume leadership on July 1, 2025, succeeding Dr. Leslie N. Pollard, who has led the institution for the past 15 years.

Spivey-Brown, who becomes the first female president in the 129-year history of the university brings a wealth of experience in higher education, leadership, and a deep commitment to Oakwood's mission of preparing students for service through excellence in faith, scholarship, and leadership. With an impressive background in administration, academia, and ministry, Spivey-Brown is uniquely positioned to lead Oakwood University into its next chapter of growth and innovation.

"We are excited to welcome Dr. Gina Spivey-Brown to the Oakwood family," said Dr. G. Alexander Bryant, chair of the Oakwood University Board of Trustees. "She is a dynamic, spirit-filled, higher education administrative leader with an impressive record of enrollment growth and academic excellence. During this critical time in the history of this university, the board has prayed and fasted for God's direction in this selection process."

Spivey-Brown has most recently served at Howard University for the past 10 years as the dean in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. With more than two decades of experience in higher education administration, she has played a pivotal role in academic program development, accreditation, and strategic leadership.

Prior to her role at Howard University, Spivey-Brown held key leadership positions at Loma Linda University and Washington Adventist University, where she spearheaded graduate and undergraduate program expansion, secured multimillion-dollar grants, and strengthened accreditation standards. As a recognized consultant and subject matter expert, she has advised institutions on program accreditation and healthcare disparities. A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Spivey-Brown continues to shape the future of nursing education through research, mentorship, and advocacy for diversity in healthcare. Spivey-Brown was the 2023 coveted Gold Award winner, from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, an honor that demonstrates national recognition in medicine and healthcare.

"I am deeply humbled that God chose me to be the 12th president of Oakwood University for such a time as this," said Spivey-Brown. "I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and stakeholders to build on Oakwood's rich history and advance its mission and vision."

As a champion for academic excellence, diversity, and spiritual growth, Spivey-Brown is committed to strengthening Oakwood's legacy as a premier institution of higher learning, and advancing its mission of Jesus' soon coming for future generations.

Prayer and Power Ignite St. Louis Launches Season of Prayer and Evangelism

On April 12, 2025, the Northside Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Louis, Missouri, was filled with energy, unity, and purpose during the Ignite St. Louis: One Spirit, One Mission prayer symposium. Hosted by the Mid-America and Lake Union conferences, the evening event drew church members and leaders together to pray for God’s power and guidance leading up to major evangelistic efforts.

Beyond the Pews: 2025 eHuddle Calls Church to Greater Impact

For years, White Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church in Los Angeles, California, was viewed as the church that did not care. In January 2025, everything changed. On Tuesday, January 7, during their week of prayer, Arteaga and his leaders experienced three blackouts from heavy winds. The next morning, they awoke to “images that the city we love, our mission field, our home, was on fire,” Arteaga shared at the 2025 eHuddle — an evangelism and leadership think tank hosted by the North American Division (NAD) Ministerial Association from Feb. 24 to 26 at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

La Sierra University-rooted Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church Celebrates New Redlands Home

It began as a small gathering under the trees on La Sierra University’s campus in June 2003. Nine Seventh-day Adventist Ghanaian students and community members formed a Sabbath worship service, bound together by a shared faith, culture, and desire to connect. The small group began holding Sabbath School classes at various locations — first on campus and eventually at a nearby strip mall. Their numbers gradually grew until they had approximately 80 members in 2024, at which point the congregation decided it was time to acquire their own church building.

This Spring, North American Division to Host Second Pentecost 2025 Division-wide Prayer Meeting

On May 2, 2025, the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will livestream a special one-hour prayer meeting. The first such meeting ushered in the 10 Day of Prayer on Jan. 8. NAD president G. Alexander Bryant shared that the division recognizes "our great need to stay in a mindset of knowing our continual need to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit;" and thus, church leaders felt compelled to host another event to enrobe in prayer the churches and schools engaged in community efforts and proclamation events this spring, as well as continue to invoke the Holy Spirit in all members.

Southern Adventist University School of Business Students Excel, Rank as Top Performers

In a simulation of managing a startup company in the MGMT 364 International Business course, one of Southern’s teams placed first out of the five locally competing teams, and in the 99th percentile of more than 1,000,000 simulation teams worldwide in 2024. In another business strategy challenge, three of Southern’s teams ranked as Global Top 50 Performers out of 685 teams from 58 colleges and universities worldwide for the performance of their GLO-BUS business strategy simulations during the week of June 17-23, 2024.