Roberts Wesleyan University and Northeastern Seminary has named a new president.
Rupert Hayles Jr. will take over leadership for those institutions in mid-July. He will replace Deana Porterfield, who is leaving that university in Chili after 9 years to become the next president of Seattle Pacific University in Washington.
Hayles joins Roberts Wesleyan from New Jersey’s Pillar College, a private evangelical Christian institution where he served in various roles since 2019.
Prior to his time in Christian higher education, Hayles served in the U.S. Air Force as an officer before transitioning to the private sector.
The board chair of Roberts Wesleyan, Terry Taber, said that Hayles “has demonstrated inspiring leadership across a variety of executive roles, including higher education, churches and corporate America.”
In a statement, Hayles said that the field of education “is experiencing changes at a level not seen before,” and he said that Roberts and Northeastern’s “incredible heritage, values and focus on character development will be central to engaging with society to impact lives for the Kingdom and the world.”
