Meet the Board:
SUBMITTED
LAUREN LIBBY
Connection to NWC Several years ago, Lauren Libby was involved in a major initiative to open Christian radio stations in Colorado and needed programming. Northwestern’s former SkyLight Satellite Network was the answer Libby needed and served as his introduction to Northwestern. He worked in partnership with the media group until joining the board in 1997.
Education/Career Hailing originally from the plains of Kansas, Libby earned a degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University and an MBA from Regis University in Denver. He started his career as an economist in Chicago. While working in the Chicago Loop, he led noon-hour Bible studies for businessmen and a number of them met Christ personally. “The Lord changed my circumstances and led me to be assistant to the president of the Navigators,” Libby said. He served with that organization for 30 years. In 2008 Libby became president and CEO of TWR International which, according to Libby, “delivers the Gospel through radio, video, print, satellite communication—any way it takes to get into the hard places of the world where you can’t get missionaries.”
Family and Interests Libby and his wife, June, live in Cary, N.C. He speaks with pride about his other NWC connection—his son, Grant, a 2006 graduate of Northwestern and district deputy attorney in Colorado Springs, Colo. His favorite hobby, pheasant hunting, comes from his roots as a Kansas farm boy, and he also enjoys golf and ham radio—“the original Internet,” he noted.
Vision for NWC Tapping into the potential of the “digital wave” that is already upon us, Libby believes Northwestern is uniquely positioned to go into the future and sees a vision of using available technology to “equip the next generation of leaders in business, in theology—and deliver that in a Christ-conscious way.” He is enthusiastic about finding creative solutions to the rising costs of education, including being as cost-effective as possible in delivering educational content.
T. ROBIN RILEY, PH.D. (COMMUNICATION) had his documentary film Utopia on the Rio Grande accepted at the White Sands International Film Festival in New Mexico. Sixty films were selected from the 220 applicants—Riley’s was one of 10 documentaries. BOYD SEEVERS, PH.D. (BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES) published the article “How Big Was Israel’s Army?: Dealing with Large Numbers in the Bible” in Artifax magazine and “Old Testament Fortifications” in The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook. JOE SMITH, MFA AND LUKE ALECKSON, MFA (ART & DESIGN) (see also pg. 5) have been asked to take part in an exhibition entitled “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?” at Yale University School of Art. DOUG TROUTEN, M.A. (COMMUNICATION) served as a judge for the Minnesota Magazine and Publishing Association’s annual awards program, a contest which honors the best works being done by Minnesota-based magazines. MICHAEL WISE, PH.D. (BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES) shared his research and findings about the Dead Sea Scrolls at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. He has been selected to serve on the local Board of Advisors for the MacLaurin Institute. KEN YOUNG, PH.D. (BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES) presented a paper entitled “Reframing the Paradigm for Reconciliation by Dismantling Racialization.”
Values to Live By Libby believes every Christian is in full-time ministry and explained, “We can have values and a biblical worldview, but you can sense people who know their calling. It’s the true north in a person’s life.” A large part of Libby’s work—and ministry—has been spent helping people determine what God wants them to do. “They have to determine it, but I create an environment where they feel like they can be fulfilled.”
Fa ll /Winte r 2011 PILOT
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