Trevecca Nazarene University Names Dr. Tom Middendorf 12th President

Trevecca Nazarene University’s Board of Trustees announced the election of Dr. Tom Middendorf as the institution’s 12th president. Middendorf, who now serves as university provost, senior vice president and chief of staff, will assume office July 1, 2027. He succeeds Dr. Dan Boone, who has led Trevecca since 2005 and is retiring.

The announcement came during the university’s 125th homecoming weekend. It concludes a national search led by Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Brian Wilson with FaithSearch Partners, an executive search firm that the university describes as experienced in Christian higher education. According to the university, the search committee gathered feedback from faculty, staff, students and other constituents, reviewed hundreds of candidates, and unanimously brought Middendorf forward as its sole finalist for a final board vote on November 5.

Wilson said the search was approached with a priority on prayer and a commitment to “laying aside any personal agendas,” with the aim of finding the mind of Christ for the university’s next leader. He said the board concluded that Middendorf is the leader prepared for the institution’s next season of growth and development, and that he “has earned the trust of our faculty, staff, students and board.”

Middendorf holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Trevecca, a master’s degree in professional counseling from Olivet Nazarene University, and a doctorate in ethical leadership from Olivet. He returned to Trevecca in 2008 and held roles including associate provost and dean of academic and student affairs before being named provost in 2019. In that position he oversees academic affairs, marketing, enrollment, student development, and graduate and adult education, and he also serves as a professor of leadership studies.

The university notes Middendorf’s long ties to Trevecca and the Church of the Nazarene. He is described as a third-generation Treveccan, and he met his wife, Jessica, at the school. The couple has two children and remains actively involved in the church. In accepting the role, Middendorf said he views the presidency “as a stewardship to receive,” and he expressed hope that the university would leave its mission “stronger than we found it,” showing work and calling offered to God (Colossians 3:23).

The university says that during Middendorf’s tenure, Trevecca has seen record enrollment and retention, more than 25 new academic programs, and the launch of a four-year nursing program. He has also expanded health sciences and built partnerships across Nashville and the surrounding region.

Boone’s 22-year tenure is also outlined in the announcement. Under his leadership, Trevecca grew from approximately 2,000 students to nearly 4,000, expanded to more than 100 academic programs ranging from associate to doctoral degrees, and invested more than $250 million in campus construction and renovation. Boone will work alongside Middendorf in a transitional capacity through the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year. He said the board’s selection answered the community’s prayers, and that he had worked with Middendorf since 2008.

The announcement falls during Trevecca’s 125th anniversary year, which is being celebrated under the theme “Rooted, Refined and Ready.” Middendorf will be presented to the Trevecca community at Founder’s Day Chapel at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, in the Boone Convocation Center, where Boone will also deliver his final lecture as president. A meet and greet will follow on Waggoner Lawn, and students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university are invited.

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