SPRINGFIELD, MO — Evangel’s Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Dr. George O. Wood as interim president designate.
Dr. Wood will serve as the interim president after President Carol A. Taylor, Ph.D., retires on Nov. 25. Wood, the former superintendent of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, will start working on a transition with Dr. Taylor this month, said Dr. Rick Ross, chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“The Board is pleased to have someone with Dr. Wood’s experience and depth of knowledge step into the role,” Dr. Ross said. “We’re also pleased with the work that Dr. Taylor is doing to provide an orderly transition.”
Dr. Taylor, who announced her retirement in January, had planned to conclude her service by August but agreed to stay on through the end of the fall semester.
Dr. Wood has deep roots in Springfield as a graduate of Central High School and Evangel, graduating in the fourth class to enter Evangel when it was still an unaccredited college.
He and his wife, Jewel, are part of the “Pioneers,” students who came to the school in the first decade, and he served as campus pastor after he completed his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Pastoral Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
He also holds a juris doctorate from Western State University College of Law and is a member of the California Bar as well as the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. He currently serves as chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship which numbers 70 million adherents and 360,000 churches worldwide.
He will serve as the interim president until a new president takes office.
Dr. Ross said the Board is working to complete the search for a new president.
About Evangel University
Evangel University, with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS), is a comprehensive Christian university committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to serve the church and society globally.
Evangel and AGTS serve more than 2,300 students from all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, offering 70 undergraduate majors and 19 master’s and doctoral degrees.
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