Fuller Seminary Elects Longtime Trustee as Board Chair After Current Chair Shirley Mullen Steps Down

Jody Vanderwel has spent 22 years on the Board of Trustees at Fuller Theological Seminary. On Monday, her colleagues elected her to lead it.

The Pasadena-based evangelical seminary announced that Board Chair Dr. Shirley A. Mullen resigned at the close of the January 27 board meeting, approximately 15 months after being elected to the role. The board immediately elected Vanderwel, a Michigan-based attorney and managing partner at Michigan Capital Network Venture Funds, as her successor.

Mullen, president emerita of Houghton University in New York, said the timing reflects her belief that “this is a season for the board to be served by a fresh voice for the strategic and generative work ahead.” She is also stepping down from the board entirely.

“It has been one of the most energizing and meaningful chapters of my four decades in Christian higher education,” Mullen said in a statement released by the seminary. “I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside such devoted trustees and leaders, and I remain deeply committed to Fuller’s mission and future.”

Fuller Seminary, headquartered at 135 North Oakland Avenue near Old Town Pasadena since 1953, serves students from 90 countries and 110 denominations, according to the institution. The school was founded in 1947 by radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller and Harold Ockenga.

Vanderwel’s committee service at Fuller spans much of the seminary’s recent history. She has chaired the Mission Advancement Committee and served on the Executive Committee, Presidential Search Committee, and the steering committee for the Transforming Hope campaign, which concluded in 2023 after raising $193 million for scholarships, faculty support, and facilities. She also sits on the Fuller Foundation Board and the DePree Church Leadership Institute Board.

Before her career in venture capital, Vanderwel served as corporate counsel and then vice president for corporate giving at Herman Miller. Outside Fuller, she chairs the board of Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Michigan and serves on the board of Baker Publishing.

“It has been a tremendous joy and privilege to serve on the board these many years and to witness the countless ways God has been at work through Fuller,” Vanderwel said. “I am both humbled and honored to step into the role of chair, as we continue the important work of forming Christian leaders who carry the good news of Christ throughout the church and world.”

Vanderwel will serve the remainder of Mullen’s unexpired term, which concludes at the October 2027 board meeting. She did not seek the role, according to the seminary, but affirmed her willingness to serve.

Fuller President David Emmanuel Goatley, who was inaugurated as the seminary’s sixth president in January 2023, praised both leaders.

“We give thanks for Shirley Mullen’s extraordinary service and faithful stewardship,” Goatley said. “She has been a fountain of wisdom, a wise counselor, and an effective partner in leadership.”

Of Vanderwel, he added: “Her commitment, character, and competence will serve us well as we look to the future with hope and trust in the presence, power, and provision of the Lord through Fuller Seminary.”

The seminary noted that Mullen provided leadership during what it described as “a season of complexity related to institutional structures and theological commitments, issues that are commanding the attention of Christian institutions of higher education across the country.” Mullen has offered her support for the incoming chair and committed to working toward a seamless transition, according to the press release.

Fuller Theological Seminary has additional campuses in Phoenix and Houston, with most programs also available online.