Denver Seminary announced today the appointment of Dr. Gregg Okesson as Provost and Chief Academic Officer (CAO), effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Okesson brings extensive experience in theological education, missiology, and academic leadership, most recently serving as the Ira Gallaway and D.M. Beeson Chair of Leadership Development, Mission and Evangelism, and Professor of Leadership and Development at Asbury Theological Seminary.

“This appointment advances a commitment at the heart of everything we are building at Denver Seminary: a learning experience that forms faithful, courageous, and intelligent leaders for the church and the world,” said Dr. Mark Husbands, President of Denver Seminary. “As Provost, Gregg will partner with our faculty to strengthen academic programs, deepen our culture of formation, and ensure that every student who walks through our doors is equipped for the complexities of ministry in our time. Denver Seminary is entering one of the most consequential seasons in its history. Gregg Okesson brings exactly the leadership this season demands.”

This appointment comes at a critical moment as Denver Seminary advances its Charter vision: a resurrection vision for theological education. The Seminary equips faithful, courageous, intelligent disciples who think and act from within resurrection reality, attending to Holy Scripture as God’s word and engaging theology with the freedom that Christ’s victory establishes. Dr. Okesson’s appointment strengthens Denver Seminary’s capacity to form graduates who serve churches and communities with courage, joy, and lives conformed to God’s redemptive purposes.

“Gregg Okesson is a scholar, a builder, and a person whose life has been shaped by the work of the church in the world,” said Dr. Mark Husbands. “He is a gifted theologian and proven academic leader who served as Provost and Senior Vice President at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has built academic programs, grown enrollment, navigated complex accreditation processes, and mentored doctoral students on four continents. What compels me most is the way these experiences cohere in a single life. Gregg does not merely study the church’s witness to the world—he has lived it. I am grateful that he has accepted this call, and I look forward to the work ahead.”

Dr. Okesson’s appointment advances Denver Seminary’s commitment to charitable orthodoxy and global witness. His scholarship and leadership reflect the Seminary’s design principles: that theological inquiry must be grounded in ministry practice, that formation is shaped by calling rather than circumstance, and that graduates bear witness to Christ across cultures with conviction, grace, and genuine curiosity. His experience serving in East Africa for over a decade and his deep engagement with global Christianity position the Seminary to serve students from diverse cultural and ministerial contexts as Christianity’s center continues to shift to the Global South. “I am deeply honored to be joining the Denver Seminary community,” said Dr. Okesson. “I was immediately drawn to the vision to live out resurrection hope within our troubled world. I am thrilled to be joining a Seminary community that witnesses to the fullness of the gospel in church and society.”

Dr. Gregg Okesson received a B.A. from Wheaton College (Psychology and Bible), an M.A. from Wheaton Graduate School (Biblical Studies), an M.A. from Wheaton Graduate School (Intercultural Studies), and a Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Leeds, UK. He is the author of several acclaimed works, including A Public Missiology: How Local Churches Witness to a Complex World (2020), recipient of the Christianity Today 2021 Book Award, and co-author of Advocating for Justice (Baker Academic, 2016). He also co-edited Navigating Complexity in our World (2021) and Public Theology for Global Witness (2023). He is married to Dr. Kimberly Okesson, and they have two adult children.