Associate admissions director Jeremy Pelton to assume leadership of that office.
Southern Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. last week named Kody Gibson as the new vice president for communications. The seminary’s Office of Communications leads brand and marketing efforts and produces news for the school and its undergraduate arm, Boyce College.
Gibson, a 2012 Southern graduate, served as the director of admissions for the past three years. Under his leadership, the incoming class size at Boyce increased by 19 percent and the seminary increased 9 percent. Before assuming the director role, Gibson worked in various capacities within the department since 2010.
“Kody Gibson is an outstanding young leader who has already made a difference at Southern Seminary and Boyce College by directing our admissions program,” Mohler said in a statement. “I am confident that he will bring that same quality of leadership to our communications team and in this new role as vice president. He will be great addition to the team of leaders working under the direction of Craig Parker.”
Parker, who is senior vice president of institutional administration, said of Gibson:
“God has blessed Southern Seminary with an exceptional group of young leaders who possess the skills, wisdom, and commitment that will keep the institution at the forefront of theological education for many years to come, and Kody Gibson stands out among those young men,” he said. “He has already established himself as a proven leader with the stellar staff he has assembled in Admissions, and the outstanding achievements that team has made under his direction. I eagerly look forward to working alongside Kody as he develops and leads Southern’s Communications team.”
As he enters the new role, Gibson says he hopes to continue producing resources and content that further the mission of the seminary to prepare pastors and Christian leaders for ministry.
“Southern Seminary has a rich legacy of providing future pastors and ministry leaders access to some of the best resources in all of theological education — particularly its faculty,” he said in a recent interview. “It has been a blessing to serve this institution for over three years as the director of Admissions, and I’m thrilled to continue to tell the story of Southern Seminary in this new role. This is a wonderful opportunity to further our mission of preparing ministers of the gospel for more faithful service.”
Gibson and his wife, Juli, are from Edmond, Oklahoma. They have two children: daughter, Liv (5 years old), and son, Campbell (2). They are members of Louisville’s Sojourn Community Church at its East campus.
Replacing Gibson as director of admissions is Jeremy Pelton. Pelton was previously associate director of Boyce admissions and a doctoral admissions counselor for Southern Seminary. During the year Pelton oversaw Boyce admissions, the incoming undergraduate class grew by 12 percent — one of the largest increases in the school’s history.
“Jeremy Pelton is a proven leader at Southern Seminary with a track record of excellence,” said Matthew J. Hall, senior vice president of academic strategy, which houses admissions, and dean of Boyce College. “He has an evident love for this place, a demonstrating skill as a manager, and an expert mind for how to best serve future students. Jeremy has already contributed so much to the health and vitality of Boyce College in making our recruiting and admissions efforts stronger than ever before. I am delighted that he will now be assuming these expanded responsibilities as director of Admissions as he leads one of Southern Seminary’s most significant administrative departments into the future.”
Pelton, a current master of divinity student at SBTS, is originally from Ulysses, Kansas, and while a student at Kansas State University, he worked for three years as an admissions counselor. He is married to Lyndsey and they are members at Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Southern Seminary has been a tremendous blessing in the life of me and my wife,” Pelton said. “As a student, and now as a staff member, I’m more convinced than ever that Southern Seminary is one of the best places to train for faithful gospel ministry. I look forward to serving the institution through this new role as director of admissions, connecting more students to the story of Southern Seminary and Boyce College so that many more can hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Both Gibson and Pelton officially began their roles January 8, 2018.