Middendorf elected new Trevecca president

By Alana McLaughlin

Senior Reporter

Tom Middendorf, Trevecca’s current provost and chief of staff, will become Trevecca’s 12th president.

The university, on Thursday evening, announced Middendorf was selected by the Board of Trustees to replace retiring president Dan Boone.

“Trevecca is not simply a place where I work. It has shaped my faith, my calling and my family for three generations. I do not view the presidency as an achievement to attain. I view it as a stewardship to receive,” said Middendorf, stated in a news release from the university.

Boone, who has served as university president for 21 years, announced his plans to retire effective July 1, 2027. Trevecca Nazarene University’s Board of Trustees retained FaithSearch Partners, an executive search firm with extensive experience in Christian higher education, beginning March of 2026 to conduct a national search that included feedback from faculty, staff, students, and other university constituents.

According to the university news release, FaithSearch Partners built a prospect pool through active outreach and nominations, and the search committee reviewed a shortlist of candidates before conducting in-person interviews with semifinalists. Following those interviews, the committee selected Middendorf as its finalist and presented him to the full Board of Trustees.

“We approached this search by giving priority to prayer. We committed to laying aside any personal agendas, with the aim of finding the mind of Christ regarding the next leader for Trevecca,” said Brian Wilson, Board of Trustees chair, stated in university news release.

An Antioch, Tennessee native and third-generation Treveccan, Middendorf is a 1999 graduate of the university.

Middendorf has served in many different roles on campus, including working in plant operations as an undergraduate student and professional leadership roles such as associate provost and dean of academic and student affairs.

In his current role, Middendorf oversees academic affairs, marketing, enrollment, student development, and graduate and adult education. Middendorf also serves as a professor of leadership studies.