Dear Capital Community,
I am pleased to share that, following a national search, the Rev. Dr. Ian McMichael has been appointed as Capital University’s next University Pastor and Executive Director of Spiritual and Religious Life, with a start date of August 17, 2026.
Ian brings a rich combination of pastoral leadership, theological depth, and a clear understanding of Lutheran higher education. He currently serves as pastor of Peace and Trinity Lutheran churches in Washington, where he has led worship, guided congregations through visioning processes and capital campaigns, and helped communities discern their future missional calling. He also brings experience in educational leadership, congregational ministry, executive coaching, and church leadership, along with strong ties to Capital through his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary.
Ian earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Concordia University, St. Paul, where his dissertation focused on Lutheranism, purpose, and alignment in ELCA colleges and universities. He also holds an MBA from Concordia University Chicago, bringing an additional dimension of organizational and leadership perspective to this important role.
This appointment marks an important step forward for Capital University as we restore this role to full-time service and elevate it to more fully support the holistic development of each of our students and the broader formation of our entire Capital community. Positioned within the University’s new Division for Student Experience, the University Pastor and Executive Director of Spiritual and Religious Life will report directly to the Vice President for Student Experience, with dotted-line responsibilities to the Dean of Trinity Lutheran Seminary and to me as President for spiritual guidance and institutional counsel.
In this role, Ian will help lead worship and spiritual life across the University, provide pastoral care and support, strengthen our Lutheran identity, foster belonging across a diverse campus community, deepen church and community relationships, and serve as a trusted partner in helping us live our mission with purpose, compassion, and hope.
Ian is exceptionally well-suited to this reimagined role. He brings the pastoral heart, theological grounding, and institutional imagination needed to lead spiritual and religious life at Capital University in this important season. Ian understands how to honor tradition while engaging the realities of today’s students and campus community. I am confident he will help strengthen our worship life, deepen our Lutheran identity, foster belonging across difference, and expand the spirit of care, calling, and connection that defines Capital at our best.
Damon Brown, Vice President for Student Experience, shared:
“I am excited to welcome Rev. Dr. Ian McMichael to Capital University! I believe he will inspire our students, strengthen our campus community, and help us live out Capital University’s mission with purpose and compassion.”
In response to his appointment, Ian shared:
“I am thrilled to join the CapFam community. This role beautifully aligns my deepest passions: institutional mission, Lutheran higher education, and vibrant community and church relations. More than anything, I look forward to walking alongside our students as they discern their futures with an eye toward the common good.”
Ian, his wife, Corrin, and children Hans (7) and Wren (5) are excited to be both connected to Capital and in the Bexley community.
I want to thank the search committee, led by the Rev. Dr. Rachel Wrenn and Dr. Mary Beth Bertrand, for their coordination and service that led to Dr. McMichael’s call and appointment. Additionally, I want to offer my sincere gratitude to Pastor Dan Hille ’04 for his faithful service to Capital University over the past three years as our part-time interim University Pastor. As an alumnus of Capital, Pastor Hille has served this community with care, generosity, and devotion during an important season in the life of the University. I am especially grateful for his willingness to continue serving through the end of August to help ensure a thoughtful and supportive transition to Rev. Dr. McMichael’s arrival.
Please join me in welcoming Ian to Capital University.