Commencement Speaker

Dr. Sandra C. Gray faithfully served Asbury University for 30 years — as business professor, chair of the Business Department, provost and then president from 2007-2019. Under her dedicated and strategic leadership as president, Asbury experienced significant growth and advancement. She led the largest capital campaign in Asbury’s history prior to her retirement from the presidency in 2019. In addition to Asbury College becoming Asbury University, new facilities — including the Andrew S. Miller Center for Communication Arts, the Kirkland Complex and Windsor Manor Guesthouse — were added to campus. New master’s degrees in Communication Arts, Business Administration, and Education, were developed. The Howard and Beverly Dayton School of Business and the Joe Pitts Center for Public Policy were both established.

In her post presidency years, Gray serves on several boards; she is a frequent speaker and consultant both for the church and higher education. She is a passionate Christ-follower and continues to provide leadership for the encouragement and development of the next generation of leaders.

Gray is a native Kentuckian and alumna of the University of Kentucky, where she earned her MBA and Ph.D. She served in Lexington for many years in banking and finance before being called to Asbury. Gray and her husband, Ken (an architect), reside in Nicholasville, Ky., and are active members of Centenary Church.