Comings and Goings
The university welcomes Drew Jacobs as the new associate vice president of human resources. Drew comes to George Fox from Select Mechanical of Livermore, Calif., where, since last summer, he served as vice president of HR and organizational development for the commercial HVAC, sheet-metal fabrication, installation and service contractor. Previously, Drew was senior vice president of talent and organizational development for Pacific Foods of Portland for 11 years. He holds a master’s degree in organizational development from Simpson University and a bachelor’s degree in Bible education from Multnomah University. He lives in Tualatin and attends Westside Community Church in Beaverton.
A former student employee, Emily Gigoux, has joined the university’s advancement office as coordinator of advancement events. Emily graduated this spring from George Fox with a degree in studio arts and has worked the past month as an assistant photographer for Bryan Rupp Photography in Dundee – a job she will continue to do through the summer. While a student at the university, she worked for three years as a photographer in the marketing and communication department. She also worked as a student employee for the alumni and parent relations office all four years of college. She and her husband Alex, a current George Fox student, live in Newberg.
Alumnus Carl Anderson has joined the university as a carpenter and certified arborist. For the past 21 years, he’s worked as the property manager for Tilikum Center for Retreats and Outdoor Ministries, overseeing all aspects of maintenance and improvements for the 93-acre camp. Also, since 2002, he has been an adjunct faculty member at George Fox, specializing in outdoor ministries classes. Carl earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from George Fox in 1994 and also holds an MBA from the university (2011). He lives in Newberg with wife Julie and daughters Grace and Susannah, and attends Newberg Friends Church.
Trey Watt has joined the plant services team as a groundskeeper. It marks a return to George Fox for Trey, who served as an assistant baseball coach at the university from 2012 to 2015. More recently, he was an assistant baseball coach with the University of Portland for the past year. He also worked as a behavior coach with the Newberg School District from 2012 to 2015. Trey holds a master’s degree in education from Concordia University in Portland (2014) and a bachelor’s degree in history from Pacific Lutheran (2010). He lives in Tualatin with wife Brianna and daughter MaggieMae, and the family attends Solid Rock Church in Portland.
Holly Kirby, a former George Fox employee who had served previously at the university as an inquiry/applications coordinator from 2004 to 2013 – and most recently as an administrative assistant in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program (2013-14) – has returned to the university to work as an administrative assistant for the College of Engineering. While she was away, Holly worked part time as an administrative assistant at Eaton Corporation and became an Institute for Integrative Nutrition-certified health coach.
Joyce Engberg (Engineering) left the university in May. She and her family have moved to Bend, where her husband has gotten a new job.
Julie Green (College of Education) left George Fox at the end of April for a position as a contract administrator with the Bonneville Power Administration.
Patti Fitzgerald (Registrar) retired from the university after working at George Fox for the past 13 and a half years. She plans to spend more time with her husband and family.
Caroline Jovanovich (Advancement) left the university in early May. Her husband accepted a job at RH2 Engineering in Tacoma, Wash., and the couple is moving to that area to be closer to family as they plan to start a family of their own in September.
The following faculty members are departing the university this summer to retire or pursue other opportunities: Craig Johnson (Business), Larry Metzger (English Language Institute), Loren Wenz (Music), Wendy Bruton (Counseling), Ken Badley (Education), Debbie Berho (Spanish), Susan Newell (Social Work), Marcia Bogert (Nursing) and Jeff Birdsell (Communication Arts).