Biography

Award-winning sociologist and educator D. Michael Lindsay is the eighth president of Gordon College and is among the youngest presidents in the country among nationally ranked colleges and universities. Lindsay’s appointment marked a crucial moment in the College’s history—an opportunity to extend the institution’s scope, visibility and influence as Gordon prepares the next generation of Christian leaders for worldwide service.

Dr. Lindsay’s international reputation, acclaimed teaching record and innovative scholarship distinguish his presidency. The author of two-dozen publications on religion, public life and American evangelicalism, with particular expertise in leadership, Lindsay’s research has been featured in the leading scholarly journals of three academic fields—sociology, religion and American studies. In 2006, he was named the “most promising sociologist under 35” at the World Congress of Sociology. Lindsay’s Pulitzer-nominated book, Faith in the Halls of Power, was listed in Publishers Weekly’s “Best Books of 2007.” He has lectured on five continents, and his work has been profiled in hundreds of media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN and Fox News Channel. Last year, Dr. Lindsay’s research and scholarly opinion reached an estimated audience of 145 million.

In 2012 Dr. Lindsay will complete the PLATINUM Study, the largest ever interview-based examination of senior organizational leaders—including former Presidents Carter and Bush, and hundreds of CEOs at the nation’s largest corporations and nonprofits. The PLATINUM Study is the culmination of years of research and the results are already informing Lindsay’s own presidency.

From 2006 until 2011 Lindsay was a member of the faculty at Rice University, where he directed the Program for the Study of Leadership. He was also a Rice Scholar at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Dr. Lindsay was a dedicated teacher and mentor at Rice, where he led a large research team of undergraduates. In 2011, he received the Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teaching Award, which is bestowed upon one faculty member by Rice’s junior and senior classes and is the University’s oldest teaching award. Dr. Lindsay’s research has been funded through fellowships awarded by the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Academy of Education and the National Science Foundation.

Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Lindsay graduated summa cum laude from Baylor University with Bachelor of Arts in English and Speech. Prior to pursuing a doctoral degree, he served as the consultant for religion and culture at The George H. Gallup International Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, where he coauthored two books with George Gallup, Jr.—Surveying the Religious Landscape: Trends in U.S. Beliefs and The Gallup Guide: Reality Check for 21st Century Churches. Lindsay holds graduate degrees in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and Wycliffe Hall at Oxford.

President Lindsay earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University, where he was named a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow in 2002, a Harvey Fellow in 2003, and the Harold W. Dodds Fellow in 2004. He also received the 2003 Outstanding Teaching Award—the university’s highest award for graduate student teaching—from Princeton’s Graduate School and the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni. He currently holds elected positions in sections of the American Sociological Association and of the American Academy of Religion.

President Lindsay and his wife, Rebecca, were both Phi Beta Kappa graduates of Baylor University. Rebecca is also a published author and educator and serves Gordon as Ambassador for the College. The Lindsays reside in Wenham, Massachusetts, with their three daughters: Elizabeth, Caroline and Emily. 

Contact:
presidentgordon.edu  |  978.867.4800  |  255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984

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