Just as Emmanuel Christian Seminary joins Milligan College, Emmanuel is welcoming Lauren Gullett as its new admissions director.
Gullett accepted the position in January and has been working remotely from Gilbert, Ariz.
When she comes back to Tennessee, she plans to bring her passion and love for both institutions to the table.
“I’m super excited to finally see and meet everyone on campus,” she said. “Part of what I’ve enjoyed so far — and I’ll only get to enjoy it all the more by being on campus — is just being around and interacting with students.”
Many responsibilities are associated with Gullett’s position.
“I will be wearing a lot of hats,” she said. “It’s going out and recruiting. It’s recruiting local pastors and ministers who see gaps in their education. It’s networking with local ministers and providing them with opportunities they are looking for. It’s networking with alumni because they are out across the world talking to people and lifting people up. The marketing background comes in because recruiting is marketing.”
When Gullett was a student at Emmanuel, she was on track to become a member of the campus ministry team and work with students. Gullett has found a way to do that, but also use other strengths she has acquired over time.
“I get to meet students interested in going into ministry, and to me that is just so cool,” she said.
Gullett hopes to see more incentives for Milligan students go on up to the graduate level with Emmanuel.
“I think we’ve always had a great relationship with Milligan,” she said. “What’s going to be unique now is we’re going to be able to have even more of a partnership with the undergraduate students.”
Without a doubt, she has already fallen in love with working with the Emmanuel admissions team.
“I’ve already been doing this for six months, and it’s been great,” she said. “The stars are finally aligning and it’s time to get there.”
Gullett has been steadily making the transition to move back to East Tennessee.
“We’re looking forward to getting back,” said Gullett, who is an Atlanta native. “We really want to be a part of the community.”
Gullett, her husband, Jared, who is a Milligan and Emmanuel alumnus, and their five children hope to arrive in East Tennessee on Friday.
“Even after we left, we held a special place in our heart for the area,” she said. “We’ve always believed in the mission of Milligan and Emmanuel. When this opportunity came up, it wasn’t something we expected, but it’s turned out to be the perfect things for us.”
Gullett has been driving for nearly two days to visit family on this side of the nation.
“Our families live on the East Coast,” she said. “While we won’t be in the same town as them, it will make it easier to see them.”
Gullett holds a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel. She graduated from the seminary in 2002.
Gullett has a background in ministry as a staff member at Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona. She also has experience in marketing and public relations through her own business called Keruxo, which is Greek for, ‘Get the word out.’ In addition to promoting the word of God, Gullett will now be in charge of getting the word out about enrolling in Emmanuel’s graduate level programing.
When asked about the Milligan and Emmanuel merger, Gullett said it’s a win-win for both institutions.
“It’s a great thing,” she said. “Emmanuel is going to bring a lot of things to Milligan that will enhance their programs. I also think Milligan is going to provide stability and other things to Emmanuel that they wouldn’t have otherwise had. I’m excited.”