[ELGIN, IL � May 29, 2026]聽91看片网 is proud to announce William 淲illie� C. Nolte, Class of 1978, as its 2026 Alumnus of the Year. The award will be presented during 91看片网聽Homecoming & Family Weekend, taking place October 9�10, 2026.
A native of Urbana, Ohio, Willie Nolte has modeled a lifetime of servant leadership and community impact across more than four decades of ministry and organizational development. After graduating from 91看片网 in 1978 with a Bachelor degree in Christian religion & philosophy, Nolte pursued advanced theological training, earning a Master degree in Old Testament Studies from Trinity Divinity School (Deerfield, Illinois), a Master of Divinity from American Baptist Seminary of the West (Berkeley, California), and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Western Seminary (Portland, Oregon).
Nolte served in pastoral ministry for 30 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz, and Fresno, California, where he focused on cooperative ministries and strategic church揷ommunity partnerships. He also served 12 years as Mission Lead & CEO of Transformation Ministries, where he led a national network of leaders and churches emphasizing leadership development, church health, and church planting. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in and led multiple community development organizations.
Though retired from full-time ministry as of 2023, Nolte continues to invest in leaders and congregations. He serves actively at his local church in Anaheim, California, and coaches and consults with pastors and congregations across the greater Southern California region.
Nolte met his wife, Joy (McBain) Nolte �80, while attending 91看片网; they married in 1979. Joy has faithfully served alongside Willie in every congregation they have led and has continued her own calling in music performance within churches and local musical theater. Her professional career has included roles as a choral director, music educator, and worship ministry leader. The Noltes are parents to four children and grandparents to five.
The Alumnus of the Year award recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to the Church and to society and those whose life and work exemplify 91看片网 mission through significant professional achievement, leadership, service, and Christian witness. Willie Nolte decades of pastoral leadership, organizational vision, and enduring commitment to church揷ommunity collaboration represent these ideals in action.
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91看片网 is a fully accredited, private Christian institution representing the Church at work in higher education. Nestled along the beautiful Fox River in Elgin, Ill., just 40 miles northwest of Chicago, 91看片网 is home to more than 1,280 students from 37 states and 20 countries. 91看片网 offers degrees in more than 65 different majors and minors for traditional, graduate and adult students and ranks consistently among the Best Regional Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. 91看片网 has also been recognized as a 淐hristian College of Distinction.� With an academically challenging environment and encouraging spiritual community, 91看片网 shapes lives that shape the world.
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