Nelu Nedelea Named SWAU’s 27th President

KEENE, TEX. – Nelu Nedelea will become Southwestern Adventist University’s (SWAU) newest president on July 15.

Nedelea comes to SWAU from Mercy, one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States, where he served as vice president of mission and ministry.

“My family and I are excited to join a community committed to developing students not only for successful careers, but also for lives of purpose, leadership and meaningful impact,” said Nedelea.“I believe this is a moment to build bridges between faith, innovation, academic excellence and service.”

“Dr. Nedelea’s deep commitment to mission, his proven leadership across complex organizations and his heart for forming the next generation made him the ideal candidate for the role of president,” said Elton DeMoraes, chair of the Southwestern Adventist University Board and president of the Southwestern Union. “We thank God for His leadership in the selection process, and we know the university is in good hands, because it’s in God’s hands.”

The presidential search committee engaged FaithSearch Partners to assist in narrowing the field of qualified Seventh-day Adventist candidates to those who met the key skills and characteristics desired in the university’s next president. Those qualifications included strategic leadership, mission integration, organizational transformation and faith-informed leadership.

The interview process included panel and individual interviews as well as meetings with faculty, staff and students.

“Dr. Nedelea brings exactly what we were looking for: a leader who has integrated mission and values at scale and who leads from his faith,” said John Page, Southwestern Union treasurer and chair of the search committee. 

Nedelea earned a doctorate in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University in 2024, a Master of Business Administration in health care management from La Sierra University in 2018 and a Master of Science in chaplaincy from Loma Linda University in 2016.

An ordained minister, Nedelea began his career pastoring in Romania and Canada.He later served as director of mission integration and spiritual care for Adventist Health in Bakersfield, St. Helena and Glendale, Calif., before joining Mercy in 2022. 

Nedelea has served as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator and guest lecturer and has contributed scholarly work on organizational resilience, leadership development and inclusion. He is fluent in Romanian and conversational in Spanish.

“Southwestern Adventist University is entering a season of great opportunity, and I am confident that God has prepared Dr. Nedelea for this moment,” said DeMoraes. “His love for students, his devotion to the mission of Adventist education and his servant’s heart will be a blessing to this campus and to the entire Southwestern Union family.”

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