You could say John Miller’s path to Pepperdine University, where he was recently promoted to vice chancellor, was a matter of divine inspiration. As an undergraduate at UCLA, Miller studied economics.
“When I went to college, my plan was to become a corporate lawyer,” Miller said. “Business law was my path.”
By the end of his freshman year, however, he experienced a life-altering spiritual awakening that reordered not only his immediate priorities, but his future. Inspired by the example of classmates, he joined a Christian campus ministry known as Dykstra Bible Study.
“I found that my life took on profound meaning and purpose,” he said of the student ministry. “I loved every day of it.”
After getting his degree in economics from the Westwood campus, Miller entered Pasadena’s multidenominational Fuller Theological Seminary in 1976. After graduating in 1980, he became a pastor and traveled around the world on international service projects, then did fundraising and recruiting for a network of mission-active churches.
Then, in 1994, he decided that his career was inappropriate for his family life. As a single parent raising two adopted boys, he wanted a work schedule that would let him spend more time with his kids. So he left his full-time position in the ministry to join UCLA as director of development and alumni affairs for the School of Public Health. Miller saw similarities between his administrative duties and his ministry work.
“Both involve engaging volunteers, mobilizing people, attracting resources and raising money,” he said. “I found there were transferable skills, and I was fortunate to make a successful transition.”
As vice chancellor at Pepperdine, he finds that his careers in the ministry and education still have similarities.
“They’re both mission driven,” he said. “We’re seeking to build lives, improve society and make the world a better place.”
Miller, 55, lives in Malibu with his wife of 10 years, Charlene, and his 8-year-old son, Matthew. He also has two grown adopted sons, James and Darrell.
