New Director of Alumni Relations Returns 'Home'

Since graduating from George Fox 13 years ago, Kyle Pfeiffer (G02) has run businesses and worked at resorts. He moved to Hawaii twice. He traveled on corporate jets. He was offered a job with Young Life in the Caribbean. And in between, he kept returning to Oregon.

With each move, Pfeiffer believed God had called him there, and he would stay, invest and grow. Each time, God then called him away.

Recently, it was his wife Rama who felt the call. She simply told him one day, “We are moving to Yamhill.” So they sold their home in Beaverton, Ore., and moved 7-year-old Jaden and 2-year-old Soraya to Yamhill, less than a 20-minute drive from his alma mater. Once again, Pfeiffer and his family were drawn to a new place.

But this place felt like home. Since Pfeiffer graduated from George Fox in 2002 he had always longed to reconnect with the university and its surrounding community, but he was never sure how. Other alumni he spoke with felt a similar pull. So when he saw a job opening for the university’s director of alumni relations, he knew it was his opportunity.

Now, only months into his new role, Pfeiffer is excited about creating relationships, both personally and professionally. He wants fellow alumni to know that George Fox isn’t just a place to “be known” while they attend, but also to “stay known” years after their college experience.

How can alumni “stay known?” First, says Pfeiffer, by sharing their stories about family, career and how God is working in their lives.

He also wants to provide opportunities for alumni to give their time, skills and resources to connect with current and future George Fox students, whether through networking, mentoring or simple conversation. The possibilities for relationships are endless.

Pfeiffer hopes alumni will invest in ways that reflect their passions. “This investment provides a great testimony to current students,” he says. “George Fox University isn’t just about a great experience while students are here; it’s a lifelong relationship. It can always be a home for them. They can always come back here.”

This sense of home is what Pfieffer has been searching for since graduation. “God has been calling [my family] in this direction the whole time, to a small-town community, to a community like George Fox,” he says. “It feels like exactly where God wants us. To be back here is just like coming home.”

Connect with alumni relations by calling 503-554-2134, emailing alumni@georgefox.edu or visiting georgefox.edu/alumni.