As Josh Okerman ’07 begins his role as Wheaton’s new Chief Alumni Officer, Wheaton magazine asked a few questions about him and his new position.
Photo: Amy Aiello
I studied business/economics and minored in communication. I was deeply involved in the work of the Office of Christian Outreach (now the Office of Ministry and Evangelism) all four years: Chicago Evangelism Team, chair of the Christian Service Counsel, part of Missions in Focus Cabinet. I played in a lot of intramurals. I managed sound for World Christian Fellowship and helped with Arena Theater productions.
I’m excited to work with so many quality people who are Wheaton alumni—and I’m thankful for a great team of people here at Wheaton. Alumni work is about building relationships, and I like that—I believe in building long-term relationships that can last through the ups and downs of life.
What are some of the things you’ve learned that will help you in this role?
God has used so many ways to teach and shape me through the years. I’ve certainly learned a lot from working under Cindra Stackhouse Taetzsch ‘82 all these years in the alumni office. But I think back to other things, too: being a retail manager and learning to work through conflict in customer service issues; not having a strong friend community in high school and learning how to create that for myself or others in college and after; learning about the faithfulness of God through seasons of hardship. Growing up as a missionary in Japan gave me insight into two very different cultures and how to build cross-cultural relationships.
While Wheaton classes are certainly excellent, there is much additional value from the rest of the Wheaton experience: life on campus, clubs, leadership opportunities, extracurriculars. Take the time to get to know and learn from people. Wheaton does a great job of creating structures for building community, but take the time to learn how to be a true friend. If you know how to be a friend to others, you’ll have friends throughout life.
