Deana Porterfield has been inaugurated as the 11th president of Roberts Wesleyan College, and the first woman to lead the school.
That's nothing new for her -- she says she's been one of the first females in many of her roles in her career.
That includes 26 years of Christian education experience in California.
She says after meeting the Roberts Weseleyan community, she found the needs of the college and Northeastern Seminary, a graduate school of theology, aligned with the gifts she has.
Porterfield will lead both, and she says while they are anchored in the Free Methodist Denomination , but have a wide variety of denominations represented at the school.
She says Roberts Wesleyan will continue to work to address the growing concern of bringing affordability and accessibility to higher education.
Porterfield says the school has to meet those needs, while also keeping anchored in the liberal arts and also meeting the needs of what employers are looking for.
She adds the college will be known for giving students a "transformational experience, " it'll be known for its innovative programs and for meeting the needs students and communities looking to hire those students.