For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College President Matt Pinson announced to faculty and staff this week that Craig Mahler has resigned from Welch as Vice President for Financial Affairs, after nearly twenty years at the college, first as Comptroller and then, for thirteen years, as VP and Chief Financial Officer.
Pinson said, “My dear friend shared with me that after much prayer and reflection, he and his wife Sabrina feel it’s the right time for him to conclude his season of full-time service at Welch. Craig has endured financial challenges and made Welch stronger over the past thirteen years. He has shown incredible tenacity and believes that, given the college’s financial stability, now is the time God has granted him peace to step away. He has accepted a job as the Chief Financial Officer at Christian Community Schools in the nearby city of White House, where his daughter attends.”
“This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life,” Mahler said. “But the Lord has impressed on me the importance of presence and priority of ministry to my family, especially our girls, with whom time and opportunity are fleeting. With the college experiencing its highest enrollment in 42 years this fall and having received much-needed cash infusions from gifts and real estate investments this calendar year, it has become clear that it’s the right time to step away, given the current financial stability and momentum.”
“We wept together,” Pinson said, “as he shared how difficult a decision this was and reassured me of his deep commitment to Welch and its mission, and to me and our shared vision for the college he loves so deeply. Craig spoke of how thankful he is for what God has done under his tenure, the solid place he has helped us get to with God’s help, and the integrity with which we have done it. He spoke of his and Sabrina’s desire to be Welch’s biggest fans in the future.”
President Pinson has appointed Dr. Daniel Webster as interim Vice President for Administration and Student Engagement. In this role he will continue managing the student experience from recruitment to graduation from Welch, while ensuring the uninterrupted management of the Business Office.
“When I began serving as Comptroller in 2006, I could not have anticipated the profound impact this place would have on my life,” Mahler said. “Since being invited into the CFO role in 2012, I’ve had the tremendous blessing of helping steward Welch’s resources through seasons of both challenge and growth. I sincerely love and appreciate President and Mrs. Pinson and am thankful to God for the opportunity to work alongside them for nearly twenty years. I am confident the Lord will continue to use President Pinson to lead the college to a position of thriving. While I believe the time is right for me to step away, it is not without a heavy heart. I remain confident in our beloved college and the Lord’s continued care for it.”
Mahler will continue full-time through mid-January, moving to a limited, remote and part-time capacity for the next several weeks following that, then serving as a consultant.
Pinson said, “I am so thankful for this dedicated servant of God and close friend who has loved and served Welch so selflessly over these nearly two decades.”