GALLATIN, TN—Todd Parrish assumes a new role as Vice President for Institutional Advancement on July 1 after the retirement of David Williford, according to President Matt Pinson.
Parrish came to Welch in January 2018 as Director of Church Relations and Major Gifts Officer before transitioning to the role of Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement in May 2021. In his new role, he will engage in the overall administration of fundraising and external relations at Welch, working with Tim Owen, Director of the Welch Fund. Williford will continue in a part-time fundraising role.
“Todd Parrish is tailor-made for this position,” Pinson said. “No one loves Welch more than Todd. He combines a deep knowledge of our alumni base and denomination with a singular penchant for ‘friend raising’ and has distinguished himself as an excellent fundraiser in his five years at Welch. He’s known for his hard work and can-do attitude. I’m so glad to have him in this new role.”
Before coming to Welch in 2018, Parrish served as Senior Pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church, Washington, North Carolina. A North Carolina native who ministered in churches in North and South Carolina for 26 years, Parrish has served in a number of denominational roles, including Director of the South Carolina Free Will Baptist Children’s Home, Assistant Moderator of the North Carolina State Association of Free Will Baptists, and (currently) Vice President of the Welch College Alumni Association.
Parrish was ordained under the ministry of Dr. Malcolm C. Fry. A 1989 Welch graduate in Bible and church music, he engaged in graduate study in music at Middle Tennessee State University and obtained his M.A. in mental health counseling from Webster University in 2010 and his M.A. in theology and ministry from Welch in 2018. He is nearing the completion of his doctorate in educational ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is writing his doctoral thesis on the advancement and fundraising function of Welch College.
Parrish and his wife, Merinda, Welch’s Clinical Coordinator for Teacher Education, have two married daughters, Emily Vickery (Zach) and Ellen Stox (Kevin), both Welch graduates, and two grandchildren, Lucy and Jack.