President Kermit S. Bridges
Kermit S. Bridges was selected in December, 1999 by the Board of Regents of Southwestern Assemblies of God University to serve as president of the university, succeeding Dr. Delmer R. Guynes who retired.
Having served as Vice President for University Advancement since 1994, President Bridges directed Southwestern’s most effective capital campaign in the history of the institution. He also provided oversight to a student recruitment strategy, which produced record enrollments during each of these years.
President Bridges spent most of his childhood and adolescence in Waxahachie. Upon his graduation from Waxahachie High School in 1977, President Bridges enrolled at SAGU where he graduated in 1982. He later attended and received graduate degrees from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., where he was awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree.
President Bridges’ doctoral program focused on church leadership and management. His passion is to see Southwestern become a training center for the development of Christ-like leaders who will influence the world through their unique callings and careers.
Prior to his tenure at SAGU, President Bridges served as the senior pastor of First Assembly of God in Grand Prairie, Texas and as an associate pastor at Oak Cliff Assembly of God in Dallas, Park Crest Assembly of God in Springfield, Mo., and First Assembly of God in Garland, Texas.
While serving on the staff at Oak Cliff Assembly of God in Dallas, Kermit met his wife Jan Quistad, native of Minneapolis, Minn. A music educator, Mrs. Bridges has taught in both public and Christian schools, and has served as an adjunct member of Southwestern’s music faculty. The Bridges’ home has been blessed with two sons, James, 12, and Forrest, 9.