People around the world have gotten used to working remotely this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But one staff member at The King’s College had already been working from home for two years before the college shut down last March. Bridget Rogers, 58, was just settling into her role as the Chief Development Officer for King’s when, all of a sudden, everyone was working from home like her.

“The silver lining of COVID is that now everybody is on Zoom. I get to interact with students, staff and faculty in ways that weren’t possible when I first started working,” Rogers said. “The technology was there but people didn’t need to spend time on Zoom. I might have been imposing had I asked to meet so often. Now it’s second nature. That’s really a boon to someone like me who works from home,” she continued.

Rogers works remotely full-time from Indianapolis. She makes monthly trips to New York and loves the balance between working for King’s and being with her husband Mark and her church family at home. You might be surprised to learn that she is the only woman on the college’s executive leadership team, led by President Tim Gibson.

“The executive team walks the talk. They are serious about kingdom work and they model it professionally and personally. I feel accepted as a member of the team,” Rogers said.

The Rogers family found out about King’s from a World Magazine advertisement when their oldest daughter Elle was 12 or 13 years old. Rogers and Elle visited New York for an Inviso weekend (an event where prospective students can visit and learn about King’s) when she started looking at colleges. Both women were hooked after talking to students and faculty about their personal experiences at the college.

“We visited with an alumnus, Nathan Deerdorff. He took us out for an evening and shared about how wonderful the professors were as they poured into him academically and spiritually. He also told us how they had sheltered and cooked for students during Hurricane Sandy. That personal testimony sold us,” Rogers said.

Elle attended King’s from 2015 to 2019 and graduated as the valedictorian of her class. Her sister, Annie, went to King’s in 2017 but “couldn’t abide the concrete jungle,” as Rogers put it. She will graduate from Wheaton College this spring.

“I ultimately fell in love with the mission of King’s,” Rogers said. The Lord gave me the notion that I need to work in a position that combines education, fundraising, and the Lord’s work,” she added.

Rogers spoke with Dr. Kimberly Thornbury, former Vice President for Institutional Research, Strategic Planning, Enrollment Management and Communication at King’s, about starting her new career. Thornbury connected her to Gibson, who is now President of King’s, and she started working part time in the development office in March of 2018. She has been a full-time employee since January 2020.

“My passion is connecting people with their passions. That’s what happens in development. People want to help and sometimes that’s with their money,” Rogers said.

Rogers works closely with donors to build mutually beneficial relationships between them and the college. She also supports faculty by listening to their ideas and finding the money to fund their programs. Some of her latest projects include piloting a certificate program in Christian Social Thought in the summer of 2021 and funding the Center for the Study of Christianity and the Black Experience with Dr. David Tubbs.

“We all need to know how to think well about difficult issues. That’s what sets King’s students and alumni apart,” Rogers said. “You have this understanding of what has happened in history through philosophy, politics and economics. It helps you process what is currently happening and then how to make decisions about what is best for the future,” she continued.

Besides interacting with donors, faculty, staff and alumni, Rogers also became an advisor for the House of Queen Elizabeth I this year. She meets regularly with executive team members, supports the house in prayer and cheers her queens on at events.

“Being an advisor has been a highlight of my year. I love to shepherd young ladies. I feel like it makes me a better Chief Development Officer. I get to know your stories, struggles and successes which helps me tell the story of King’s better,” Rogers said.

When she’s not working, Rogers likes to read and ride her bike with her husband. In 2019, she and Mark rode across the state of Indiana, which is 162 miles long. They are signed up to ride across Michigan later this year. Rogers and her husband will celebrate 35 years of marriage in June.

Taking a break in front of a cornfield in McCordsville, Ind. in June 2020 | Photo courtesy of Bridget Rogers

In regard to working from home, Rogers advises remote workers to set and stick to working time boundaries, allow yourself to take small breaks and organize your day by priorities.

“For me, it helps to write to-do lists. I even schedule study halls on my calendar if I need to study something about scholarships or call different people,” she said.

Rogers also said “God is actively at work” in everything that happens at King’s and that she draws strength from this, especially during the pandemic.

“In some ways, everything seems to be in limbo or on hold right now. But God is still having his way. Take hold of what He has for you every day,” Rogers said.

At the summit of Piestewa Peak in the Phoenix Mountains in March 2021 | Photo courtesy of Bridget Rogers

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