Taylor to Confer Three Honorary Doctorates

It is Taylor’s privilege each year at Commencement to confer honorary doctorates upon exceptional servant-leaders who are both exemplars of faithful service in their fields and professions as well as role models for our students in how they can reflect a heart for Christ while still striving for excellence in their own vocation and calling. This spring we look forward to recognizing three such individuals: Bishop Oscar Muriu, Daphna Tobey, and Dr. Carlos Campo.

Bishop Oscar Muriu is senior pastor of The Nairobi Chapel. Under his leadership, the Chapel has grown from a 40-person local congregation to a network of 30 churches with more than 14,000 worshippers every week. He was ordained as a bishop in 2017. Muriu connected with President Lindsay during his 2023 trip to Nairobi, where they realized they share a mutual passion for the education and training of global Christian leaders. Bishop Muriu envisions a legacy of faithful leaders, especially African leaders, for the church of Christ worldwide. He frames his calling and the work of his ministry through the powerful exhortation in Psalm 71:18: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”

Muriu received a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Delhi (India) and his Master of Divinity from the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. He has ministered in many countries within Africa and globally in Germany, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, Singapore, the Philippines, New Zealand, Ireland and several other countries. He and his wife Beatrice Wambui have four daughters and a granddaughter.

 

A longtime member of Taylor’s Board of Visitors, Daphna Tobey’s robust personal and professional connections to the University underscore her abiding dedication to our educational mission. She is a past parent (both daughters are graduates) and current grandparent of five students. Tobey has been a generous and active supporter of Advancement work for the University and created the "Million Dollar Match" for the Taylor Fund. On the professional front, she is president and owner of the Newberry Group of Indianapolis, which owns and manages long-term care facilities in the Indianapolis area. She is also certified in Health Care Administration and is a Dementia Training Specialist. As such Daphna is a strong advocate for Taylor’s new Nursing and Physician Assistant programs. Her vigor and passion for serving others with her gifts and talents also includes active involvement in her local Great Banquet community where she serves as its spiritual director and trainer. Daphna is also a teacher on the John 17 Ministries radio program, Daphna’s Daily Bible Readings, which transmits to over 70 countries every week.

 

 

Dr. Carlos Campo honed his leadership capabilities as president of Regent University and Ashland University, but at his core he remains an educator. In a 20-year career in academia, he has been recognized as an Outstanding Educator and Educator of the Year by local and national organizations. He has served on the boards of Elevate Early Education, the Alliance for Hispanic Education, the Social Capital Campaign, and the Museum of the Bible—where in 2024 he was appointed as its CEO.

Dr. Campo was previously elected as a member of the NCAA’s President’s Council, and during his time at Ashland he led the most successful comprehensive fundraising campaign in its history, raising more than $100 million (double the initial goal). He has been an educational consultant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is a leading voice in the American Hispanic Evangelical community, serving as vice chairman for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Campo holds three degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas: a BA in Theater, MA in English and a PhD in English Language. He and his wife Karen have three children.