Biography

Avis Stewart, Class of 1974, served as Interim President of Earlham from June 27, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

Avis Stewart served Earlham in a variety of roles for more than three decades. He returned as men’s basketball coach in 1980, then was director of Runyan Center. Later in his Earlham career, he served as Vice President for Community Relations from 2002 to 2015 and Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Community Relations from 2015 to 2017. In 2017-18, he served on the President’s Cabinet as a senior adviser to the president (Alan Price) and as a major gift officer.

Stewart’s contributions to Earlham and the communities of Richmond and Wayne County have been widely celebrated. In 2014, he received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, Indiana’s highest accolade for public service. He is also the past recipient of the Townsend Community Center President’s Award, United Way of Whitewater Valley Volunteer of the Year and Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce’s Appreciation of Service Award.

A native of Marion, Ind., Stewart came to Earlham in 1970 and was a four-year member of the Earlham basketball team and three-year member of the track team while earning his bachelor’s degree. He was inducted into the Earlham Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. He also holds a master’s degree from Ball State University.

He had planned to retire in 2018, but instead became interim president for 2018-2019.