Finding Home—and Her Calling
When Dr. Nancy Damron (’95, MEd ’98) first stepped onto MidAmerica Nazarene University’s campus, she wasn’t sure what she was searching for. “I had transferred twice,” she recalled. “Nothing ever felt like home. Then I walked into Metz Hall and met Dr. Jim Burns. He actually cared about who I was that day and who I would become. By the end of that meeting, I knew this was my college home.”
That moment of connection shaped everything that followed. “For me, it was divine intervention,” she said. “I needed a place that would anchor me to the Lord.” At MNU, faith and learning intertwined in ways that changed her life forever.
Learning Hope That Endures
As a commuter student working multiple jobs—from box office sales at Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre to substitute teaching—Damron found her community in the classroom. Courses like Old and New Testament gave her a new perspective on faith in daily life. “At MNU, professors didn’t just teach the Bible—they taught how to live it out,” she said. “A Christian educator should be different from just an educator.”
That realization became her philosophy as a high-school teacher and later as a leader in higher education. “My formal adoption of hope that supersedes everything came at MNU,” she reflected. “There is divine value in every person. You never give up on a student. You approach each day with Spirit-driven hope.”
Leading with Faith and Courage
After teaching in Blue Valley Schools and earning her master’s at MNU, Damron returned to her alma mater as a faculty member in 2010, eventually serving as chief academic officer. “God prepared me every step of the way,” she said. “You realize your work isn’t your identity. When He calls you elsewhere, you follow.”
In 2024, she joined Quality Technology Services (QTS) as vice president for strategic planning and operations—and later helped launch a new AI-focused company. But when family needs arose, she felt God’s nudge again. “He called me to lay down my net and follow Him in a new direction,” she said. “Now I’m caring for my family and serving in ways I never could before. It’s still ministry—just unpaid work that matters deeply.”
Purpose in Every Season
Today, Damron encourages students and alumni to live with “hopeful expectation.” Her advice: “Let go of fear. God’s already there. Wherever He places you, there’s purpose in it.”
Because, she said simply, “Our real purpose is sharing Jesus’ love and light in every situation we’re called to be in.”
