Dr. Stephen K. Wilke came to Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, on October 1, 1991, and since 2004 has served as the Executive Director of the Richard and Julie Wilke Institute for Discipleship.

Prior to coming to Southwestern College, Dr. Wilke worked as a licensed psychologist on the staff of Prairie View Psychiatric Hospital. In 1987, he became the founding president of Recovery of Hope Network, Inc., and stayed in that position until 1991. The Recovery of Hope Network helped local organizations establish programs in the community for troubled marriages.

Dr. Wilke received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) in Fresno, California, in 1982. In his doctoral research, he studied the role of the church and clergy as agents of community mental health. Dr. Wilke has served on the staff and board at the Counseling and Mediation Center in Wichita, Kansas, and has provided American Association of Pastoral Counseling (AAPC) training to pastors. Dr. Wilke has also co-authored a set of five marital books.

Steve was reared in Kansas in a United Methodist clergy family and completed his undergraduate work at Southwestern College. Dr. Wilke began his work at Southwestern College in 1991 as the Dean of Students. He then transitioned into the VP of Student Development and Enrollment Management. His next transition was to VP of Enrollment Management and Planning. Later he functioned at the college’s VP of Strategic Planning and New Programs.  In his work with new programs, the Institute launched under his direction. In July of 2017 Dr. Wilke transitioned off the administrative leadership of the college and went full time as the Executive Director of the Institute.

He and his wife, Beth, have four children. Beth served as the Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Winfield for over twenty years.

Bishop Richard B. Wilke created excitement in local churches with his books And Are We Yet Alive? and Signs and Wonders. With his late wife, Julia, Bishop Wilke coordinated, designed, and wrote the DISCIPLE Bible study, a training for Christian leaders. With nearly three million graduates in more than 10,000 congregations in 30 denominations, DISCIPLE has been translated into several languages.

Elected to the episcopacy of the United Methodist Church in 1984, Bishop Wilke served for 12 years in the Arkansas area. While serving as bishop, he worked to emphasize church growth and evangelism, at all times maintaining his love for the local church. He served on boards of colleges, hospitals, and on general boards of the United Methodist Church. During his 30 years in the pastoral ministry, Wilke pastored the United Methodist Church in Scandia, Kansas; Pleasant Valley United Methodist in Wichita, Kansas; University United Methodist in Salina, Kansas, and served as district superintendent for the Winfield District. For nearly 11 years, Wilke preached and initiated televised services from First United Methodist Church in Wichita, reaching out to all of central and western Kansas.

Elizabeth Frombgen became president of Southwestern College July 1, 2022, after serving as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa.

Frombgen earned her Ph.D. and master of arts degree in political science from Purdue University and her bachelor of arts degree from Western Washington University. She was on faculty at Hastings College from 2001 to 2012, serving as a professor and department chair before accepting the role of associate vice president for academic affairs, a position she held until 2017 when she accepted the position at Thiel.