Wiebe Boer, PhD, was officially inaugurated October 26, 2022. He serves as the 12th president of Calvin University.
Wiebe Boer was born and raised in Nigeria. Through his missionary parents born in the Netherlands, who had immigrated with their families to the U.S. and Canada, Boer retains Dutch, Canadian, and American citizenship.
Boer carries a deep sense of nurturing communities of welcome and flourishing in all he does. He has served professionally in managing investments and philanthropy, with his work taking place globally from Mauritania to Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to being called as president of the university, he was living in Lagos, Nigeria for 12 years, and serving as CEO of All On, an energy investment fund of Shell Global.
But before all of this, Boer was setting a foundation for his Reformed worldview and liberal arts approach at Calvin. Here he fell in love with history, graduating at the top of his class and cultivating lasting friendships along the way. A lifelong learner, Wiebe went on to earn a PhD and two master’s degrees from Yale University, also in history.
Boer’s wife, Joanna Bachew ’03, born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, holds a master’s in human resource management from the University of London and is the CEO of Empire Jane, a Nigerian soft home furnishings company. The couple have four sons: Jehan, Stephan, Markus, and Gerritt.
The Boers hold fast to the principles of Christ-centered faith and have committed to an “impact over income” mindset, propelling them to use their many gifts wherever they are called. Since 2022, they have been making a positive impact on the Calvin community.