A CEO’s Next Step
A lifetime dedicated to learning led Jim Wilkinson M.A. ’25 to a master’s in biblical studies and theology at the Wheaton College Graduate School where he has found enriching classes and a vibrant community.
Words: Grace Kenyon ’22
Photos: Courtesy of Jim Wilkinson M.A. ’25
There was no way Jim Wilkinson M.A. ’25 could have predicted the turns his career has taken. Yet around each bend, his guiding principle, other than his Christian faith, was a stubborn dedication to being a lifetime learner.
Among other roles, Wilkinson was an officer in the Navy Reserves and served as the Deputy National Security Advisor for Communications during the George W. Bush administration in the early 2000s. He even lived in the Middle East, running public communications for the U.S. military during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and served as Chief of Staff to Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson during the Great Recession.
Currently, Wilkinson is the Executive Chairman and CEO of TrailRunner International, a strategy and communications advising firm. Between working with leaders in the corporate world and leading a Bible study in his neighborhood, he began to see the need for Christ all around him. His heart was broken by social and political division and a lack of productive dialogue, which he connects to the prevalence of social media. Amid these realizations, he felt that Christians around him were falling short of the call to love and acting judgmental instead.
“A lot of what we’re seeing in Christianity today is exactly what Jesus Christ did not have in mind,” Wilkinson said. “What Jesus said is, ‘Love your God with all your heart and soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.’ You see a lot less of that.”
Then friends in his Bible study would come to him with questions, and he wanted to dive deeper into the Bible and theology. This led him to his most recent venture: pursuing an M.A. in biblical and theological studies from the Wheaton College Graduate School. His goal was to engage intellectually and academically with his faith in order to be a better witness in the places God had placed him.
“As a CEO of a global company, I can reach people that most pastors can’t,” Wilkinson said.
The name “Wheaton” was already familiar to Wilkinson, who was raised in a small town in East Texas. When cable TV was introduced in the rural south, Wilkinson remembers many people becoming Chicago Cubs fans from watching WGN. As a child, he pored over maps of Chicago to memorize the names of the surrounding suburbs. When Wheaton College resurfaced during his search for theology master’s programs, he felt he already knew something about the place.
“I emailed them, flew up there, met with Marc Cortez, and the rest is history,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson talks about his time in the program since then as a list of blessings. He says everyone at Wheaton is incredibly accessible. For example, while on campus for an intensive, he emailed Head Athletic Trainer Tricia Deter about a calf injury (Wilkinson is also an ultramarathoner) and she agreed to meet him by Sam’s, the on-campus cafe, to give him advice. He clicked quickly with professors and leaders in his program, referring to Dr. Marc Cortez (current director of the M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies program) and Visiting Professor of Old Testament Dr. Ingrid Faro as lifelines to whom he can always bring his questions and concerns. And he is quick to express gratitude for those he learns alongside.
“You can’t walk on Wheaton’s campus without being optimistic,” Wilkinson said. “I’m at the self-serve ice cream—one of my favorite things about Wheaton is the self-serve ice cream, I love it—I’m standing there at the self-serve ice cream with people I’m proud to stand next to.”
The academic side of the program has been equally fruitful. One of his biggest takeaways from the program has been a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the Old Testament, which he thinks many Christians overlook.
“The degree to which the two testaments are interwoven is something I had no idea about,” Wilkinson said. After reading the Bible in-depth and learning more about its context, he says everything has started to make more sense. It turns out that being a lifetime learner also has spiritual benefits.
“The more I’ve studied and learned, the more I believe,” Wilkinson said.
Being at Wheaton has also rearranged Wilkinson’s priorities. He used to want his two kids (ages 10 and 12) to attend Ivy League schools; now he wants them to go to Wheaton. His time as a graduate student has helped him realize the kind of community he wants his kids to be shaped by. And this fall, he’ll start by bringing them to Wheaton for a football game.
