Joel K. Pearsall is an American attorney, academic administrator, and former church administrator serving as the president of Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.

Early life and education

Pearsall's father,

Kenneth H. Pearsall Kenneth H. Pearsall (1918 – 1999) was an American ordained minister and academic administrator who served as the 8th president of Northwest Nazarene University from 1973 to 1983. Early life and education Ken Pearsall was born 1918 in New York ...

, served as president of Northwest Nazarene University from 1973 to 1983. Pearsall earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and business administration from Northwest Nazarene University in 1980. He then earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and e ...

Career

After graduating from law school, Pearsall served as a law clerk for Charles R. Donaldson on the

Idaho Supreme Court The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court are binding on all other Idaho state courts. The only court that may reverse ...

. He then operated a private legal practice in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, where he specialized in business law, tax law, and employee benefit planning. Pearsall later worked as a church administrator. He returned to Northwest Nazarene University in 1999 as vice president for financial affairs and in-house legal counsel, serving until 2008. In August 2008, Pearsall became vice president for university advancement. In 2016, Pearsall was selected to serve as the 13th president of Northwest Nazarene University. At the time of his appointment, Pearsall had been serving as president in an acting capacity after the resignation of David Alexander amid allegations that Alexander has conducted a relationship with a student while working as a professor. Pearsall's four-year contract was renewed in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearsall, Joel Living people Presidents of Northwest Nazarene University Northwest Nazarene University alumni Willamette University alumni Willamette University College of Law alumni Idaho lawyers Year of birth missing (living people)