DEGARMO NAMED CHAIRMAN OF BETHANY COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
August 5, 2019
LINDSBORG, KAN., July 29, 2019- Roper DeGarmo ’00, was named chairman of the Board of Directors effective July 1, 2019. DeGarmo is the owner of Signature Personal Insurance located in Mission, Kansas.
Born and raised in Kansas, Roper graduated magna cum laude from Bethany College with a double major in communications and finance. Even before graduation, Roper began his insurance career by becoming a licensed insurance agent and interning with a nationally respected Kansas City-based insurance agency. Roper graduated first in his class at the National Alliance School for Producer Development. He gained considerable experience working for a prestigious insurance firm until he felt the next logical step in his development was to build his own agency. He set his sights on creating a truly service-oriented insurance agency and never looked back. Roper earned his designation as a Certified Insurance Counselor administered by The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. He also has participated in the AIG Private Client Group Risk Management Conferences and PURE Leadership Forums.
Susan Lundstrom, ’78, board member from Lindsborg, believes “Roper’s positivity will make him a great leader.”
Roper previously served on the Bethany College Alumni Counsel. He also served as a church council member for Trinity Lutheran Church, Mission, Kansas as well as a high school youth counselor. He is a member of the Kansas Association of Independent Agents. Roper was also selected to the 2009 class of Centurions by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Roper and his wife Rachel ’00 have two children.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Roper over the past year and look forward to continuing this working relationship as we each serve Bethany in a new capacity,” stated, Interim President, Dr. Mauch.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. Bethany connects its past, present, and future with distinctive initiatives like Swedes to Sweden, a free service-learning trip for the sophomore class to Sweden, and the Good Life Scholarship, presenting all local high school graduates with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the college. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu and is located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.
Born and raised in Kansas, Roper graduated magna cum laude from Bethany College with a double major in communications and finance. Even before graduation, Roper began his insurance career by becoming a licensed insurance agent and interning with a nationally respected Kansas City-based insurance agency. Roper graduated first in his class at the National Alliance School for Producer Development. He gained considerable experience working for a prestigious insurance firm until he felt the next logical step in his development was to build his own agency. He set his sights on creating a truly service-oriented insurance agency and never looked back. Roper earned his designation as a Certified Insurance Counselor administered by The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. He also has participated in the AIG Private Client Group Risk Management Conferences and PURE Leadership Forums.
Susan Lundstrom, ’78, board member from Lindsborg, believes “Roper’s positivity will make him a great leader.”
Roper previously served on the Bethany College Alumni Counsel. He also served as a church council member for Trinity Lutheran Church, Mission, Kansas as well as a high school youth counselor. He is a member of the Kansas Association of Independent Agents. Roper was also selected to the 2009 class of Centurions by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Roper and his wife Rachel ’00 have two children.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Roper over the past year and look forward to continuing this working relationship as we each serve Bethany in a new capacity,” stated, Interim President, Dr. Mauch.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. Bethany connects its past, present, and future with distinctive initiatives like Swedes to Sweden, a free service-learning trip for the sophomore class to Sweden, and the Good Life Scholarship, presenting all local high school graduates with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the college. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu and is located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.
Bethany College is proud to announce the return of sideline cheer, launching with the 2025–26 academic year. Leading the program is newly appointed head coach Patricia Smith, an experienced educator and cheer coach. Sideline cheer will return to Bethany’s home football and basketball games.
Bethany College is pleased to announce the appointment of Audrey Saxton as the new Assistant Professor of English. Saxton earned both her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in English from Penn State University, where she taught courses in writing and composition, world literature, and pre-1800 literature.
Bethany College is pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Case as the new Assistant Professor of Religion. Case earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016 in Ancient Mediterranean Religions with a graduate portfolio in Women's and Gender Studies.
