Education 2023: GORDON P. ROBERTSON

In addition to succeeding his famous and controversial late father, the evangelical Christian leader Pat Robertson, as president and CEO of the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network and host of its flagship weekday news magazine show, “The 700 Club,” Robertson became Regent’s chancellor in July. Pat Robertson was still at the helm of the influential private conservative Christian university he founded in 1977 when he died at age 93 in June.

Gordon Robertson has degrees from Yale University and Washington and Lee University’s School of Law. He practiced for 10 years at Norfolk law firm Vandeventer Black (now Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black). He has said God called him away from law during a mission trip to India. Robertson moved to the Philippines, where he led CBN’s expansion into Asia and founded the Asian Center for Missions and the Philippines chapter of CBN’s humanitarian nonprofit, Operation Blessing. He took over as CEO of CBN in 2007.

Virginia’s second largest private university, Regent has more than 3,500 full-time students and nearly 6,700 part-time students. Notable alumni include former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. Onetime GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is dean of Regent’s government school.