Oklahoma Christian University

John deSteiguer became the seventh president of Oklahoma Christian University (OC) on May 1, 2012 and was inaugurated in special ceremonies on Monday, August 27, 2012.

A native of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, deSteiguer has spent over 25 years in higher education. He served Northeastern State University, his alma mater, as its director of development from 1993 to 2002 before coming to Oklahoma Christian.

During deSteiguer’s nine years as OC’s chief advancement officer, most recently as senior vice president for advancement, a record $110 million was given to the university, including the successful Higher Learning~Higher Calling campaign, which raised $64.3 million and was completed ahead of schedule.

The son of a naval aviator, deSteiguer grew up in California, Nebraska, Texas, Virginia, and on the island of Guam. After graduating from Tahlequah High School in 1980, he attended Northeastern State as an economics major. He was active in the Model United Nations program, became NSU’s first Truman Scholar, was a member of the President’s Leadership Class, and served as president of NSU’s student government and Speaker of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature House of Representatives before graduating in 1984.

A Rotary International Scholarship recipient, deSteiguer attended the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1984-85 before moving back to Tahlequah and serving as youth minister at South College Church of Christ.

He married Darla, his college sweetheart, in June 1986. The both earned juris doctorate degrees, magna cum laude, from the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1989. They moved to Dallas, where John practiced law with Haynes and Boone from 1989 to 1993. In August 1993, the deSteiguers again returned to Tahlequah when NSU hired John as a senior development officer and as executive director of the NSU Foundation. He came to Oklahoma Christian in January 2003 as part of then President Mike O’Neal’s new administration.

John and Darla live in Edmond, where John is a deacon and frequent Bible class teacher at Memorial Road Church of Christ. Their daughter, Abby, is a 2017 graduate of OC.

John is involved in several civic organizations, including the Oklahoma Bar Association, and the Oklahoma State Fair Board, and serves as President of the Oklahoma Independent Colleges and Universities Board of Directors.