Bethel Bible Village announces the retirement of its President and CEO Rosalind Connor effective Dec. 31. Current Director of Marketing and Development Mark Troxel will assume the president/CEO position on Jan. 1, 2026, completing a planned succession.
Officials said, "Mrs. Connor joined Bethel in December 2018 and has been a driving force behind the organization’s success and growth, leaving a lasting mark on the ministry. Examples of her accomplishments include re-focusing on Bethel’s core mission to serve children and eliminating programs that were not strategic to that mission, keeping Bethel’s on-campus school, Bethel Christian Academy open during the pandemic, and establishing and executing a strategic plan with the goal of serving more children and families.
"In addition to many major capital improvements to the campus during her time, a strategic focus is the $3.1M expansion of BCA, which will triple its capacity."
Board Chair Ron Bailey said, “Rosalind’s dedication to this ministry and her servant leadership has left a legacy that will continue to create opportunities to serve children and families in our community. The Bethel Board of Trustees expresses its deepest gratitude to Rosalind for her outstanding leadership and innovative style in advancing the Bethel mission.”
Bethel’s board of trustees has approved Mr. Troxel to succeed Mrs. Connor. Mr. Troxel joined Bethel’s Board in 2022, serving as vice-chair prior to joining the Bethel staff as director of marketing and development in August 2024. Since that time, he and Mrs. Connor have worked closely together to establish a smooth succession plan.
Officials said, "Mr. Troxel is uniquely qualified to lead Bethel into this next phase, not only from the perspective of having served the ministry directly in various capacities over the past three and a half years, but also from his prior experience in senior leadership roles and most importantly his passion for serving Christ."
Commenting on Mr. Troxel's leadership fit for Bethel, Mrs. Connor said, “I would not leave Bethel unless the right person was in place to take over, and I am confident that there is no one better suited or qualified than Mark to do so. His background in leadership and managing complex operations, coupled with his love of Bethel’s ministry, make him the perfect choice to take Bethel to the next level.”
Officials said, "Prior to joining Bethel, Mark spent his career leading large sales and operations organizations. His diverse experience relative to organizational vision, successful execution of strategic plans and revenue growth align well with what is on the horizon for Bethel."
“God has prepared me for this very time by placing me in challenging roles throughout my career and blessing me along the way with great leaders and faithful mentors that invested in me,” Mr. Troxel said.
"During Mark’s time as director of marketing and development, he has been instrumental in advancing supporter and community engagement, and establishing new collaborative partnerships for program expansion." officials said. "Mark has been closely aligned with Rosalind, the leadership team and the board of trustees as he leads the development of Bethel’s new Strategic Plan."
Regarding Mr. Troxel's current and future impact on the organization, Mr. Bailey said, “Mark has worked alongside Rosalind for months and is an incredible leader in his own right. I am confident that Mark will build on Rosalind’s legacy and continue to lead Bethel Bible Village as the standard for the highest quality programs for children.”
Mr. Troxel and his wife, Lisa, are active members of Red Bank Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon, teaches a Life Group, serves on the finance committee and has participated in numerous international mission trips.
“God called me out of the corporate business environment to serve Him and impact Chattanooga families in a more direct way,” Mr. Troxel said. “I am humbled and excited to fulfill His purpose for my life in this new capacity and experience the joy of seeing children’s lives changed through the power of Jesus, and lead Bethel towards the vision He has given us."