Duane AaGAARD, athletic director

Duane Aagaard was born and raised in central Florida. He graduated from Edgewater High School in Orlando.  From there he attended college at Palm Beach Atlantic College in West Palm Beach, Florida and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He graduated from Liberty in 2000 with a degree in sport management. Following graduation, Aagaard worked in the marketing department for RDV Sports, the parent company of the Orlando Magic, while completing a master's degree in sport leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

In 2001, he joined the Student Life staff at Southeastern as the activities director and assistant athletic director. During this time, Aagaard initiated and launched the Student Body Leadership Council (SBLC) as a vehicle for student leadership, campus involvement, and spiritual growth. While Aagaard served in that role Southeastern was recognized by the Florida Leader magazine as having the state's best orientation week and campus activities. After two years of planning student events, Aagaard moved into Athletics full-time as Southeastern's director of athletics.

As the director of athletics, Aagaard has guided Southeastern to become one of the strongest Christian collegiate sports programs in America .  Since 2003, Southeastern has achieved 21 South Region titles, 28 NCCAA II National Tournament appearances, and 10 NCCAA II National Championships.  In addition, Southeastern University was awarded the 2005 and 2007 NCCAA II President's Cup (all-sports award).

"While the President's Cup represents the excellence our coaches and athletes achieved in competition," says Aagaard, "I am equally as proud of our accomplishments in the classroom, and the Christian service hours our athletes served in the community."

Aagaard also enjoys being a college professor, teaching sport management and physical education courses. Aagaard served at Greeneway Church in Orlando as the founder and pastor of Solace, a ministry for people in their 20s, from 2003 to 2005. Aagaard is married to Katie Aagaard, who works as the resident director of Destino Hall at Southeastern.

An article about Aagaard from The (Lakeland, Fla.) Ledger