West Palm Beach January 2026

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 | W E S T PA L M B E A C H 11 W hen Dr. Debra A. Schwinn stepped into the presidency of Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) in 2020, just two weeks into the pandemic, she brought with her a career shaped by medicine, research, academic leadership, and deep faith. She also stepped into a moment that would test every skill she had. “God uses everything,” Schwinn said. “Even the clinical training I had. I started in COVID. It came in handy.” Today, more than five years into her presidency, Schwinn leads a rapidly expanding, Christian university whose mission she states with clarity: “We equip students to grow in wisdom, lead with conviction and serve God boldly.” PBA was founded 58 years ago by leaders at First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach with a clear purpose. “It was started as an intentionally Christian university,” Schwinn explained. “The vision was that we would have a school that would focus on worship… and intersect academics with a Christian worldview and faith.” That three-part focus—worship, workship, and free enterprise—still defines the university today. • Worship: through required chapel. • Workship: volunteerism as an expression of faith. • American Free Enterprise: teaching business ethics and the value of enterprise “done in the right way.” The university has grown dramatically in scope and reputation. “We’re a comprehensive Christian university,” Schwinn said. “We have strong liberal arts as our foundation, but also areas like business, ministry, nursing, pharmacy, our new physician associate program, and engineering. We’re really across the board.” PBA now enrolls students from all 50 states and 80 countries. “We’re really a global-serving university,” she added. “And because we’re strong in business and located downtown, we provide a great pipeline for Wall Street South.” When discussing the university’s academic momentum, Schwinn lights up. “We just started a new engineering school,” she said. “We’ll graduate our first class in the next year or so.” PBA has also expanded professional programs, including its PA program, Doctor of Nursing Practice, PharmD, Mental Health Counseling, and its first academic PhD in Practical Theology. But excellence at PBA is not only academic, it’s holistic. “What we offer is true whole-person education. Head, heart, and soul.” Athletics has also become a major point of pride. “We’re NCAA Division II in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC), the top conference in the country for Division II,” Schwinn added. “Our soccer team is number one in the SSC. That means they’re number one in the strongest league in the country.” Among PBA’s most distinctive programs, though, is Workship, a community service requirement that has defined the university from its founding. “Students complete 45 hours a year times four years. You need 180 hours to graduate. If you have a 4.0 and 179 hours, you don’t walk across the stage.” While that requirement might seem strict, its impact is profound. “It changes our students in positive ways. They realize, ‘I thought I was donating my time. In fact, I’m learning and getting more than I’m giving.’” Workship partnerships span tutoring, food banks, after- school programs, homeless support, overseas missions, and more. “Our graduates are different. Companies recognize that when they hire them as employees.” When asked how she defines leadership, Schwinn answers without hesitation. “Setting clear vision, hiring great people, and empowering them to go after that vision,” she said. “Simple concept, hard to execute. We’re all humans—me included.” At PBA specifically, leadership values flow from a shared faith foundation. “Because we’re a Christian university, we go back to the Bible. That’s our source of ethics. We call it standing on the rock of Christ.” Faculty and staff come from many Christian traditions, something Schwinn sees as a strength. “We hire faculty and staff who take their faith very seriously,” she explained. In fact, the university even gives employees a spiritual retreat day each semester. “They need to have their own well filled spiritually so they’re ministering to our students from an overage rather than from a dryness.” Schwinn’s leadership approach was shaped by a remarkable figure: Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, the Nobel Prize– winning scientist. “Bob taught me you cannot be afraid to hire people smarter than yourself,” she said. As a physician-scientist entering a high-level lab, Schwinn learned the power of surrounding herself with expertise. “You’re never going to be better than everybody underneath you. You should be hiring people better at their jobs than you.” The lesson stuck. It shows in how she speaks about her executive team, faculty, and students today—with genuine respect and admiration. Reflecting on her journey—from Duke, to Washington, to Iowa, to PBA—Schwinn says one truth has guided her: “God uses everything.” From navigating COVID to expanding academic programs to shaping the next generation of servant-leaders, she sees her role not as a career achievement but as a calling. And under her steady, faith-centered leadership, PBA continues to grow—head, heart, and soul.