Photo courtesy of Amy Bragg Carey

This section highlights a local person of interest and admiration, a person whose achievements, manner, leadership, and/or character distinguish them.  If you know people we should include, please apprise us at editor@candor.news, and we will interview them for future issues of Candor. In your submission, include the person’s name, noteworthy traits and accomplishments, and their contact information.

In this issue, we are highlighting Amy Bragg Carey, President of Friends University.

How did you get established in Wichita and what keeps you here?

My husband Bryan and I came to Wichita from St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2015 when I was named the President of Friends University.  Before that time, I knew little about Kansas or Wichita.  We really enjoy the friendly family and faith culture in Wichita.  To get plugged into the community I have participated on various boards and attend many events.  Of course, my work at Friends University is a big part of what keeps me in Wichita.  We love the close-knit Friends community!

As you look back over your life, highlight a couple of your most satisfying accomplishments or contributions -- and explain why.

My leadership team and I decided that we would not just survive COVID (although that was a huge accomplishment to be in-person with athletics and events), but we would seek to move forward strategically.  We adjusted our Strategic Plan to respond to the current environment and kept driving toward our goals.  In less than a year during COVID, we raised $2.3 million to renovate Garvey Athletic Center and the renovation is already in process.  This year is shaping up to be one of our best years in fundraising in decades.  We launched new academic programs in Strategic Leadership and completed other goals.  I am so proud of my faculty and staff – the courage it took to not just survive, but thrive is amazing.  

What have been the happiest, most fulfilling times of your life?

I suppose most people that have children will mention the highlight of bringing your child into this world and experiencing their many accomplishments.  I have many proud-mom moments!  I think a highlight was seeing my son Brett (who was on the 7-year plan) and daughter Anna graduate from college, and now anticipating my son’s graduation with his Masters in Biblical Studies this December.  As a big believer in the transformative power of education, these moments are important milestones.  I would also say that my inauguration at Friends was very significant.  My entire family was here along with many friends from around the country.  The ceremony was special and through the prayers prayed and songs sung, I sensed God moving in a powerful way. 

All or any or none of the following: favorite Wichita landmark or cultural event or entertainment venue or business – with explanation.

I have the privilege of attending many great performances and events at Friends University so that keeps me busy.  I love the Christmas Candlelight performances as it is for me and many others, the kick-off to the Christmas season.  Watching our students perform beautiful Christmas music gives you the feeling that all is well and the future is bright because of these awesome young people.  When visitors come to town we almost always bring them to the Keeper and watch the flames light up the beautiful statue. It’s an impressive sight.

Life is full of teachers and lessons. What are some key lessons that you learned early to great eventual advantage?

My father is a steady and wise man. His roots run deep in Scripture and in life’s experiences.  I am grateful that he has shared his wisdom with me through the years.  He has been the biggest influencer in my life.  He has reminded me that life is not always fair, that friends come and go, that we can’t control what others say or do, but we can control our reaction to it.  I remember when our cat died and our kids who were young at the time were very sad.  My father said, “That’s the good thing about a cat when it dies; it helps us know how to grieve and experience loss, because loss will come.”  While that type of wisdom doesn’t seem too uplifting, it helped me parent my kids in that moment.

In what most significant and non-physical ways have you changed over the course of your adult life?

I pray a lot more now than ever.  I have always prayed and believed in prayer but with so much challenge around us, I pray even more.  And, I have seen amazing answers to prayer – breakthrough of all kinds, and sometimes the kind of breakthrough we may not wish for but in hindsight is the best thing for us.  

Would you be willing to share a set of circumstances that required you to dig deep in order to do what was right or what was necessary?

In my role as President there are many times that I have to make unpopular decisions, and it requires me to dig deep and proceed with what is best for the university and our students.  

Tell us about the last really good book you read.

I have appreciated the book The Happiness Advantage: Happiness Fuels Success. Harvard professor and researcher Shawn Achor evaluated thousands of case studies regarding what produces happiness. The American culture is conditioned to believe that success fuels happiness. But Achor’s research concludes the very opposite that happiness comes first.

Often we believe that if we just land the perfect job, have a sizable salary, or get a big promotion, we will finally find happiness. But it is actually when we become more connected and engaged in relationship with others, that we achieve a level of happiness.  This concept aligns with what we know to be true in Scripture. God created us to be in relationship with others and with Himself, and those relationships can bring joy.

In this difficult year of pandemic, did you learn – or have reinforced – anything about yourself? About others?

The Pandemic was a lesson is resilience and fighting fear.  Everyday our phones and email inbox were flooded with messages of division and panic.  No doubt, this virus is fickle, deadly and difficult to manage. Therefore, to be reasonable and keep my fear in check as well as stay calm for those around me was no easy task.  I found a new level of steely reserve and the ability to manage a constant barrage of unexpected situations.  I learned how much I needed a great team to lead with me and was grateful for my team.  I found out who I can count on in the storm, and it was fun to watch some young leaders really step forward.  These things are defining moments and I grateful to say that we came through the pandemic well.  Although it wasn’t a fun time, we are better today at Friends because of this shared experience.

What will be a hopeful path to Wichita’s future well-being?

As I previously stated, I am a believer in the transformative power of education.  We are blessed to have diverse educational options in Wichita from tech programs to doctoral degrees, private and State schools, Christian and secular, and we need all these options to thrive as a community.  Research tells us that those with a college degree have greater lifetime earning power, and despite the media’s devaluing of education, this earning power hasn’t decreased.  Research also informs us that those with a college degree tend to live physically and mentally healthy lives and are more resilient to market shifts.  Therefore, college education and attainment must be at the center of Wichita’s future well-being.  A focus on education, and the opportunity for faith-based education, can provide a future full of city leaders and job creators that will be able to diversify our economy and lead with integrity.