The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry is pleased to announce the recipient of this year’s Francis Asbury Award: Whitney Simpson of the Wesley Fellowship of Cumberland University.
Whitney Simpson has served as the Campus Minister/Executive Director of the Wesley Fellowship at Cumberland University since 2023, in partnership with Lebanon First United Methodist Church.
“As soon as Whitney arrived, she made her presence known,” says Sheridan Henson, a faculty member of Cumberland University who also serves as the Board Chair for the Wesley Fellowship there. “She seemed to be everywhere all time! In the dining hall, on the sidewalk, and in the student center. Each Wednesday evening, she was hosting karaoke, guiding students through the construction of prayer beads, leading small group Bible studies, and feeding multitudes of students.”
Of the 2900 students enrolled at Cumberland University, 488 unique students enjoyed a meal with Cumberland Wesley in 2025. Of those students, 112 of them averaged attending the Wesley Fellowship at least once per month.
“Whitney has, quite literally, provided a lasting centerpiece to the faith journey of our entire student body, and the University’s desire to retain students through connection to the University community,” says Henson. “That is no small feat considering that our small school is a private, secular, non-profit University; yet, in in small part, Whitney has made this secular institution a bastion for faith exploration and vocation discernment.”
Whitney serves as a Deaconess in the UMC and is a published author who writes about embodied spirituality and spiritual formation. She and her husband Troy have been married and residing in Wilson County for over 25 years. They are learning to empty-nest as their son, Drew, finds his passion and purpose as a young adult.
You will find her biking, paddleboarding (with their family dog, Penny), or reading in her free time.
About the Award: Named for early American Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury, this award honors his call to establish a school in the vicinity of every church. “We must,” he said, “ … give the key of knowledge to your children, and those of the poor in the vicinity of your small towns and villages.”
Today, the award recognizes United Methodist individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering United Methodist ministries in higher education at the local, district or annual conference level. It is awarded annually to one honoree per annual conference. Honorees are chosen by the conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry and reported to GBHEM.
