The School of Religion takes pleasure in honoring an esteemed alumnus, Nelu Nedelea, for the excellence he exemplified while completing his Master of Chaplaincy and subsequent studies and career. Nedelea completed his chaplaincy degree in 2016. He then matriculated at La Sierra University, pursuing a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in healthcare and administration. This spring, he completed his Ph.D. coursework in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University with anticipated graduation in the fall of 2023.
Before pursuing his chaplaincy degree at Loma Linda, Nedelea served as a pastor for over a decade in Romania and Canada. After completing his chaplaincy degree, he served as a Mission Leader Resident at Loma Linda University Health for a year to gain more experience in servant leadership. His main objective was to provide emotional and spiritual support, stress management, and conflict resolution to various departments and motivate employees to deliver top results by assessing engagement levels.
Nedelea then served as the Director of Mission Integration at Adventist Health. As a corporate employee, he worked at several locations within the system from 2017-2022. Presently, he holds the position of the System Vice President of Mission and Ministry at Mercy in Missouri. He provides strategic and operational leadership for planning, developing, directing, and evaluating programs and methodologies integrating mission-focused and spiritual care into clinical caregiving and workplace culture.
Nedelea is happily married to his wife, Olivia. Together, they have two "incredibly talented and happy daughters." He enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, reading, and biking in his free time. He is motivated to continue on the path of distinction because he values learning new things, overcoming challenges, improving processes, finding ways to solve problems, and coaching others.
Regarding some of his future aspirations, Nedelea said he is committed to continuous personal and professional growth. He expressed that he benefited greatly from his time at Loma Linda University and aspires to leverage his skills and experiences further to drive innovation in the space of leadership and organizational behavior, and mission and spiritual care. Nedelea expressed his passion for contributing to the communities that have significantly impacted his success. "I hope to establish a mentorship program and possibly a scholarship to support upcoming talent from LLU, helping them unlock their potential and achieve their own success," said Nedelea. "My ultimate aspiration is to excel in my field and create a lasting impact that benefits others and inspires the next generation of leaders and chaplains."
The School of Religion is honored to highlight and celebrate the achievements of Nelu Nedelea. We celebrate his stellar academic and professional accomplishments and look forward with hope, trusting that God will continue to use him and bless his endeavors.
Article by: Ezrica Bennett