Meet Dr. Keith Oglesby

Dr. Keith Oglesby is an Associate Professor and the Director of Camp and Outdoor Adventure Leadership (COAL) in the Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries at Liberty University. Since arriving at Liberty University, he has both proposed and been the pioneer of the new Bachelor’s Degree in Camp and Outdoor Adventure Leadership (COAL). He has also written the curriculum for all of the new COAL classes that he personally teaches. In addition, to these residential COAL responsibilities, he also teaches Discipleship in Ministry, Ministry Programming, and Evangelism 101.

 In May of 2022, Keith Oglesby completed his EdD in Christian leadership at Liberty University. In his dissertation study, he researched, wrote, proposed, administered, and evaluated a new three-step model for assisting people, particularly high school and college students, in discerning God’s vocational will for their lives.

In May 2019, Professor Oglesby received the Liberty University Residential Undergraduate Faculty of the Year award, which was voted on by students and his teaching colleagues. In addition to winning this award for the School of Divinity, Professor Oglesby was also a semi-finalist for the Undergraduate Residential Faculty of the Year for the entire University.

In March 2019, Professor Oglesby was the co-leader and a guest lecturer for the Liberty University School of Divinity trip to Israel.

In March 2018, Professor Oglesby led a Liberty University mission trip to the Dominican Republic, where he partnered with the Rawlings Foundation Highland Camp Tierra Alta. The students also served in a local village and served in a handicapped orphanage.

In August of 2017, Professor Oglesby and his wife were the Keynote Speakers and main session seminar presenters at the Christian Camping Venues National Conference in Sydney, Australia. In addition, they also met and consulted for three days with the senior executive staff at the TOPS Christian Camp, one of Australia’s largest Christian camps.

In April 2016, Professor Oglesby was one of only two North American representatives invited to attend the prestigious Christian Camping International Worldwide Summit, a gathering of the top 100 Christian Camping Executives around the world that occurs every four years. He also led four round table discussions at this event that was held in South Africa. In addition to attending this conference, Professor Oglesby also visited eight different camps in South Africa.

Before arriving at Liberty in August of 2015,  Professor Oglesby joined the Liberty University faculty after serving as both the Founding Executive Director and the Founding Camp Director of Carolina Creek Christian Camps, which are located in Huntsville, Texas, for 15 years. Under Professor Oglesby’s Leadership, Carolina Creek Christian Camps raised over 17 million dollars to develop its three camp properties, and grew from 1,703 summer campers in 2003, to over 14,000 summer campers and over 25,000 annual guests in 2014. During his 15 year tenure, Keith ministered to over 170,000 campers and saw over 10,000 campers accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Keith was the catalysts of turning a vision of a non-denominational Christian sports camp for the Houston, Texas area into a reality.

Today, Carolina Creek’s three camp properties have an annual operating budget of over four million dollars. As the Executive Director of Carolina Creek, Keith was responsible for fundraising, Board development,  site planning, camp operations, camp facilities, retreats, summer camp programs, hiring and supervising full-time camp personnel, maintaining and monitoring camp finances (both operational and capital), and recruiting summer staff and summer campers.  

In addition, Keith also spoke to thousands of guests every year at camp, and Disciple Now’s, Youth events (See You at the Pole, Fields of Faith, FCA day of Champions, Pre-Game Chapels, Christian School Chapels, Convocations, etc.), and on college campuses recruiting summer staff.  Keith’s passion for God’s Word and his creative, energetic, and interactive style of teaching ministers to both students and adults of all ages.

Keith received his Bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University, and his Master’s degree from the University of Arkansas while serving as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Razorbacks. As a Nationally Certified Athletic Trainer, Keith has also worked with several Olympic athletes and served in an internship at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, where he worked with several Olympic teams.  

After completing his Master’s degree, he served two years as the Director of Sports Medicine at Houston Baptist University, where he was both the athletic trainer and taught a variety of Kinesiology classes before serving as the Assistant Administrator at Bellaire Christian Academy for two years, and the Administrator for one.

After a two year stop as the Minister to Students at Grand Parkway Baptist Church in Richmond, Texas, Keith moved to Huntsville, Texas, to start Carolina Creek. While attending TCU and the University of Arkansas, he also worked for five years in a variety of capacities at Kanakuk Christian Sports Camp in Branson, MO.

Keith is married to the love of his life, Carrie, and has four amazing children Emily, Christopher, Joshua, and David.