Dr. Stephen Noll (pictured above with Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese) not only helped to establish the Save the Mothers program at Uganda Christian University, he served as the first chair of the board of Save the Mothers USA.
Dr. Stephen Noll has dedicated his life to teaching and helping those in need. With a lengthy and impressive resume, he has impacted many lives.
Noll was seeking meaning in life, and had many questions as a young man. “I was looking for meaning. My friends were also seeking meaning in life. I had a girlfriend in university, my wife now, who was a Christian. Her faith intrigued me. I became a Christian at the age of 20 and got baptised,” says Noll.
Noll was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as an only child. In 1968, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York then went to Berkeley, California where he received his Master of Arts in 1970, and Master of Divinity in 1971. He moved to England for three years, where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy from Victoria University of Manchester (1979). In 2008, Noll achieved his Honorary Doctor of Divinity at Nashotah Theological Seminary, in Wisconsin.
After teaching for 21 years in the United States, Dr. Stephen Noll and his wife Peggy became missionaries and travelled to Uganda. There, they met Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese. While serving as the first Vice-Chancellor of Uganda Christian University (UCU), Noll opened the door to the Save the Mothers Master of Public Health Leadership program. The numbers of students enrolled at UCU grew quickly, and the Nolls stayed in Uganda for ten years (from 2000 to 2010). Noll believes that the more educated people are, the more that preventable deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth will become a problem of the past.
Noll is also the co-founder of the company, UCU Holdings, Ltd., (real estate) in Uganda, which started in 2003. The profits of this company go to Uganda Christian University.
Once the Nolls moved back to the United States, Dr. Jean asked Noll to help promote Save the Mothers in the USA, by becoming board chair, which Noll did in 2012. He held the position for over three years. “I have now passed that job to Dr. Shaun Gillis, an obstetrician. We have eight members on our board. We are a very small organization, but we hope to grow,” says Noll. “This is a great opportunity to serve and help people to become aware of the conditions in Uganda.”
Dr. Stephen Noll has also written four books. He and his wife of nearly 50 years have five children and six grandchildren. Their daughter, son-in-law and three grandkids live with them, in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.
In his leisure time, Noll enjoys his local sports teams, following ice hockey, baseball and football. He has accomplished so many things in his life, earning the title “real life superhero”.