Recognize Excellence in Theological Education

Every two years at the ATS/COA Biennial Meeting, the ATS Board of Directors honors an individual whose work has profoundly shaped theological education through the Distinguished Service Award. This award celebrates service, leadership, and lasting impact and offers the ATS community a meaningful opportunity to publicly recognize one of its own.

Every other year, CEOs and CAOs of ATS member schools are invited to submit recommendations for the Distinguished Service Award.

The recommendation period has now passed. The ATS Board of Directors will nominate and select the awardee at its December meeting and make an announcement in early 2026. The award will be presented at the ATS/COA Biennial Meeting in Chicago in June 2026.

Recommendation Criteria

Recommended individuals should demonstrate one or more of the following:

Exceptional Service to ATS or other organizations committed to improving theological education
Significant contributions to the structures and forms of theological education
Advancement of scholarship in theological disciplines
Unique influence on the understanding and advancement of theological education

Past Awardees

Since its inception, the Distinguished Service Award has honored individuals whose work has significantly shaped theological education in the U.S. and Canada. These recipients represent a wide range of traditions, roles, and contributions, from academic leadership to scholarship and service to the broader ATS community.

Their names and titles at the time of earning the award are listed below:

2024
Marsha Foster Academic Officer and Interim Chief Academic Dean Interdenominational Theological Center and President Emerita Ecumenical Theological Seminary
Oliver McMahan (Posthumuously) Pentecostal Theological Seminary Vice President of Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness
2022
Dan Aleshire ATS Executive Director (Retired)
2020
Tite Tiénou Director Hiebert Center for World Christianity and Global Theology and Research Professor Theology of Mission at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School