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By registration; ATS academic officers’ conferences are scheduled each year to provide educational and professional development opportunities, a collegial network, and a context for nurturing the vocation of the academic officer and envisioning its future development.
This year’s conference will be held at the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel, Wednesday, April 12—Friday, April 14. The conference will begin at 3 p.m. Wednesday with a welcome reception and gathering prayer and will conclude with dinner on Friday. #ATSAcademicOfficers
3:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception | Vienna B
3:30 p.m.
Welcome and Introduction to the Conference | Vienna B
Frank M. Yamada, Executive Director, The Association of Theological Schools
Stephen R. Graham, Strategic Director of Context and Continuity; Director of Accreditation, The Association of Theological Schools
Vienna B
4:00 p.m.
Gathering Prayer | Vienna B
Susan Timoney, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Catholic University of America School of Theology and Religious Studies
4:15 p.m.
Reflections on Theological Schools, Academic Administration, and Stewardship | Vienna B
Stephen R. Graham, Strategic Director of Context and Continuity; Director of Accreditation, The Association of Theological Schools
5:00 p.m.
A Word from Atla | Vienna B
John F. Kutsko, Executive Director, Atla
5:15 p.m.
Break
6:00 p.m.
Dinner | Vienna A
(Breakfast on your own)
7:30 a.m.
Catholic Mass | Munich
Matthew S. Ernest, Academic Dean, St. Joseph's Seminary
8:45 a.m.
Morning Prayer | Vienna B
Winfred Neely, Vice President and Dean, Moody Theological Seminary
9:00 a.m.
"Lessons I Have Learned" | Vienna B
John Lee, Academic Dean, John Leland Center for Theological Studies
9:15 a.m.
Leading Organizational Change | Vienna B
Sarah B. Drummond, Founding Dean, Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School
10:15 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m.
Workshop Session 1
(view "Workshops" tab for workshop selections)
12:00 p.m.
Lunch | Vienna A
1:30 p.m.
Workshop Session 2
(view "Workshops" tab for workshop selections)
2:45 p.m.
Break
3:15 p.m.
Changes in Faculty Roles and Work: Panel Presentations and Conversation | Vienna B
Mary McCormick, Academic Dean, St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology
Peter Robinson, Academic Dean, Wycliffe College
J. Jayakiran Sebastian, Dean, United Lutheran Seminary
4:15 p.m.
Adjournment
(Free evening)
(Breakfast on your own)
7:30 a.m.
Catholic Mass | Munich
Matthew S. Ernest, Academic Dean, St. Joseph's Seminary
8:45 a.m.
Morning Prayer | Vienna B
Margaret Aymer, Academic Dean, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
9:00 a.m.
"Lessons I Have Learned" | Vienna B
Beth Tanner, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, New Brunswick Theological Seminary
9:15 a.m.
Workshop Session 3
(view "Workshops" tab for workshop selections)
10:30 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m
"Lessons I Have Learned" | Vienna B
Paul Spilsbury, Vice President and Academic Dean, Regent College
11:15 a.m.
Solving for Sustainability, Part 1 | Vienna B
Debbie Creamer, Senior Director of Design and Organizational Learning, The Association of Theological Schools
Chris A. Meinzer, Senior Director and COO, The Association of Theological Schools
12:15 p.m.
Lunch | Vienna A
1:45 p.m.
Solving for Sustainability, Part 2 | Vienna B
Debbie Creamer, Senior Director of Design and Organizational Learning, The Association of Theological Schools
Chris A. Meinzer, Senior Director and COO, The Association of Theological Schools
2:45 p.m.
Break
3:15 p.m.
"Lessons I Have Learned" | Vienna B
Freddy Cardoza, Dean, Grace Theological Seminary
3:30 p.m.
Evaluating Student Formation | Vienna B
David C. Wang, Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders, Fuller Theological Seminary
4:30 p.m.
Adjournment
6:00 p.m.
Dinner | Vienna A
(10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Thursday, April 13)
1A Multiple Modalities in the Same Classroom | Milan A
Chris Thompson, Associate Vice President for Academic Administration, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
2A Diversities | Milan B
Vanessa Lovelace, Academic Dean, Lancaster Theological Seminary
3A Human Formation in Protestant Schools | Milan C
Rhonda Parker, Senior Director of Ministerial Formation and Student Life, Duke University Divinity School
4A Surviving and Thriving as an Academic Dean | Milan D
Tom Tanner, former Director of Accreditation, The Association of Theological Schools
Loida I. Martell, Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dean and Professor of Constructive Theology, Lexington Theological Seminary
(1:30–2:45 p.m. Thursday, April 13)
2A Multiple Modalities in the Same Classroom | Milan A
Chris Thompson, Associate Vice President for Academic Administration, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
2B Curriculum Revision | Milan B
Heather Vacek, Dean and Vice President, Moravian Theological Seminary
Vanessa Lovelace, Academic Dean, Lancaster Theological Seminary
2C Accreditation and Educational Evaluation | Milan C
Barbara Mutch, Senior Director of Accreditation, The Association of Theological Schools
2D Surviving and Thriving as an Academic Dean | Milan D
Tom Tanner, former Director of Accreditation, The Association of Theological Schools
Loida I. Martell, Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dean and Professor of Constructive Theology, Lexington Theological Seminary
(9:15–10:30 a.m. Friday, April 14)
3A Catholic Schools and Adjustments for PPF 6 | Milan A
Mary McCormick, Academic Dean, St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology
3B Curriculum Revision | Milan B
Heather Vacek, Dean and Vice President, Moravian Theological Seminary
Vanessa Lovelace, Academic Dean, Lancaster Theological Seminary
3C Students First Conversation | Milan C
Larry Caldwell, Academic Dean, Kairos University
3D Accreditation: Conversation with ATS Staff | Milan D
Valerie Rempel, Director of Accreditation, The Association of Theological Schools
Hotel Reservation Deadline: Friday, March 17, 2023, by 4:00 p.m. ET
The Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel is located at 5445 Forbes Place, Orlando, FL 32812-9010, (407) 240-1000; approximately one mile from the Orlando International Airport (MCO).
A block of rooms is being held at a group rate of $179 for single/double occupancy (on a first-come, first-serve basis). Guest rooms include complimentary airport shuttle service and complimentary internet. There is complimentary Wi-Fi in the meeting rooms.
A 24-hour cancellation policy or a cancellation fee will apply.
Check-in time: 3:00 p.m.
Check-out time: 12:00 p.m.
Parking
On-site parking is discounted for $8 USD daily.
Transportation Information
The Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel provides a complimentary shuttle service, available upon request. Complimentary airport transportation from 4:00 a.m.–1:00 a.m., and easy access to all of Orlando’s major expressways. For more details, visit the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel.
Airport Pickups
The Renaissance Airport Hotel asks that after collecting your bags at the airport, call the hotel for transportation at (407) 240-1000. Select option “2” for airport pick-up. You will be connected to the shuttle, and you will receive an approximate wait time and location for pick-up. Depending on which terminal you are located, the pick-up spot will either be A42 or B39.
Airport Drop-offs
Return shuttle service to Orlando International Airport from the hotel is provided 24 hours a day, on the hour and the half hour. The hotel asks that you be in the lobby five minutes before departure.
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Larry Caldwell has been serving as chief academic officer, dean, and professor of intercultural studies and Bible interpretation at Kairos University since 2015. He also serves as director of training and strategy for Converge Worldwide. Previously, Caldwell and his wife, Mary, lived in Asia periodically for 30 years, with more than 20 years in Manila, Philippines, as missionaries with Converge Worldwide (formerly Baptist General Conference). In Manila, he was professor of missions and Bible interpretation at Asian Theological Seminary; he also served as academic dean for five years. Caldwell earned his MDiv from Bethel Theological Seminary and his ThM and PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary.
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Sarah B. Drummond serves as founding dean of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School. She first came to Andover Newton in 2005, as director of field education and assistant professor of ministerial leadership. Her roles in the school changed numerous times, but her focus always centered on administrative leadership. By the time she was called to her current role, she was a tenured professor and had served for eight years as dean of the faculty. She played a central role in the school’s becoming embedded at Yale Divinity School. Drummond has written five books, most recently Intentional Leadership In Between Seasons (the Pilgrim Press, 2022). She served on the ATS Board of Commissioners from 2014–2020 and chaired the task force that redeveloped the ATS Standards of Accreditation. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, she earned her MDiv at Harvard Divinity School and her PhD in urban education at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
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John F. Kutsko serves as executive director of Atla, a membership association of librarians and information professionals and a producer of research tools committed to advancing the study of religion and theology. Heading up the association’s staff leadership team, he oversees all aspects of the association, including Atla’s scholarly research tools and programs and services for members. He works directly with the Board of Directors, ensuring compliance with all federal and state nonprofit laws. He conducts fundraising activities and works with Atla’s collaborators and business partners, ensuring that Atla remains financially sustainable. Prior to Atla, Kutsko served from 2010 through 2022 as executive director of the Society of Biblical Literature. He is a contributing editor of The SBL Handbook of Style (1999, 2014), the author of Between Heaven and Earth: Divine Presence and Absence in the Book of Ezekiel (2000), and a coeditor of The King James Version at 400 (2013). Among the articles he has written are “Compromise as a Biblical Value” in The Bible in Political Debate (2016) and “The Curious Case of the Christian Bible and the U.S. Constitution: Challenges for Educators Teaching the Bible in a Multi- Religious Context” in The Bible in American Life (2017). In 2008, the Fund for Theological Education (now the Forum for Theological Exploration) recognized him for his “commitment to the mission of FTE and to the cause of excellence and diversity in ministry and teaching.” Kutsko received a PhD in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University and an MA from the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan.
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Vanessa Lovelace is vice president for academic affairs and dean of Lancaster Theological Seminary. She is also associate professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. A member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion, she has articles in many edited volumes and journals including The Hebrew Bible: Feminist and Intersectional Perspectives, Judges Wisdom Commentary, The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets, The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Approaches to the Hebrew Bible, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Gender Studies, and The Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center. She is also coeditor with Gay L. Byron of Womanist Interpretations of the Bible: Expanding the Discourse. Her professional affiliations include serving on the editorial board of Biblical Theology Bulletin, cochair of the Society of Biblical Literature Women in the Biblical World Committee, and the American Academy of Religion Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession. Lovelace earned a PhD in Bible (Hebrew), Culture, and Hermeneutics from Chicago Theological Seminary, and an MDiv from McCormick Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
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Loida I. Martell is the eighteenth vice president of academic affairs and dean of Lexington Theological Seminary, where she also serves as professor of constructive theology. She joined the faculty of Lexington Theology Seminary in August of 2017. Prior to that, she was professor of constructive theology at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in Pennsylvania. Martell is a licensed doctor in veterinary medicine as well as an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches/USA. She is a bi-coastal Puerto Rican who has taught in various institutions of higher learning. She pastored in New York City for fifteen years, creating bilingual programs for the churches she served. Martell pioneered the study of evángelica theology. In addition to various articles, she co-edited Teología en Conjunto: A Collaborative Hispanic Protestant Theology (1997), and co-authored Latina Evangélicas: A Theological Survey from the Margins (2013). In addition to her membership in the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the American Veterinary Medical Association, Martell represents the American Baptist Churches/USA on the National Council of Churches Convening Table for Theological Studies and Matters of Faith and Reason, serves on the NCC Racial Task Force, and served as president of La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion (AAR/ SBL) from 2016 to 2019. A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, Martell has a DVM from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, an MDiv from Andover Newton Theological School, and and MPhil and a PhD in theology from Fordham University.
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Mary McCormick is professor of systematic theology at St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in the Diocese of Cleveland, a position she has held since 1997. She also serves as the academic dean of the seminary. McCormick received an MA in theology from Duquesne University and an MRE in religious education from Loyola University of New Orleans. She earned a PhD in contemporary systematic theology from Fordham University.
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Chris A. Meinzer, senior director and COO for The Association of Theological Schools (ATS), is a CPA with more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Since joining the ATS staff in 1999, he has provided oversight of ATS financial and business affairs as well as the ATS institutional database—a repository of institutional, enrollment, personnel, financial, and development data provided by ATS members. Meinzer has done extensive analysis and research of this data and presented his findings in a variety of settings to administrators and boards of theological schools.
In addition, he has provided counsel to ATS member schools on issues of finances, organizational planning, and strategic thinking. Through discussions with theological schools and their leadership, Meinzer has encouraged reflection on intergenerational stewardship and its impact on both academics and economics within these schools. He has designed and implemented a revision of the ATS Strategic Information Report, a useful strategic tool that provides ATS member schools with peer and industry data on a variety of market fundamentals.
Meinzer holds an accounting degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
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Barbara Mutch was appointed to the ATS staff as director of accreditation in September 2015, and was named senior director of accreditation in 2021. She oversees the accrediting staff, who report to her for supervision, goal setting, and development. Her work includes facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting.
Prior to coming to ATS, Mutch completed nearly 20 years of service at Carey Theological College in British Columbia, most recently as chief academic officer. She has taught courses in preaching, spiritual formation, issues in women’s faith and development, supervised ministry, and DMin theological reflection in ministry as well as a doctoral project seminar. She also taught at Regent College from 1996 to 2014, teaching a variety of courses including, most recently, the Seminar in Women’s Faith and Development.
In service to ATS, she contributed a chapter to the book C(H)AOS Theory: Reflections of Chief Academic Officers in Theological Education and an article on “Assessing a Doctor of Ministry Program” in the Theological Education journal. She has also served a full term on the ATS Board of Commissioners as well as on multiple comprehensive accrediting evaluation visits, and on the ATS Faculty Advisory Committee.
A graduate of Briercrest Bible College with both a Bachelor of Religious Education and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Mutch earned her DMin at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is ordained in the Baptist Union of Western Canada and served as associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Regina, Saskatchewan, for 15 years while pursuing her graduate studies. In 2014, she was recognized as one of Canada’s preeminent preachers with the Lester Randall Preaching Fellowship at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
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Rhonda Parker serves as senior director of ministerial formation and student life at Duke University Divinity School. Her work focuses on the intersection of human, spiritual, and vocational formation with a strong creation care emphasis. Prior to joining Duke Divinity, she served in a wide variety of educational contexts including government, church, and nonprofit organizations. She has visited, taught, and preached in many settings around the world where Duke Divinity students serve, and she especially enjoys designing and teaching around environmental stewardship and practices of faith. Parker studied sociology at Duke University, theology at Duke University Divinity School, and higher education leadership at Appalachian State University.
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Valerie Rempel was named director of accreditation for ATS in 2021. She is responsible for facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting. Prior to accepting her role at ATS, Rempel most recently served as vice president and dean of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary at Fresno Pacific University. She joined the seminary faculty in 1996, was appointed dean in 2014, and became vice president in 2019.
Rempel also served at Fresno as associate professor and J.B. Toews Chair of History and Theology, and she was a past director of the Center for Anabaptist Studies. She is an experienced accreditation visitor and was a member of the ATS Redevelopment Task Force. Rempel was elected to the ATS Board of Commissioners in 2020. Her scholarship includes contributions to the California Mennonite Historical Society Bulletin, Direction, The Conrad Grebel Review, and the Global Dictionary of Theology.
Rempel earned an MA from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (now Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary), and an MA and PhD from Vanderbilt University.
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Peter Robinson serves as academic dean and professor of proclamation, worship, and teaching at Wycliffe College. He is an ordained priest in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. He is particularly interested in how theology informs and shapes ministry in the church and the world. His current research focuses on the relationship between formation and the Missio Dei. Robinson received his PhD from King’s College London.
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Jayakiran Sebastian is a Presbyter of the Church of South India and serves as dean and H. George Anderson Professor of Mission and Cultures at United Lutheran Seminary. His research interests include the ongoing relevance of the early teachers of faith, especially Cyprian of Carthage; baptism and the unity of the church; the conversion debate in India today; the challenges of Dalit theology and praxis; and problematizing contemporary missiological thinking.
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Tom Tanner joined the ATS staff in August 2012 and worked there for ten years, after serving for 33 years in various academic leadership roles at Lincoln (IL) Christian University. As a director of accreditation for ATS, his work included facilitating accrediting reviews, providing education and support to member schools about the process of accreditation, and providing staff support to the work of the Board of Commissioners of the ATS Commission on Accrediting. He was also instrumental in contributing to the redevelopment of the ATS Standards of Accrediting that were approved in 2020.
Tanner served on many accreditation visits for decades before joining the ATS staff—for the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) since 1984 and for ATS since 2006—as well as serving on several joint regional accreditation visits with SACS and HLC. He has presented numerous self-study workshops for ATS, ABHE, and HLC. He also served as a board member and commission member for ABHE. Tanner is a licensed minister among Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, having served as resident and visiting minister for several congregations in Illinois. His published works include two books (What Ministers Know and Verses and Voices), numerous articles for various journals, and former editorship of the Journal for Biblical Higher Education. In addition, he has published numerous articles in Colloquy Online, the Association’s newsletter.
A graduate of Lincoln Christian University (BA and MDiv) and the University of Illinois (MA, MLIS, and PhD), Tanner holds degrees in ministry, New Testament, classical philology, and library and information science.
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Chris Thompson serves as the associate vice president for academic administration at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He oversees the following offices at the seminary: Distance Learning, The Equip Network, Registrar's Office, Institutional Research, Student Success, Certificate Services, and The Writing Center. His personal mission is to equip global leaders and learners who help others know, believe, and rest in the gospel.
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Heather Vacek joined Lancaster Theological Seminary and Moravian Theological Seminary as vice president/dean in 2021. She walks alongside students, staff, and faculty as they discern their individual and collective vocations in service of God’s work in the world. Vacek is ordained in the Moravian Church and leads the work of theological education at Lancaster and Moravian seminaries. Through her research and teaching, she seeks to offer insight about the past that will shape faithful responses in the present and future. Her research focuses on the historical relationship between Christian belief and practice, particularly around interpretations of suffering in the American context. Her book, Madness: American Protestant Responses to Mental Illness, explores reactions to mental illnesses from the colonial era through the 21st century. Before serving at Lancaster and Moravian seminaries, Vacek spent nine years at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, first as a faculty member and then as vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. She earned her ThD from Duke University Divinity School.
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David C. Wang serves as the Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders at Fuller Theological Seminary. He also serves as editor of the Journal of Psychology and Theology. A licensed psychologist who maintains a small clinical practice (with offices in Fullerton and La Mirada), he is pastor of spiritual formation at One Life City Church. Wang serves on the board of directors for Joya Scholars, a nonprofit organization that seeks to inspire and prepare students from families of at-risk communities in Fullerton to succeed through higher education. He is currently overseeing research grants on spiritual formation and character/virtue development (funded by the John Templeton Foundation) and on shame among religious leaders (funded by the Lilly Foundation). In addition, Wang conducts research on trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder and consults with the International Justice Mission (a nonprofit organization focused on combating human trafficking) on its trauma-informed care program. He earned a PhD from the University of Houston and a ThM from Regent College.
Registration Deadline: Friday, March 17, 2023
Fees
Academic Officers’ Conference: $200 (includes conference meals)
Guest fee: $75 (includes all meals)
Cancellation Policy
A refund of the registration fee will be provided upon written request. An administrative fee of $75 will be deducted from refund checks.
No refunds will be issued after April 6, 2023.
Dress is business casual.
CONTACT:
Monica Laughery
Date & Time
Wed, Apr 12, 2023
, 3:00 p.m. ET —
Fri, Apr 14, 2023
, 8:00 p.m. ET
Location
The Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel | Orlando, FL