Serene Jones, ‘85 M.Div., ‘91 Ph.D.

One of the finest traditions of YDS is its commitment to excellence in all dimensions of theological education. This award recognizes alumni whose scholarship, teaching or leadership and contributions to vocational formation for ministry reflect the best traditions of YDS and its distinguished faculty.

The Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is the 16th President of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, the first woman to be president in the school’s 182-year history. She is a leading public theologian who contributes to scholarly and national discussions on matters of faith, social justice, and political life.

At Union, Jones occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy and formed Union’s Institute for Women, Religion and Globalization as well as the Institute for Art, Religion and Social Justice. She came to Union after 17 years at Yale, where she was Titus Street Professor of Theology at YDS and chair of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Besides her YDS degree, she holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. from Yale University. Jones is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.

Jones is the author of several books, including Calvin and the Rhetoric of Piety (Westminster John Knox, 1995) and Feminist Theory and Christian Theology: Cartographies of Grace (Fortress, 2000). Her latest is a memoir, Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World, released this year.