The alums of Yale Divinity School are pastors, scholars, activists, educators, the heads of numerous ecclesiastical and secular organizations, and more—all exemplifying the YDS mission of service to church and world. As we mark the Bicentennial of YDS, we celebrate our graduates and their impact on the communities they serve.
We have started our notable alums site in 2023 with a selection of alumni leaders and award honorees. We invite our YDS alum community to submit the stories of additional notable alums via our webform. The Communications and Alumni Offices will select which stories are posted on this website and will perform edits as necessary.
Be sure to bookmark this page to check back for additional noteable alum biographies over the course of the spring semester.
For questions about this project, please be in touch with the Alum office at divinity.alumni@yale.edu
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Barbara Brown Taylor ’76 M.Div. | Barbara Brown Taylor is a best-selling author, teacher, and Episcopal priest. Her first memoir, Leaving Church , won an Author of the Year award from... |
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Kathy Turner ’69 M.Div. | Kathy Turner is a pioneering leader in the movement to train spiritual care practitioners for hospitals, parishes, and other settings and is the first woman... |
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Anne Stanback ’85 M.A.R | Anne Stanback has spent 30 years working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights, including her work as the founding Executive Director of Love... |
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Robert K. Massie IV, ’82 M.Div. | Robert Massie IV is Executive Director of Sustainable Solutions Lab, an organization committed to promoting security, prosperity, and justice by focusing on climate change and... |
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David H. Kelsey ’58 B.D.,’60 M.A.,’64 Ph.D. | David H. Kelsey is the Luther A. Weigle Professor Emeritus of Theology at Yale Divinity School. Kelsey graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Divinity... |
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Charles King ’83 M.Div. ’89 J.D. | Charles King is a founder and the CEO of Housing Works, Inc. a community-based, nonprofit organization that provides housing, health care, mental health, chemical dependency... |
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The Most Rev. Michael Curry, ’78 M.Div. | The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. At the church’s 78th General Convention in June 2015, he... |
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Judy Fentress-Williams ’90 M.Div., ’99 Ph.D. | Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams is Professor of Old Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary. She is a widely published author, primarily exploring a literary approach that celebrates... |
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David Bartlett ’67 B.D., ’72 Ph.D. | David L. Bartlett was the J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz Professor Emeritus of Christian Communication at Yale Divinity School and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of... |
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Rena Weller Karefa-Smart ’45 B.D. | The first Black woman to graduate from YDS, Rena Karefa-Smart was a champion for global ecumenism over the course of her long and distinguished career... |
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Sharon Watkins ’84 M.Div. | Sharon Watkins currently serves as the Pastor of Bethany Memorial Church in Bethany, W.Va. Previously, she was General Minister and President of the Christian Church... |
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Alison Cunningham ’84 M.Div. | Alison Cunningham is the inaugural Director of Formation at Yale Divinity School. She provides resources, training, and support for students who discover a vocational direction... |
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Stephen G. Ray, Jr., ’93 M.Div., ’00 Ph.D. | Rev. Dr. Stephen G. Ray Jr. is the former President of Chicago Theological Seminary. In addition, he is the President of the Society for the... |
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Neichelle R. Guidry ’10 M.Div. | Rev. Dr. Neichelle R. Guidry currently serves as the Dean of Sisters Chapel and Director of the WISDOM Center at Spelman College in Atlanta. She... |
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Serene Jones ’85 M.Div., ’91 Ph.D. | 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... |
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Kristin Foster ’77 M.Div. | For three decades, the Rev. Kristin Foster provided dynamic leadership to Messiah Lutheran Church, ELCA, in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, a congregation located in the rural-mining... |
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Frederick J. (Jerry) Streets ’75 M.Div. | Frederick J. (Jerry) Streets currently serves as the Senior Pastor of the historic Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ in New Haven, CT. He... |
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David Dodson ’77 B.A., ’81 M.Div., ’81 M.P.P.M. | David Dodson is the past president of MDC, which helps low-wealth communities flourish through education, training, and social mobility. He was a founder of MDC’s... |
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Emily Scott ’06 M.Div. | Known for her pastoral and creative leadership, Rev. Emily Scott currently serves as pastor of two congregations in unique partnership: St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church... |
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Javier A. Viera ’00 S.T.M. | Dr. Javier Viera is the President and Professor of Education and Leadership at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He has been in this position since 2021 and... |