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 is the first person of color to hold the office of president in the seminary’s 167-year history.

 

He arrived at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary after serving six years as Dean of Drew University Theological Seminary. At Drew, he led a transformation of the curriculum, launched new degree programs, and oversaw increased enrollment and fundraising. 

 

Prior to his service at Drew, Viera served in congregational ministry for two decades, leading rural, suburban, and urban congregations, most recently at Christ Church in New York City, where he served as executive minister. He is an ordained elder in the New York Conference of The United Methodist Church and has served the denomination in leadership at the general, jurisdictional, and annual conference levels.

 

In 2020, Dr. Viera was the recipient of the Yale Divinity School Distinction in Theological Education award.