Harvard Divinity School selects first Black woman as dean

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn(RNS) — A cultural anthropologist of the Black religious experience has been named dean of the Harvard Divinity School beginning Jan. 1.Marla Frederick, a professor of religion and culture at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, will succeed David Hempton, who has served as dean of the divinity school since 2012.
Frederick will become the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the school in its 207-year history. (Preston N. Williams, acting dean from 1974-75, was the first African American to lead the school.)
For Frederick, it is a return of sorts. She previously served on the Harvard faculty for 16 years as a professor in the Department of African and African American Studies.
“I am thrilled to welcome Marla back to Harvard,” said Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard, in an email to the Harvard Divinity School students and alumni. “I am confident that Marla’s leadership qualities, her academic stature, her wide-ranging curiosity, her collaborative mindset, and her thoughtful and caring approach to all she does will combine to make her an excellent new dean.”
The author or co-author of four books, Frederick’s expertise h …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]