Walker Adams, Director of Recruitment and Admission

I think I have the greatest job here in Hamilton Hall. It's a joy and a pleasure to meet bright and talented prospective students from across the globe and help them discern if Sewanee is a good fit for them and their families. As a graduate of the School of Theology, I know the student experience firsthand and am grateful for the formation I received here. Around here we like to say that “theological education is the birthright of all the baptized.” As a layperson, I am proud of all the University has done, and is doing, to help advance theological education for the whole Church.

Karen M. Meridith, Executive Director of Education for Ministry

I consider myself a practical theologian. I am most interested in faith in action, faith on the ground, so one of the things I love best about my work is being part of the vast web of interdependent relationships that extend Education for Ministry well beyond Sewanee. I love knowing that the People of God who have been in EfM’s communities of learning over the past 46 years are out there across the globe, participating in what Verna Dozier called “the Dream of God:” doing what they can where they are to offer wholeness to a broken world.

Mary Ann Patterson, Director of Publications and Media Relations, Managing Editor of the Sewanee Theological Review

I was drawn to Sewanee after graduating from the Education for Ministry program at my local church in Hume, Va. The opportunity to live, and continue to learn, in such a beautiful place was one that I couldn't resist. Sharing wonderful stories and exciting news has always been a passion of mine and I consider my position at the School of Theology as having provided me with the chance to tell the best story of all.

Connie Patton, Director of Operations and Financial Aid

Family is my deepest passion, and I am committed to do what I can to make good things happen for them. I approach my work with that same philosophy by doing what I can to enhance the learning experience for students and the work environment for colleagues. I enjoy my work as part of a caring community, working together to equip leaders for ministry.

Bess Turner, Director of Development, Alumni, and Church Relations

I had the good fortune to grow up as an Episcopalian in the Diocese of Alabama, a place I still consider home. At eight years old, I discovered Camp McDowell where I saw a glimpse of the way the world could be. Camp served as a backdrop as I developed some of my most meaningful and foundational relationships. It was at camp that I realized that I am a beloved child of God. I consider it an act of grace that I’m now able to play a small role in forming the future leaders of the church so that others might have opportunities to experience the gift of God’s love.