Dear alumni/ae and friends,
Last year, Vanderbilt Divinity School launched its Practitioner-in-Residence program. It is a program where we invite a local leader and practitioner from the Nashville area to be “in residence” at VDS. This may include local non-profit leaders; directors of philanthropic organizations; clergy or lay leaders from any religious tradition; or community organizers in the faith and social justice arena.
The Practitioner-in-Residence does not have any teaching requirements. During the course of the residency, these practitioners share meals with faculty, staff, and students; reflect on their journeys to their current work; and help to sponsor a symposium on a topic of particular concern to their ministry or vocation.
In Spring 2025, we hosted Rev. Lindsey Krinks as our Inaugural Practitioner-in-Residence. Rev. Krinks is a street chaplain, activist, nonprofit leader, and cofounder of Open Table Nashville, with a particular passion for the most vulnerable among us. Her residency concluded with a powerful symposium on Housing Justice, with participation from Nashville’s own Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
For Spring 2026, we are currently hosting Representative Harold Love, who has served as a dedicated public servant in the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2012, representing the 58th District. He is also the Senior Pastor of Lee Chapel A.M.E. Church in Nashville. On April 9th, he will help convene a conversation on structural barriers facing the formerly incarcerated, with a range of experts whose work focuses on the criminal justice system and support for individuals returning to society.
With just a year of this residency program on our campus, I am happy to share that we are accomplishing two very important goals: exposing students to practitioners from a wide variety of traditions, who model the interdisciplinary, interfaith, and justice work that is at the center of the VDS community. And joyfully welcoming our neighbors and friends into our building, to the VU campus, and into the work of our School.
I am excited for what the next year will bring.
Best,
Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D.
Dean
University Distinguished Professor of Religion & Literature
University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies
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Faith leaders are invited to "Community Conversations: Pastoral Imagination in Contested Times," on April 1, 8 a.m. in Divinity 124 to explore critical questions about the life of the church and pastoral identity. Featuring a conversation with Dean Pierce, Professor Hamman, and Law Professor Samar Ali, this conversation will explore how faith leaders cultivate creativity and generosity during difficult times.
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Join the James Lawson Institute for "Poverty, Power, and the Possibility of Change" on April 2, at 4 p.m. featuring Pulitzer Prize–winning author Matthew Desmond in conversation with renowned professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. Part of the Community Over Chaos Speaker Series, this event will explore the forces shaping economic hardship in the United States.
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Join Vanderbilt Divinity School and Dialogue Vanderbilt for "Locked Out: Structural Barriers Facing the Formerly Incarcerated" on April 9, 4 p.m. in Divinity 124. Criminal justice system experts including our Spring 2026 Practitioner-in-Residence, Harold Love Jr. (MTS ’98) will discuss systemic barriers and pathways toward reentry in the criminal justice system.
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Join “A Symposium on Queering Death” on March 27, 9:30 a.m. in Divinity 124. Cosponsored by the Carpenter Program, Larkspur Conservation, and the K.C. Potter Center, this symposium explores how queerness helps us reimagine death, loss, and grief through a panel and interactive workshops. Community members, faith leaders, and those who are interested in discovering tools to help navigate grief both for themselves and their communities are encouraged to attend.
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The Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership presents "The Accountability Conversation" on March 28, in Divinity G29. The morning biblical discussion and afternoon writing workshop, led by Pastor Daryl Waters and Lara Naughton, will explore accountability, compassion, and creative expression.
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Join us for the annual Antoinette Brown Lecture on March 30, 6 p.m. at the Divinity School. Keri Day, PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary will deliver the lecture, “Spirit Power: Black Feminist Pneumatic Rituals of Wonder.” Drawing on Black women’s religious cultures, Day will explore how black religious practices of spirit power offer a way to think about the epistemic and social effects of wonder.
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Join the Carpenter Program and the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center for "Reproductive Dignity and Justice: A Lunch Conversation with Faith and Community Leaders in Nashville" on March 23, 12 p.m. in Divinity 127. Rabbi Laurie Rice and Dr. Tiye Link will explore how faith perspectives and community experiences shape reproductive dignity and justice. For non-Vanderbilt participant registration, email Dr. Rachel Heath.
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Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture and the Kelly Miller Smith Institute on Black Church Studies present Rooted Reflections: The Fabric of Self, an exhibition featuring artist Nija Woods. The exhibit is open at Woodcuts Gallery and Framing through March 26. Through immersive textiles, color, and sculptural form, Woods’ work invites reflection, care, and collective connection.
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