Three New Faculty Members Appointed at New York Theological Seminary

Three new faces grace the NYTS core faculty table as the fall semester opens.  The Rev. Dr. Wanda M. Lundy is Assistant Professor of Ministry Studies and Director of Supervised Ministry.  Joining her is Ms. Elaine Padilla, Assistant Professor of Constructive Theology and Director of Assessment.  The third new member of the faculty is the Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick G. Cohall, who will serve as Visiting Assistant Professor of Christian Education for the coming year.  All three candidates have previously served as members of the adjunct faculty, and all three bring to the NYTS faculty an impressive range of pastoral and academic experiences.

Rev. Lundy has served as a member of the NYTS adjunct faculty since 2005.  A graduate of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (BS, BE), Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div.), and NYTS (D. Min.), she has taught in each of the academic programs of the Seminary with distinction.  She has is a highly motivated professor with excellent presence in the classroom. She has also provided strong administrative support for the Doctor of Ministry program, serving for several years as the instructor in the Mentor and Research Design seminar and this year as Coordinator of the English Congregational Ministry track.  This fall she is also assuming the position of Director of Supervised Ministry, overseeing the growing field education programs of the Master of Divinity degree as she works to develop resources for assessing ministerial competencies.  Rev. Lundy is an ordained clergy woman in the Presbyterian Church USA, and has served at every level of the connectional church, as Pastor, Moderator in the Palisade Presbyter (Presbytery of the Palisades), member of the Steering Committee of the National Multicultural Network, member of the National Transformational Network, and Chairperson of the Congregational Planning and Mission Strategy for the national denomination.  Prior to serving as Pastor of Edgewater Presbyterian Church she served as a chaplain at Rikers Island and at the Addicts Rehabilitation Center (ARC).

Ms. Padilla is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Drew University, where she expects to graduate in May 2011.  She holds an M. Div. from Regent University Divinity School, a B.A. from Eugene Bible College, and a B.S. from the University of Florida in Gainesville.  Her research, teaching and writing engage the areas of Process Thought, Latino/a Theologies, Constructive Theologies, Postmodern Philosophies, Ecotheology, Gender Studies, and Women Religious Studies.  Her dissertation, “A Passionate God: Constructing a Theology of Divine Enjoyment,” develops a relational model of the Lover God from feminist, postmodern and process perspectives on enjoyment.  Other writing projects include an upcoming three volume series being co-edited with Peter Phan of Georgetown University on theologies of migrations.  Ms Padilla has served for the past two years as the Director of Online Learning at NYTS and was instrumental in developing the online learning program that has now been approved by Accreditation of Theological Schools (ATS).  In her position as Director of Assessment,  she will play a critical role in the expansion of the Seminary’s program of academic assessment with outcome-based learning.  A former campus minister, she is an American Baptist and a member of the Riverside Church in New York.

Rev. Cohall is also a graduate of New York Theological Seminary, having earned both the M.Div. and the D. Min. at NYTS.  In addition, he has earned a Ph.D. from the Fordham University Graduate School of Education.  Prior to coming to the NYTS faculty he taught and conducted research in Educational Leadership in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University.  His most recent publication is an article titled “Educating American Baptist Pastors:  A National Survey of Church Leaders,” published in the Journal of Research on Christian Education. Among the projects on which he is currently working is a book on pastoral leadership that is tentatively titled Leadership Redefined:  A Survival Guide for 21st Century Clergy.  Rev. Cohall leads a busy life.  In addition to his teaching and research, he is the Senior Pastor of the Lenox Road Baptist Church in Brooklyn New York, an American Baptist congregation with 137 years of history.  He has served on a number of boards of institutions, including Anchor House, a drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation center, and the general board of the American Baptist Churches, USA. Rev. Cohall is a past president of the board of International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches overseeing missionaries serving in all six continents.

“This is an exciting time of growth at NYTS” notes Dr. Eleanor Moody-Shepherd, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean.  “These three appointments are critical to meeting the challenges that new growth poses.  They are also important indicators of the commitment that the Seminary has to academic excellence, as well as to serving the churches and other religious communities.  We look forward to many years of faithful service from them.”