Rev. Dr. Karen Mosby Named Dean of Student Life and Chaplain
August 12, 2021
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is pleased to share that Rev. Dr. Karen Mosby has been promoted to dean of student life and chaplain. She started in her new role on July 1, 2021. Previously, she served as the chaplain for the student body since 2019. In this expanded role, Mosby will provide leadership for the student experience in all its manifestations, as well as provide spiritual care and leadership for the entire seminary community. In addition, Mosby will join the Senior Leadership Team where she will focus on matters of student success, retention, community building, and graduation.
“I am grateful to have been entrusted with the opportunity to contribute to the fulfillment of Garrett’s vision and mission through this new position,” said Mosby. “It is a full-circle moment that allows me to offer to new generations of Garrett students the kind of transformative spiritual accompaniment and mentorship that I received as a Garrett student. I’m excited about the possibilities that lie ahead!”
Mosby brings over 30 years experience in pastoral ministry to her work as dean of student life and chaplain. She is an ordained Baptist minister, having served as a pastoral leader in the Baptist and United Church of Christ denominations. Currently, she is also a member of the research team of the Young Adult Initiative at Garrett-Evangelical which is funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
As chaplain, Mosby has worked tirelessly advocating on behalf of the student body and tending to their care and formation. As dean of student life, she will have a larger administrative responsibility in assessing how, and in what ways, our current structures and offerings are meeting students’ needs in order to create a more holistic ecology of care. Mosby will also be instrumental in initiating new programs and services that emphasize the wellbeing of all students.
“Dr. Mosby is a highly respected and valued leader in our community, and students have expressed great excitement that she is undertaking leadership in this expanded way,” said President Javier A. Viera. “As an alumna of Garrett-Evangelical she brings first-hand knowledge of the campus experience and her scholarly expertise and pastoral rapport with our students uniquely qualifies her for this critical work within our student body. I have already come to value her wisdom and care and I am looking forward to working closely with her in the years to come.”
With this personnel transition also comes a new integrated division of Academic and Student Services at Garrett-Evangelical. Mosby will report to and work closely with Rev. Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran, vice president for academic affairs and academic dean, to ensure students success both in the classroom and beyond. This new division was formed out of the strategic initiative President Viera led in Spring 2021 to prioritize of the student experience throughout the entire student life cycle.
Mosby holds doctor of ministry and master of divinity degrees from Garrett-Evangelical and a bachelor of science in journalism degree from Northwestern University. She is a PhD candidate in the Christian education and congregational studies track at Garrett-Evangelical. Her research interest is located at the intersections of religious education, popular culture, and womanist biblical hermeneutics, with a particular focus on the prophetic witness of Black millennials in the United States. Her published writings include, “Black Millennial Encounters with God through the Coloring Book of Chance the Rapper,” Religious Education (2018), and “Our Sons and Daughters Shall Prophesy”: P(r)eaching with Millennials (DMin Dissertation, 2014).
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church, was founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 450 students from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.