Alum News

Reed Hurst (GBI 1955) received the Thoburn Cane, which is presented to the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church’s oldest clergy member with the most years of service.

Marvin Ceynar (GTS 1962) was awarded the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor reserved for Marquis Biographies who have achieved career longevity and demonstrated unwavering excellence.

Deb Johnson (G-ETS 1981) was named a 20202021 Francis Asbury award winner by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The award recognizes and encourages outstanding support of higher education and campus ministries within The United Methodist Church.

Kent A. Lundy (G-ETS 1993) received a commendation medal for his distinguished service as a National Guard chaplain in 2020.

Tracy Smith Malone (G-ETS 1993) was elected president-designate of The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops.

Evelyn Parker (G-ETS 1996) was named the 2021 recipient of the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus/a Award by Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

Stephanie Perdew (G-ETS 1996, 2012) joined the the Ministry Leadership Team of the Illinois Conference United Church of Christ as an associate conference minister.

Bernard Jakes (G-ETS 1999) has been selected to serve on the Chicago Transit Board.

Heidi Schlumpf (G-ETS 2000) was promoted to vice president of National Catholic Reporter.

Peter Mageto (G-ETS 2001 and 2004) was named the 5th vice chancellor of Africa University.

Lisa Wolfe (G-ETS 2003) received third place in the scripture category of the 2021 Catholic Media Association Book Awards for her book Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes). Beth Elders (G-ETS 2007) was named executive director of the Greater St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross.

Michael Jarboe (G-ETS 2014) was honored with the Young Alumni Leadership Award from Centenary College at its 2021 Alumni Awards Dinner.

Annie Lockhart-Gilroy (2015) has published a monograph entitled Nurturing the Sanctified Imagination of Urban Youth (Urban Loft Publishers 2020) and an edited work entitled From Lament to Advocacy: Black Religious Education and Public Ministry (Wesley’s Foundery Books 2020), coedited by Anne E. Streaty Wimberly (G-ETS 1993), Lockhart-Gilroy, and Nathaniel D. West.

Bernard Wong (G-ETS 2015) has been appointed the fifth president of the Chinese Graduate School of Theology, Hong Kong.

Kit Evans-Ford (G-ETS 2017) received the 2022 Tom Lock Innovative Leader Award from the Wesleyan Investive. The award recognizes leaders who exemplify innovative spiritual leadership and missionally driven entrepreneurship across the Wesleyan ecosystem.

Lizzy Case (G-ETS 2017) was named an invested faith fellow. These social innovators work to create community, do justice, and address systemic problems while building projects with sustainable financial models.

B. Yuki Schwartz (G-ETS 2019) created a new Advent resource produced by the General Commission on Religion and Race called, “Reimagine Advent: Discover the Liberating Christ.”

Jia Johnson (G-ETS 2020) received the John Purdy, Sr. Memorial Leadership Award from the Community Renewal Society. The award is given to a person who embodies the meaning of justice and faith in action.

Cassandra Chee (G-ETS 2021) contributed graphic and layout design to a new resource called Advent Devotional: 2021 published by Brandi Miller of Reclaiming My Theology.