RCWMS is thrilled to announce Dr. Shonda Jones as the Facilitator for Queer Clergywomen Thriving in the South, a virtual, peer-supported cohort for queer clergywomen who have been religious leaders for ten years or fewer. The cohort, which will run from February–July 2021, has been made possible by generous support from the Carpenter Foundation.
Shonda is currently Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, and Assistant Teaching Professor in Intercultural Theological Education at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, NC. She joined the Wake Forest faculty in 2011, responsible for providing strategic leadership as a part of the senior administrative team, establishing best practices in recruitment and admissions, promoting diversity and inclusion, and engaging student learning through intercultural teaching and praxis. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Gilead COMPASS Initiative® Faith Coordinating Center at Wake Forest University School of Divinity; building the capacity of faith communities to address HIV/AIDS in the Southern United States.
Shonda’s interests include the intersection of theological school choice and race, and her focus broadly examines intercultural practices that promote communal thriving with and among faith leaders and faith communities. She teaches in the area of intercultural competency for ministry. She is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church (North Texas Annual Conference), certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and trainer for intercultural communication. Her work as a theological educator and administrator has included teaching and global engagement in South Africa, Egypt, Israel, South Korea, Brazil, Ghana, and several countries throughout Europe.
Shonda was previously an Associate Dean at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology (Atlanta, GA) and Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology (Dallas, TX). As a visionary administrator, Shonda has spent nearly twenty years leading in the areas of institutional strategy, intercultural learning, enrollment management, recruitment and admissions, and student life.
Shonda earned a Doctor of Education degree in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, a Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University (TCU) and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religion from TCU.
Shonda’s community engagement has included board leadership with: The Student Personnel Administrators’ Network (SPAN) of The Association of Theological Schools, AIDS Survival Project, AIDS Arms, Inc., Project Transformation, Malcolm X Community Services, TCU’s Black Alumni Alliance, and Executive Women Golf Association (EWGA).
We are deeply grateful for the wisdom, energy, and expertise that Dr. Shonda Jones brings to RCWMS and the Queer Clergywomen Thriving in the South program.
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