Recognize Excellence in Theological Education

Every two years at the ATS/COA Biennial Meeting, the ATS Board of Directors honors an individual whose work has profoundly shaped theological education through the Distinguished Service Award. This award celebrates service, leadership, and lasting impact and offers the ATS community a meaningful opportunity to publicly recognize one of its own.

Recommend a Colleague for the 2026 Distinguished Service Award

The ATS Board of Directors invites CEOs and CAOs of ATS member schools to submit recommendations for the 2026 Distinguished Service Award.

Recommendations are due by Monday, November 17, 2025.

Make a Recommendation

Recommendation Criteria

Recommended individuals should demonstrate one or more of the following:

Exceptional Service to ATS or other organizations committed to improving theological education
Significant contributions to the structures and forms of theological education
Advancement of scholarship in theological disciplines
Unique influence on the understanding and advancement of theological education

Past Awardees

Since its inception, the Distinguished Service Award has honored individuals whose work has significantly shaped theological education in the U.S. and Canada. These recipients represent a wide range of traditions, roles, and contributions, from academic leadership to scholarship and service to the broader ATS community.

Their names and titles at the time of earning the award are listed below:

2024
Marsha Foster Academic Officer and Interim Chief Academic Dean Interdenominational Theological Center and President Emerita Ecumenical Theological Seminary
Oliver McMahan (Posthumuously) Pentecostal Theological Seminary Vice President of Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness
2022
Dan Aleshire ATS Executive Director (Retired)
2020
Tite Tiénou Director Hiebert Center for World Christianity and Global Theology and Research Professor Theology of Mission at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

See the List of Distinguished Service Award Recipients 1988-2018

1988 Krister Stendahl
1990 Robert Wood Lynn
1992 Charles Shelby Rooks
1994 Sara P. Little
1996 David A. Hubbard
1998 Martin E. Marty
2000 Vincent DePaul Cushing
2002 Robert E. Cooley
2004 Barbara Brown Zikmund
2006 Diane Kennedy
2008 Joseph C. Hough Jr.
2010 David L. Tiede
2012 Barbara G. Wheeler
2014 Justo L. González
2016 Katarina Schuth
2018 John W. Kinney, Richard J. Mouw, Anne Anderson

Required Information

Name and current position of the nominee
Past roles in theological education
Description of major contributions based on the criteria above
Additional relevant activities or achievements
Your name and contact information as the nominator

How to Submit a Recommendation

CEOs and CAOs may complete the online recommendation form by November 17, 2025. The ATS Board of Directors will nominate and select the awardee at its December meeting and make an announcement in early 2026. The award will be presented at the ATS/COA Biennial Meeting in Chicago in June 2026.

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Distinguished Service Award