History and Leadership
The first annual meeting of African American Presidents of ATS Member Schools was held January 21-22, 2003, at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), Atlanta. Oliver J. Haney, ITC president, served as host for the meeting and new ITC president Michael A. Battle hosted the second meeting in 2004. Beginning in 2005, a different African American president hosted each annual meeting. Although the meeting locations changed, Edward L. Wheeler, then president of Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, served as convener for the 2003 through 2011 meetings. Because three of the African American CEOs led university divinity schools at that time and had the title of "dean" rather than "president," ATS changed the meeting’s title to African American Presidents/Deans Meeting beginning with the 2009 meeting. Since 2011, the group has continued to have annual gatherings hosted by members of the group that include leaders at Historically Black Theological Schools (HBTSs) as well as those who lead at predominately White Institutions (PWIs). Other past conveners included Alton B. Pollard, III and Deborah Flemister Mullen.

Executive Committee
John Guns
Dean
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University
K-lee Johnson
Dean
Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University

Mission Statement
Purpose: (Who we are)
We are theological educators and scholar activists of African descent committed to the liberation of people, cultures, ideas and theological institutions in the United States and across the diaspora.

Our objectives are: (What we do)
• Be a community of peer support and accountability;
• Be unapologetic advocates and activists in ATS on behalf of HBTI concerns, educators, and peoples of African descent; and
• Be mentors of the next generation of theological executives and scholars.

With the goal of ensuring the continued presence and vibrancy of leaders and scholars of African descent in the work of ATS and theological education, more generally, we are guided by the following values:
• Ancestry (who)
• Commitment (what)
• Vision (what)
• Transformation (why)
• Liberation (how)
• Justice (how), and
• Community (where).

History and Leadership
As early as the June 2016 ATS/COA Biennial Meeting in St. Louis, conversations began about issues faced by Asian Americans within the ATS system. Jeffrey Kuan and Frank Yamada “hosted” a luncheon meeting and invited ATS Director of Research and Faculty Development Deborah H. C. Gin to make a few comments regarding ATS programming. Agreements were made to continue the conversation hosted by ATS with the possibility of creating a formal group for Asian executive and academic leaders within ATS. In November 2017, ATS staff met with four leaders about the formation of an affinity group for presidents and deans. A context, background, and history of ATS work with affinity groups was provided by Stephen Graham, ATS strategic director of context and continuity. Lester Ruiz, ATS director of accreditation and global engagement, talked about work with Asian leaders (faculty) some ten years earlier, and Gin spoke about the 2016 Biennial Meeting and the goal of having the group see ATS as its organization. The diversity among Asian descent leaders was noted as both a challenge and as an opportunity. By late spring 2018, a planning committee had been formed and began the process of convening the leaders around topics regarding how they saw themselves as a “group”— considering Asian perspectives on theological thinking/imagination and ways of cultivating collaborative cultures in Asian communities in North America and beyond. Currently, the group meets annually to consider issues of importance for the communities they serve. These leaders are also encouraging the creation of strategic alliances and the cultivation of leadership development across ATS ethnic affinity groups of presidents and deans.

Executive Committee
David Han
Vice President for Academics; Dean of the Faculty
Pentecostal Theological Seminary 

Jung Ja Kang
Director of M.Div; Accreditation Liaison Officer; Professor of Practical Theology
Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America

James Seung-Hyun Lee
President
International Theological Seminary

Jane Peng
Academic Dean; Accrediting Liaison Officer; Assistant Professor of Christian Education and Formation
Logos Evangelical Seminary

Guiding Statement
The Asian Descent Presidents and Deans (ADPD) Affinity Group of the Association of Theological Schools is a community of fellowship, collaboration and learning that gathers to:
• form new relationships among its members,
• nurture their vocational aspirations in theological education,
• address their shared concerns to enhance the educational vision and work of the Association, and
• cultivate a network of alliances, strategic coalitions, and solidarity among Asian and Asian descent theological educators.

As a community of theological educators, the ADPD group seeks to respond effectively to new and emerging issues relevant to theological education, acknowledging its missional presence both in churches and communities of faith and the broader public of society from the unique vantage point of its Asian identity.

History and Leadership
As early as June 2017 a representation from this group of leaders met with ATS staff at Princeton Theological Seminary. The goals of the gathering were:

• to get to know one another for mutual support and networking,
• to explore possibilities for developing a "pipeline" towards executive leadership,
• to discuss what Latino/Latina leadership/experience offers to the conversation of models of theological education, and
• to explore a long-term strategy for Latino/Latina presidents and deans (CEO/CAO) network/gathering

This inaugural meeting spearheaded more annual gatherings. Additionally, in response to its desire for more frequent and collegial connection, this group of ATS presidents and chief academic officers currently gather bimonthly to engage one another around areas of common interest and concern as theological school leaders. As a part of their work, they explore what Latino/Latina leadership/experience offers to the conversation of models of theological education, share experiences uniquely related to their leadership, and discuss ways of developing pipelines toward executive leadership for women and new scholars. Recent emphases for group exploration have included a 2021 virtual event—Haciendo el Camino al Andar—We Make the Way by Walking—where leaders explored the journeys of Latino/Latina executive leaders in theological education, examined the landscape of foundation philanthropy to the benefit of Latino/Latina communities, and engaged one another around the topic “what’s new in the neighborhood and on the horizon” to discuss what shape Latino/Latina theological education might/should take for the future. In 2021, a Canvas engagement site was created to support the virtual event for leaders of the group, and the site serves as a continuing resource for connection, learning, fellowship, and sharing. New and/or experienced leaders who join the group can access the site to hear stories, to support one another in their journeys, and to imagine new futures together: "we make the way by walking!"

Executive Committee
Victor Aloyo
President
Columbia Theological Seminary
Alvin Padilla
Dean of Latino Global Ministries
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Alexia Salvatierra
Academic Dean of Centro Latino
Fuller Theological Seminary

• providing resources for schools such as Engage ATS (an online community for those who work at ATS member schools to network and share resources) as they encounter different institutional tasks related to race, ethnicity, and diversity; the resources will provide the basis for ongoing support of schools;
• working with an identified group of member schools on educational effectiveness with racial/ethnic students; teams of faculty and students from participating schools joined other participants in October 2021 to share learnings from a three-year project that will be benefit ATS member schools; participating schools are currently working with a consultant to deepen their reflections on the strategies they implemented and to develop processes for sustainability; school reports and conversations around their work can be accessed in the Community on Race and Ethnicity at Engage ATS;
• engaging activities to strengthen collaborative relationships with HTIC, FTE, Louisville Institute, HSP, AETH, In Trust, Wabash Center, and other entities regarding overall systems of support and engagement for racial/ethnic seminary students, PhD students, faculty, administrative staff, and institutions committed to serving racial/ethnic constituencies.