Date: July 21, 2022
This past fall I was privileged to take my first sabbatical at Virginia Theological Seminary. It was a time of deep reflection and rest. I am grateful to have had time to spend with family and friends. Like everyone else in the world, I found those opportunities had been greatly impacted during the height of the pandemic, making them all the more precious during this season of sabbatical for me. I made time for reading and study in the area of leadership and management as I prepared new material for a Church and Nonprofit Administration course that I will teach in Spring 2023. Thank you to the wonderful team in finance, administration and operations for your leadership while I was away. A special thanks to Terrell Whitaker, John Erbe, and Juanita Sanchez for being extraordinary directors and successfully managing their teams.
My gentle re-entry this spring (2022) was a bit more like a whirlwind. Things were moving at rapid rate on the Holy Hill and there was much to do. Conversations with General Theological Seminary had resumed; preparation for the February Board meeting needed to happen; the FY2023 budget needed to prepared and budget meetings need to conducted; migration to new banking platform needed to be launched; construction on the Deanery was experiencing supply chain delays; new hires needed to be on-boarded; faculty searches were advancing; several employees had accepted exciting career-advancing opportunities outside the Seminary and positions needed to be filled. New grants were being awarded and new applications being submitted, the Butterfly House was reaching maximum capacity, facilities was upgrading the fire alarm systems and implementing a new security application and protocols… It’s GREAT to be back!
Jacqui Ballou
Vice President for Finance, Administration and Operations