Date: July 11, 2025
Today, I pause and breathe in gratitude for all of you who make Virginia Theological Seminary great. A great place to work, a warm place of welcome, an open place for fellowship and laughter, a light on a hill inviting all to experience the joy that is God. Thank you!
Thank you to the leadership team of the Butterfly House, Juanita Sanchez and Shauna Gonzalez, and all the exceptional teachers who nurture our children in thoughtful and caring ways. Much gratitude for the skilled craftmanship of facilities operations, housekeeping, the mail center, and grounds. This team always says ‘yes’ to every request and delivers consistently year after year. The projects do not get easier, actually the demand becomes greater when you are managing an 88-acre campus with some aging infrastructure and a steady stream of new projects. Thank you, John Erbe, for your dedicated leadership. Terrell Whitaker has put together a superior finance team and we owe the careful stewardship of our financial resources and timely payment of invoices to them all. Reggie Gravina and Focus Data Solutions continue to implement and maintain best practices that keep our data secure, and systems performing as cyber-attacks and security breaches mount in every sector of world economy.
For the love expressed through food, thank you Meriwether Godsey. The Healthcare Services staff who work while we are away cleaning and clearing our offices and buildings, thank you. Thank you to all those in Academic Affairs and Student Life. You are constantly striving for excellence to ensure the student experience far exceeds expectations. Excellence throughout, beginning with admissions, registration and housing. We are continually grateful for the committed world-class faculty who are educating and forming our students. Institutional advancement and communications, the chapel team, academic resource center, master librarians, field education, doctoral programs, multicultural ministries, lifelong learning and the Center for Anglican Communion Studies, you all are extraordinary.
The visionary leadership and pastoral care of our Dean and President and the professionalism of all those who serve in that Office makes Virginia Theological Seminary top of class. Thank you, Ian S. Markham, for sharing your gifts and talents and humble heart and gracious spirit with all of us. It is a privilege to serve with you on this journey for such a time as this.
As I close out the week, I share a song that brings me JOY, because music is central to my being. I hope you enjoy: https://youtu.be/5_iob6lOUOI?si=-JV8DANKtZsbalsS
Jacqui Ballou
Senior Vice President for Finance, Administration and Operations