ALEXANDRIA, Va., August 4, 2026 –Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) today congratulated the Rev. Ruthanna Hooke, Ph.D., on her appointment as the 10th Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest.
Dr. Hooke joined the VTS faculty in 2003 and currently serves as Professor of Homiletics and Program Director of Preaching Congregations, an initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. that supports the renewal and formation of preachers and congregations. She recently joined the faculty of The General Theological Seminary (GTS), as one of several joint faculty appointments made under the Affiliation Agreement between VTS and GTS.
A gifted teacher, scholar, preacher, and pastoral leader, Dr. Hooke has helped shape hundreds of students for ministry in The Episcopal Church and beyond. She is the author of Sacramental Presence: An Embodied Theology of Preaching (Lexington Books, 2023), and Transforming Preaching (Church Publishing, 2010), works that have contributed to contemporary scholarship on preaching and the theology of proclamation. During her time at VTS, she also played a trailblazing role as the Seminary’s first openly LGBT faculty member.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and President of The General Theological Seminary, said: “Ruthanna has made an extraordinary contribution to Virginia Theological Seminary over the past 23 years. Through her scholarship, teaching, and faithful leadership, she has enriched the lives of countless students and colleagues. While we will miss her deeply, Seminary of the Southwest has made an outstanding choice, and I know Ruthanna will bring wisdom, pastoral sensitivity, and a deep love of theological education to this new role. We offer her our heartfelt congratulations and every blessing as she begins this exciting new chapter.”
Dr. Hooke will take up her new role in January 2027. VTS looks forward to deepening its relationship with Seminary of the Southwest under her leadership and wishes her every success in this new ministry.
Notes to editors:
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About Virginia Theological Seminary:
Virginia Theological Seminary was founded in 1823 and has a long tradition of shaping faithful women and men, lay and ordained, for leadership in The Episcopal Church and beyond. It is the strongest seminary in the Anglican Communion and provides more than 25 percent of the clergy of The Episcopal Church.