Dean and President Seminary of the Southwest | Austin, Texas We are pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees of Seminary of the Southwest has elected the Rev. Ruthanna B. Hooke, PhD, as the seminary’s 10th dean and president. Hooke will begin her service on January 1, 2027.Hooke comes to Southwest from Virginia Theological Seminary, where she serves as Professor of Homiletics. She joined the Virginia Theological Seminary faculty in 2003 and has held several academic and administrative leadership roles, including associate dean of students, associate dean of chapel, and sub-dean for academic assessment. She is Program Director of the Preaching Congregations Initiative and holds a joint appointment as Professor of Homiletics at The General Theological Seminary.An Episcopal priest and scholar of preaching, Hooke’s teaching and research focus on homiletics, theology, voice, embodiment, performance, biblical storytelling, and the relationship between preaching and worship.Hooke earned a Ph.D. in religious studies, with a concentration in theology, from Yale University. She received her Master of Divinity, summa cum laude, from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and Yale Divinity School, where she also studied at the Institute of Sacred Music. She holds a Master of Arts in performing arts from Emerson College and an undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in comparative religion from Harvard University.Ernest Brooks led this search with Claire Hennessey.
