Rev. Tiffany L. Steinwert named dean of Hendricks Chapel

Carol Kim Masiclat
(315) 443-8568

Thomas V. Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of SU’s Division of Student Affairs, has named the Rev. Tiffany Steinwert dean of Hendricks Chapel. Steinwert will be the sixth dean of the chapel, following Wolfe, who was appointed senior vice president and dean of student affairs in June 2008.

Following the retirement of Eleanor Ware, senior vice president for human services and government relations last summer, the Division of Student Affairs assumed administrative responsibility for Hendricks Chapel on July 1.

“Dr. Steinwert was selected due to her strength and experience in scholarship, counseling, and building understanding in diverse communities,” says Wolfe, “I am confident that her unique combination of interfaith work and higher education experience makes her an excellent match for Hendricks Chapel. She will do an outstanding job leading the chapel into the future while helping it continue its tradition of being a home for all faiths and a place for all people.”

Currently an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and a senior pastor with Cambridge Welcoming Ministries, Steinwert works closely with different faith groups to foster dialogue and build understanding. She has done work in rural Nicaragua and has extensive experience engaging communities of faith in projects that address issues such as urban renewal, global poverty, racism and discrimination against LGBT persons.

Steinwert is also a teaching fellow at Boston and Harvard universities. She has lectured and led courses on various topics, including moral leadership, community organizing and practical theology. A graduate of Williams College and Boston University, Steinwert holds degrees in psychology, women’s studies, divinity and practical theology.

“This search yielded a number of impressive candidates, and our search committee should be commended for its detailed and diligent work to bring us here,” says Wolfe. “I am particularly grateful to Kelly Sprinkle, who has done an exceptional job of serving as interim dean over the past 18 months.” Sprinkle will continue to lead the chapel until Steinwert starts at the University next semester.