Our speaker is the Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems, the academic dean of Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia – a sister school to Iliff School of Theology.The title of her address is: “This Fine Place So Far From Home: I Kings 10:1-13.”
Dr. Weems is a trusted voice in the church and academy, a nationally recognized womanist biblical scholar, and the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary. She has taught at Spelman College, Howard University, and Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Her leadership at Gammon represents tradition and transformation, nurturing future theologians through academic excellence and spiritual formation.
“Opening Convocation is an academic ceremony that begins each year with a celebration. Iliff is excited to welcome the esteemed Dr. Weems to Denver as our speaker!
Her work has inspired and challenged me for decades. In a year in which “home” seems very far away, I am eager to take in all that she will offer us on September 3rd.
We will also welcome our entering class of masters and doctoral students and share some of what we anticipate in the new academic year – including stepping into our new curriculum.”
—Dean Kelsey
