In making history as the first female president of New York Theological Seminary, Rev. Dr. LaKeesha N. Walrond said she hopes to lead the school to new heights and that her historic appointment will inspire others to shatter glass ceilings yet unbroken.
“There are so many things that excite me” in addition to being a pioneer in the position, Walrond said.
“This is not just any institution, but one that focuses on teaching people to minister to ‘the least of these’ in an urban context. I’m really excited to work with the community that is already there at the school to help the school be better than it has ever been to prepare students to serve those who are invisible to so many.”
Walrond starts June 3, succeeding Dr. Dale T. Irvin, who is stepping down but will continue teaching at the 119-year-old institution. She brings a range of administrative and leadership experiences, including more than a decade as executive pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church, a megachurch in Harlem where her husband, Rev. Michael A. Walrond Jr., is senior pastor.
“I think it’s a good thing for her to be appointed not just because she’s a female, but because she brings a whole new kind of energy, which is reflected in the kind of ministry and the dynamic church that she and her husband have built here in Harlem,” said Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., an adjunct assistant professor in the religion department at Columbia University and former president of Payne Theological Seminary.
“As far as her being a woman, I think that will be very empowering to and attract a lot of women ministers or potential ministers,” said Hendricks. “It will be empowering to them and give them a frame of reference, along with her level of dynamism. So, I expect her to be a significant factor in growth of the seminary.”
It’s not Walrond’s first time being a first. The Texas native was the first woman to preach at her hometown church, where during her childhood women were not welcomed in the pulpit.
