The General Theological Seminary Congratulates the Rev. Ruthanna Hooke on Appointment as Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest
ALEXANDRIA, Va., August 4, 2026 - The General Theological Seminary (GTS) 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 faculty of GTS as Professor of Homiletics in the 2025/26 academic year, as one of several joint faculty appointments made under the Affiliation Agreement between GTS and Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). She has served at VTS since 2003, where she is currently 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.
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., President of The General Theological Seminary and Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary, said: "Ruthanna has made an extraordinary contribution to VTS and, more recently, GTS. 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. GTS 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:
For media inquiries, please contact Nicky Burridge, Senior Vice President for Communications and Institutional Advancement at Virginia Theological Seminary and The General Theological Seminary. Tel: (703) 461-1782 Mobile: (703) 300-2876 Email: nburridge@vts.edu
About The General Theological Seminary:
The General Theological Seminary of The Episcopal Church was founded in 1817. It is the oldest seminary of The Episcopal Church and has educated and formed leaders for the church in a changing world for more than 200 years. The Seminary was chartered by an act of The Episcopal Church’s General Convention and its name was chosen to reflect its founders’ vision that it be a seminary to serve the whole church.