November 22, 2020
Dr. Elías Ortega
Times of Mourning, Rituals of Hope

Dr. Elías Ortega is President and Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Leadership at Meadville Lombard Theological School.

Dr. Elías Ortega has committed his life to building organizational systems, in which people, especially those who have been underrepresented in our society, can thrive. He uses the lenses of spirituality and theology to foster change in higher education, non-profit organizations, and religious institutions. Currently, the president of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, Dr. Ortega led cultural and institutional changes at the Unitarian Universalist Association through a three-year assessment of the barriers that maintain practices of racial exclusion and inequality in the organization that resulted in recommendations for equitable practices and policies. He has also provided strategic planning and program support to community organizations including the New Jersey Parent Caucus, a mental health and juvenile justice advocacy group, the Sila Maria Calderon Foundation, and the Drew Freedom School Initiative, a social justice program that provides non-violence resistance and community organizing.

Dr. Ortega’s work in change management is grounded in his teaching and research in Religious Ethics, Africana Studies, Latinx Cultural Studies, and Social Movements at Drew University Theological School, Princeton University, and Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Dr. Elías Ortega received his Ph.D. and M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary . He also holds a B.A. in Communications Arts & Sciences and Philosophy and Religion from Calvin College.

Order of Service
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