Congratulations to Dissertation Award Winner Reverend Ineda Pearl Adesanya

The Reverend Ineda Pearl Adesanya serves as Willamette University’s Chaplain and Director of Spiritual and Religious Life where she tends to the spiritual and ethical life of students, staff, faculty and alumni. A highly sought-after pastoral counselor and instructor, deeply committed to nurturing inner wellness and connection, and supporting broad multi-faith engagement and community, Rev. Adesanya is editor and co-author of Kaleidoscope: Broadening the Palette in the Art of Spiritual Direction. For four years, she served as the Board President and chief executive officer at the Chaplaincy Institute, an Interfaith Seminary and Community in Berkeley, California. Rev. Adesanya is an associate minister for the historic Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland.

Rev. Adesanya is completing her PhD in historical and cultural studies of religion at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley where she also completed a Master of Arts in religion and psychology. Her dissertation is focused on a womanist approach to Christian spirituality and contemplation within the religious academy.  Rev. Adesanya also earned a Master of Divinity from the San Francisco Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in architecture from UC Berkeley. She worked as a planner, manager, and top executive in the land development and construction industries for 30 years.