Biography
Nadine (Dena) Pence received a BA from Manchester College in Religion and Peace Studies, M.Div. from Bethany Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. in Theology from The University of Chicago. Over the course of 20 years, she taught Theological Studies at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (Fresno, California) and Bethany Theological Seminary (Chicago, Illinois and Richmond, Indiana). During this time, she served on several journal boards in editing and administrative capacities, and became Executive Director of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion (CSSR) which published Religious Studies Review (RSR) and The CSSR Bulletin.
From 2007-2019, Dena was the full-time director of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, a center dedicated to strengthening and enhancing the role of teaching religious and theological studies in undergraduate and graduate settings. Fully funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., as Executive Director she oversaw all programming, finances, and staffing, collaboratively designing and planning workshops, grant programs, conferences, consultations, and special programs for faculty in the fields of religious and theological studies. Currently Dena is a consultant and serves on a number of Boards in higher education.
Candidate Statement
I am interested in serving the members of the AAR as Treasurer because of my strong interest in analytic and strategic design as one makes decisions about organizational resources. How one allocates the resources of an organization becomes a visible sign of the organization’s priorities, and it demonstrates the organization’s understanding of the work that is important in the current context. Within the AAR, the Treasurer is in a key position to advise and converse with the staff and the Board about all aspects of the AAR finances, from operating budgets to investments. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Chief Finance and Administration Officer, and the Finance Committee, I will be able to bring my past experience as both a teaching faculty member and a non-profit executive officer to those conversations, so that we might move beyond the accounting of numbers to how those resources can best serve the AAR’s mission and work.
The AAR is in a singular position of being able to support faculty members individually in their work as well as collectively as they research and teach in the various fields and disciplines that constitute the study of religion. With the changing nature of institutional life and classrooms, this collective role becomes all the more important. The Board’s ability to analyze the situational and contextual factors that are present, and to assess and evaluate our organizational processes will be crucial in support of our decision-making about the best use of our resources. If chosen to be Treasurer, I would be honored to serve the AAR as it fosters excellence in the academic study of religion and enhances the public understanding of religion.