faculty news notes
Ángel Gallardo called to teach church history
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he Austin Seminary Board of Trustees has called Dr. Ángel J. Gallardo to be assistant professor of church history, effective July 1, 2022. “We are thrilled that Ángel will be joining the Austin Seminary community,” says President Ted Wardlaw. “He is an accomplished scholar, lecturer, and colleague, and he will inspire our students with respect to the love of church history. It will be a pleasure to welcome the Gallardo family to Austin.” Dr. Gallardo is currently the associate director of the Intern program and serves on the faculty of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He earned the PhD from SMU in 2018; the subject of his dissertation was “Mapping the Nature of Empire: The Legacy of Theological Geography in the Early Iberian Atlantic.” He holds a BA in theological studies at Eastern University and an MDiv from the Duke University Divinity School where he later served on the Board of Visitors. He is an active lay member of the United Methodist Church. In addition to Perkins, he has had teaching experience at Lexington Theological Seminary, House of Hispanic Studies at Duke, CEPAS, a non-profit educational center for at-risk youth in Brazil, and Seminario Metodista, Huancayo in Perú. Dr. Gallardo is looking forward to beginning his teaching at Austin Seminary. “I am excited to invite seminarians to explore, and be shaped by, the complex and enthralling legacy
of the global Christian movement,” he says. “I also look forward to developing courses that examine the origins of race and religion in the Americas. Ultimately, I hope my students can learn to reimagine themselves, their congregations, and their contexts in light of God’s broader story of redemption by critically engaging the history of Christian thought.” Ángel Gallardo is deeply involved in academic conversations, currently co-chair of the Latina/o Religion, Culture, and Society program unit of the American Academy of Religion & Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL). He participated in the roundtable “Making Sense of /from the 2020 U.S. Election” at the AAR/SBL conference in 2020, and he served as an officer of La Comunidad, the Association of U.S. Latino/a Scholars of Religion and Theology (2015-19). He presented a paper at the Latinx Studies Now: DC 2018+, Latina/o Studies Association 3rd Biennial Conference Panel: “Toward a Nepantla Poetics: Exploring Decolonial Options in Latinx Theology.” He also holds membership in the Hispanic Theological Initiative at Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Gallardo and his wife, Kendrea Tannis, are parents to two young children, and they will make their home in Austin this spring. v
Sarah Allen joins faculty to direct DMin and SPM programs
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he Reverend Dr. Sarah Allen (MDiv’ 07, DMin’19) has joined the Austin Seminary faculty as director of Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies. The Austin Seminary Board voted to call her on November 2 and she began work on January 1, 2022, following the retirement of The Reverend Dr. Paul Hooker. Allen earned her Master of Divinity degree from Austin Seminary in 2007 and the Doctor of Ministry degree in 2019. A summa cum laude graduate of Austin College (religion and Spanish), she has served First Presbyterian Church, Austin, for the past fourteen years as pastor for children, youth, and families. “In interviews that the advisory committee conducted 16 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
with candidates over the summer, Rev. Allen emerged as the obvious choice for this important faculty position,” says Academic Dean David Jensen. “She brings to the position a keen intellect, a warm pastoral heart, extensive ministry experience at the local and presbytery levels, and creative leadership for the future of the church.” Allen also brings teaching experience—both in churches and at the Seminary as an adjunct professor. Reflecting on this transition in her ministry, Reverend Allen noted: “I am excited to return to the Austin Seminary community once again, this time as a member of the faculty. I look forward to the partnerships with students, pastors, and congregations. Both the Supervised Practice of Ministry as well as the Doctor of Ministry programs at Austin Seminary have been significant in my own ministry, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to direct these important programs and equip others for service in Christ’s church.” v
