LSTC Welcomes Tiauna Webb as Field Organizer for Lilly Pathways Initiative

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is pleased to welcome Tiauna Webb as one of two Field Organizers for the Lilly Pathways Initiative, a three-year grant-funded effort designed to develop new models of theological education that are rooted in listening, responsive to the evolving needs of the public church, and accessible to diverse communities of ministry leaders.

The Lilly Pathways Initiative supports LSTC in building an integrated system that connects community engagement, research, discernment, and program development to create leadership formation pathways grounded in real-world ministry contexts. Central to the initiative is a commitment to listening first—engaging ministry leaders and communities to understand their experiences, challenges, and opportunities before developing programs, resources, and educational offerings.

As a Field Organizer, Webb will help cultivate relationships with ministry leaders, gather insights from community contexts, and support the recruitment, delivery, and ongoing success of leadership formation programs, including certificate programs, cohort-based learning experiences, digital resources, and the Synod Authorized Minister (SAM) Development Training Program. The Field Organizers serve as a critical bridge between the seminary and the communities it seeks to engage, ensuring that LSTC’s formation pathways are both informed by the field and responsive to the needs of those they are designed to serve.

Webb is a graduate of Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Pittsburgh, with professional experience spanning nonprofit leadership, theological education, international development, public interest technology, and community engagement across the United States and the African diaspora.

Throughout her career, she has helped institutions and communities navigate change by creating space for relationship-building, learning, and values-aligned decision-making. Her experience includes service with the United States Peace Corps in Ghana, leadership with the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, curriculum and program development at the Black Tech Futures Research Institute, and contributions to Dr. Itihari Toure’s Sacred Memory Project at McCormick Theological Seminary.

Grounded in prophetic Black church traditions, womanist thought, and a deep commitment to journeying alongside communities, Webb is particularly interested in how wisdom, curiosity, and imagination can help communities co-create the future.

LSTC will begin the process of hiring a second Field Organizer in the coming months.