LSTC Welcomes Dr. Kenya Joyce Hatch as A Field Organizer FOR The LILLY PATHWAYS INITIATIVE

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is pleased to welcome Dr. Kenya Joyce Hatch as a Field Organizer 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. Dr. Hatch’s work with LSTC will begin August 3. Dr. Hatch is the second of two Field Organizers joining LSTC to strengthen the seminary’s relationships with ministry leaders, congregations, synods, and communities.

Dr. Hatch brings more than 20 years of experience spanning community development, education, nonprofit leadership, fundraising, recruitment, strategic planning, and program development. She has cultivated partnerships across educational, faith-based, philanthropic, and community organizations, with a particular commitment to expanding resources and opportunities for historically underserved communities.

Her professional experience includes development leadership roles with the Community Education Network, the United Negro College Fund, and the MAAFA Redemption Project. She is also the founder and executive director of the Beautiful Seed Foundation for Young Women of Color, co-pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Mission Baptist Church in Chicago, and previously served as chief operating officer of New Mount Pilgrim Church-Chicago. Earlier in her career, she worked in alumni relations with the Noble Network of Charter Schools.

Dr. Hatch earned her PhD in Theology and Community Development from Howard University. Her doctoral project, “Faith, Finance and Freedom: A Community Development Framework for Wealth-Building Among Women of Color,” reflects her interdisciplinary approach to faith, leadership, and community flourishing. She also holds an MBA in Community Development from Howard University and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northern Illinois University.

As a Field Organizer, Dr. Hatch will help cultivate relationships with ministry leaders, gather insights from community contexts, and support the recruitment, delivery, and ongoing success of LSTC’s leadership formation programs. These include certificate programs, cohort-based learning experiences, digital resources, and the Synod Authorized Minister Development Training Program.

Together, LSTC’s Field Organizers will serve as a critical bridge between the seminary and the communities it seeks to engage, helping ensure that its formation pathways are informed by the field and responsive to the people they are designed to serve.