LSTC Welcomes New Leaders to the Community

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is pleased to welcome several new leaders and staff members to the community in 2026. Bringing experience across enrollment strategy, theological education, public scholarship, and student engagement, these colleagues will help strengthen LSTC’s ongoing work of forming leaders for the Church and the world.

Derek Brinkley Named Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Experience

Derek Brinkley will join LSTC as Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Experience beginning June 1, 2026, after serving as an Enrollment Management Consultant for the seminary since January 2026.

Brinkley brings more than 15 years of experience in enrollment management, recruitment strategy, and student success within mission-driven institutions. Most recently, he served as Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Columbia College Chicago, where he led recruitment, admissions, and enrollment strategy initiatives.

Prior to Columbia, Brinkley helped launch Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago, a two-year program designed to support low-income and first-generation students. He also held admissions and recruitment leadership roles at Xavier University and Mount St. Joseph University.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Brinkley lives in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago with his husband, Alexander, and their dogs, Parker and Gilbert.

Dr. Taurean J. Webb Joins LSTC as Director of a Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice & the Albert “Pete” Pero, Jr. and Cheryl Stewart Pero Center for Intersectionality Studies and Visiting Assistant Professor

LSTC also welcomes Taurean J. Webb, Ph.D., a scholar and administrator whose work bridges Africana religious history, theology, visual culture, and public scholarship. On July 1, 2026, Dr. Webb will join the faculty as Director of A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice (CCME) & the Albert “Pete” Pero, Jr. and Cheryl Stewart Pero Center for Intersectionality Studies and a Visiting Assistant Professor. Sara Trumm, a longtime leader at LSTC, will continue her affiliation with the Center, serving as Associate Director of CCME.

Dr. Webb previously served as Assistant Professor of Religion and Race and Director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where he led community-facing programming and interdisciplinary initiatives focused on race, religion, and public life. He also served as Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Global Change at Indiana University Bloomington, overseeing international education initiatives and federally funded language study programs.

A widely engaged public scholar, Dr. Webb has collaborated with institutions, artists, and justice-centered organizations across the United States and internationally. His work has been supported by Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Forum for Theological Exploration, among other institutions.

LSTC looks forward to the leadership and vision these new colleagues will bring to the seminary community.