Biography
Nancy J. Ramsay, Emerita Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX, retired from full-time teaching June 1, 2019. While at Brite Nancy also served as Executive Vice President and Dean 2005-2012. Prior to Brite Nancy served as the Harrison Ray Anderson Professor of Pastoral Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Nancy also held clinical and supervisory status with the Association of Marriage and Family Therapy until 2020. She directs the Soul Repair Center at Brite which provides resources for religious leaders and faith communities seeking to support veterans and their families affected by military moral injury.
author or editor of five books including:
Pastoral Diagnosis, Fortress, 1998
Telling the Truth: Preaching about Sexual and Domestic Violence. Co-edited with John S. McClure, United Church Press, 1998
Pastoral Care and Counseling: Redefining the Paradigms, editor, Abingdon, 2004
Pastoral Theology and Care: Critical Trajectories in Theory and Practice, Editor, Wiley Blackwell, 2018
Military Moral Injury and Spiritual Care: A Resource for Religious Leaders and Professional Caregivers, co-edited with Carrie Doehring, Chalice, 2019
Candidate Statement
I agreed to stand for election as an ombudsperson because, like many in AAR, I know how important it is to safeguard every member from experiences of sexual misconduct. I have received extensive training in this work including a multi-day training led by the Faith Trust Institute, formerly the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence. While teaching in an accredited master’s program in marriage and family therapy, I taught courses that included this material. I helped write an earlier version of the Presbyterian Church USA policy on sexual misconduct (1990-1991). As many other faculty in theological schools, I have also advised students who experienced boundary crossing and sought justice. As Executive VP and Dean at Brite, I initiated implementation of background checks prior to new students’ matriculation and developed and led boundary workshops for new students as well as assuring student and faculty compliance with policies to prevent sexual misconduct and assure accountability when it was reported. Annually, as a Brite employee, I engage in an extensive online review of current higher education regulations and policies regarding reporting and accountability for sexual misconduct.