Elise Edwards | At-Large Director Candidate

Biography

Elise Edwards is a scholar and educator who advocates for the importance of art and architecture in social justice, human flourishing, and religious community. She is Associate Professor in Religion, affiliate faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies, and Director of the Baylor Initiative in Christianity and the Arts at Baylor University.

At the start of her career, Edwards trained as an architect at Florida A&M University but later studied Christian theology and ethics to explore questions about art, architecture, and creativity from a faith perspective with intellectual rigor. She attended John Leland Seminary and then Claremont Graduate University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Religion (Theology, Ethics, and Culture). For over a decade as a Christian ethicist, she has helped students navigate complex social issues while developing her own interdisciplinary research. She has authored several essays and Architecture, Theology, and Ethics: Making Architectural Design More Just (Lexington, 2024) and co-edited The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Cities (Routledge, 2021) with Katie Day. Edwards stays active in her local church and community and has served in numerous leadership roles in the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Christian Ethics, the Center for Religion and Cities, and Partners for Sacred Places.

Candidate Statement

It is an honor to be nominated for this position in an organization that has contributed so much to my intellectual and professional development. My involvement with the AAR began during my first semester of PhD coursework when I attended the San Diego meeting on a shoestring budget. I quickly found a home in the Religion and Cities Unit—then just an interest group—where I later joined the steering committee and became program unit chair. The relationships cultivated there led to publications, grants, and service on new initiatives. I also found community at the Western (AAR-WR) regional meetings and, after taking a faculty position in Texas, became involved in the Southwest Region (AAR-SW) as a presenter, section co-convener, and Program Committee member. Now, I typically occupy multiple roles at our national annual meetings as a presenter, presider, tour attendee, workshop participant, and reception-hopper. My goals are always to learn from colleagues, renew connections, and forge promising paths for innovative scholarship.

The intention that undergirds my research, teaching, and service is building and supporting environments that are accessible, humane, and just for all. I know many of us share this commitment, and like you, I encounter challenges posed by political and religious ideologies that actively oppose our progress. Work within institutional contexts can be disheartening, but I actively cultivate hope and resistance, refusing to cede our important cultural institutions—schools, congregations, social clubs—to forces that devalue inclusion.

At-Large Directors are charged with representing the needs and interests of the general AAR membership to the Board of Directors. I am sensitive to the diversity of our concerns, having held various academic positions from contingent to tenured faculty, and varied teaching and support jobs as a graduate student. This range of experiences enhances my ability to relate to a broad spectrum of the Academy. I recognize, however, that these cannot replace the insights that come from direct communication with our membership. Training in facilitation and communication, alongside an interest in ethical listening, has taught me how to pursue dialogue and deliberation with empathy and clarity.

Because At-Large Directors are tasked with various duties by the Board, a candidate’s broad interests, adaptability, and a diverse skill set are key. I have been an active AAR member and served on the boards of various non-profits and community groups for over a decade. I also served on Baylor University’s Faculty Senate during a crucial transition time. In all of these organizations, I have participated in strategic planning and program development/review. In recent years, my work has focused on committees and task forces dedicated to governance, programs, and ethics, but I have also been involved in fellowship/grant applications review, fundraising, outreach, and community engagement. Moreover, I assumed leadership and support roles in education, community support, and mentoring programs for years before my career in academia began.

If elected, I will work diligently to represent you in addressing the challenges of our work and advancing the mission of the AAR. Our voices are vital for the betterment of our institutions.