The current president of AdventHealth University in Orlando ‘brings a genuine understanding of issues before the church and academy’
by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary | Special to Presbyterian News Service
Dr. Edwin I. Hernández
LOUISVILLE — Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in partnership with Louisville Institute, has named Dr. Edwin I. Hernández, president of AdventHealth University in Orlando, Florida, as the new executive director of Louisville Institute. Hernández, who also serves as faculty affiliate and director at the Project for the Study of Latino Religion, Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame, will begin work at Louisville Institute on June 1.
“Dr. Hernández has a distinguished leadership profile in the worlds of faith, philanthropy and higher education,” said Louisville Seminary President Alton B. Pollard, III. “As the executive director of the Louisville Institute, he brings a genuine understanding of issues before the church and academy, and a just engagement with the communities and constituencies they serve. LI’s impactful witness of promoting scholarship that contributes to the flourishing of the church continues.”
“It is a privilege and an honor to join the Louisville Institute,” said Hernández. “I am eager to lend my scholarly contributions, philanthropic and academic leadership experience, professional relationships, and core values to advance the mission of the Louisville Institute.”
Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. since 1990, the Institute’s mission is to bridge church and academy through awarding grants and fellowships to those who lead and study North American religious institutions, practices, and movements, thereby promoting scholarship that strengthens church, academy, and society, and ultimately contribute to the flourishing of the church. The Institute advances this work through funding diverse research that addresses the changing and diverse global, multicultural, generational, intersectional and emerging currents facing North American Christianity, as well as related global connections and implications. In addition, the Institute’s Vocation of the Theological Educator initiative seeks to nurture a new generation of scholars who are considering theological education as a vocation through intentional, focused professional formation and teaching.
“The Louisville Institute has long played a critical role in supporting research and writing that explores both emerging edges of vitality and hard challenges facing Christian communities today,” said Dr. Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Dr. Hernández is an experienced leader and an accomplished scholar. He is exceptionally well-prepared to guide the Institute as it carries forward its mission.”
“The health and vitality of communities, neighborhoods and families are closely connected to the strength of religious institutions. There is no more important task than to better understand the depth and scope of religious life in America in all of its diversity and expressions,” adds Hernández. “I am excited to join the team at the Louisville Institute and be part of the longstanding and prestigious legacy of advancing the careers of the next generation of leaders and scholars united to advance the flourishing mission of American Christianity.”
Hernández earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, an M.Div. from Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (Andrews University), and a B.A. in Theology with Educational Emphasis from Loma Linda University. He was also ordained to the ministry within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1991.
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