McCormick Theological Seminary Trustees elect chair, vice-chair

Former Girl Scouts of the USA board president, campus minister elected

by McCormick Theological Seminary | Special to Presbyterian News Service

McCormick Theological Seminary’s Board of Trustees have elected a new Chair and VIce-Chair. (Contributed photo)

CHICAGO — At its annual meeting last month, the McCormick Theological Seminary Board of Trustees elected Connie Lindsey of Chicago as Chair. According to a seminary news release, she is Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Diversity and Inclusion at the Northern Trust. She succeeds Peter J. Cochrane of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. The Board also elected the Rev. Erica Y. Liu, co-pastor of Pres House in Madison, Wis., as Vice Chair.

President David Crawford said, “We are delighted and grateful that Connie and Erica have agreed to take on these leadership roles. Connie has inspired a generation of leaders through her work with the Girl Scouts of the USA, Covenant United Church of Christ, and many local and national organizations. Erica has faithfully served on McCormick’s board for the last eight years. She has been a thoughtful advocate for student needs and a national thought leader on engaging young adults in service and ministry. We are truly blessed.”

Connie Lindsey

Lindsey is the fourth woman to chair McCormick’s board, and the first African-American to do so.  “I am honored to serve as McCormick’s board chair,” she said. “McCormick has an extraordinary history and is an important institution for so many communities throughout this city, across the country, and around the world. It is a blessing to have this opportunity to serve the McCormick community and the wider ecumenical church.”

Liu is the first Taiwanese-American to serve as vice chair. “It has been a wonderful journey to serve as a trustee at McCormick over the last eight years,” she said. “We have taken on challenges that are not exclusive to theological education: issues of equity, race, gender, sexuality, and are transforming what it means to be a seminary deeply committed to social justice.”

Lindsey is the former National Board President of Girl Scouts of the USA. In this role she provided guidance in three vital areas — policy, fundraising, and leadership. She was an integral part of the Girl Scout transformation, committed to building and sustaining membership growth and ensuring girls receive a premier leadership development experience.

She has served on the Board at McCormick since 2016. In addition, she serves on several civic and charitable boards including Leadership Greater Chicago (Board President and Fellow since 2001); Obama Foundation Inclusion Council (Co-Chair); YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago; Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); and The Executives’ Club of Chicago.

Rev. Erica Y. Liu

Since 2004, Liu has served as co-pastor of Pres House, a Presbyterian campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was called alongside her spouse, Rev. Mark Elsdon, to rebirth the historic campus ministry and develop a new, sustainable ministry model that today includes a unique housing experience for 250 students. They are widely credited for having saved and revitalized Pres House and its campus ministries, which includes innovative, intentional residential communities for university students.

 A seminary in the city, McCormick is known around the world for its work in urban ministry, and for its cross-cultural, ecumenical models of theological education. One of 12 schools related to the Presbyterian Church (USA), and one of 11 members of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools, McCormick is a progressive leader in the Reformed tradition.