Introducing our 12th President
Rev. Dr. Maisha I. Handy, President of McCormick Theological Seminary
“Working collaboratively with the board, faculty, staff, and students, we will walk together into the next phase of this great institution’s legacy in theological education.”
In July 2024, the Board of Trustees of McCormick Theological Seminary named Rev. Dr. Maisha I. Handy the 12th president at one of the nation’s oldest and most influential seminaries rooted in the Presbyterian tradition.
A Chicago native, Dr. Handy is a recognized and accomplished theologian, administrator, and educator. She will assume her new position as McCormick’s first African American president and second female leader on September 3rd.
This appointment follows her 24-year career at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, Ga., where she most recently served as Interim President and Professor of Religion and Education of the historic institution.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Maisha Handy back to Chicago and now to McCormick where she will continue our mission of nurturing the gifts of women and men for faithful Christian ministry and leadership in a challenging and complex world.”
Dr. Handy steps in to lead McCormick into its third century committed to supporting and building upon a legacy of fostering a community of Christian leadership serving diverse ministries and congregations in this challenging and complex world.
"It is with joy and excitement that I join the McCormick community as its 12th president,” says Dr. Handy. “McCormick’s mission as a seminary committed to justice and social impact aligns with my sense of vocation and purpose as a leader. Working collaboratively with the board, faculty, staff, and students, we will walk together into the next phase of this great institution’s legacy in theological education.”
“She is the right leader for this time and place at McCormick Theological Seminary.”
A progressive leader among American seminaries, Dr. Handy is well respected for her experience as an administrator, dean, and pastor. She is an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and since 2013 has served as pastor at Rize Community Church, an inclusive Africentric Christian ministry located in the heart of Atlanta with an intergenerational congregation of believers from all walks of life. Her time in the pastorate at Rize has brought her recognition for her work guiding young adults.
Dr. Handy earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Lincoln University in 1989; received her Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, Emory University in 1994, and her Ph.D. from Emory University in 2002 — the first African American woman to receive the degree from the department. Dr. Handy also spent a year as a teaching assistant to Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa in 1999.
“Dr. Handy is a visionary leader, a collaborative and compassionate minister, a proven educator, and an effective relationship builder. We are confident Dr. Handy’s tremendous experience and wide-ranging skillset will enable her to work together with our accomplished faculty to propel McCormick into its third century.”
In addition to her proven track record of more than two decades of experience in theological education, Dr. Handy is a collaborative leader and social justice-oriented community builder whose values and commitments align with those of McCormick. She inherits a financially strong and healthy seminary and a community that will embrace and support her to advance the institution’s mission and notable reputation for community collaboration.
Dr. Handy succeeds David H. Crawford, who retired on June 30, 2024, after serving as the seminary’s president since 2017. Mr. Crawford is credited with successfully leading McCormick through the pandemic and a transformational period in its history. His profound commitment to the future of the seminary helped to ensure McCormick’s historic legacy — and safeguard the vital work that we do so it may continue into the future.