The CUERG Distinguished Scholar-Leader Award honors a member of the CTSA whose work as a scholar-leader has contributed to or supported the theologizing of underrepresented and underrecognized communities in the academy, Church, and/or wider society.
This year's honoree, Dr. C. Vanessa White has been instrumental in calling for and modelling a more truly inclusive Church and academy in numerous settings.
During the academic school year, Dr. White serves as an Associate Professor in at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, teaching in the area of Spirituality and Ministry and serving as Director of the Certificate in Black Theology and Ministry. As her nominator wrote, "Vanessa has dedicated her life to leading important conversations in the fields of spirituality and pastoral theology, lifting up theological subfields that do not always receive the affirmation they should in contexts like the CTSA and other similar academic guilds." During her Summers, she serves as the Associate Director for Degree Programs for the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana – a program that has run for more than 40 years carrying forward its mission to form disciples for more effective ministry in the Black Catholic community, the Church and the community at large. During the institute and year-round, her work with college professors, Catholic clergy, and Black Catholic parishioners actively advances the CTSA’s mission of developing a mature understanding of faith among Christian communities.
In addition to this teaching and administrative service, Dr. White has been a leading voice in challenging both Church and academy to a fuller witness to God. A colleague writes of her role in conversations with the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, she "speaks with prophetic voice and ecclesial love, embodying the type of theologian that Pope Francis has encouraged during his pontificate: close to the people of God, attentive to those who live in the peripheries, and writing scholarship for the entire church, not just the learned minds." In addition, Dr. Vanessa White has been a formative guiding presence in the CTSA and CUERG itself, serving in key leadership roles Society and mentoring members who self-identify with underrepresented communities. She can be seen year after year accompanying junior scholars in different settings: sessions, plenaries, conversations, mentorship initiatives, and so on.
Leading in all these ways through her teaching and scholarship, formal administration and personal example, Dr. White has been a strong advocate for underrepresented communities and their theological reflection. Dr. White is constantly working as a theological educator with phenomenal commitment, and she deserves our esteem and gratitude.
