The Rev. Dr. Heather Vacek, an ordained Moravian pastor from the Southern Province, will join Moravian Theological Seminary as its dean and vice president, taking over for Interim Dean Dr. Craig Atwood who has served admirably in this role since the retirement of Dr. Frank Crouch in 2020.
The Rev. Dr. Vacek currently serves at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as an associate professor of church history. For the past six years she has also served as vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of faculty.
“Moravian College and the Seminary are excited to welcome Rev. Dr. Vacek. She is an accomplished teacher, scholar and administrator and will be a great addition to our community,” commented Cynthia Kosso, Provost of Moravian College. “We’re confident her experience will allow her to make an immediate and positive impact on the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the Seminary.”
The Rev. Dr. Vacek worked for more than a decade in corporate engineering and marketing when she experienced her call to ministry and earned a Master of Divinity (2006) and Doctorate in Theology (2012) from Duke Divinity School. She was ordained by the Southern Province of the Moravian Church in July 2012.
In addition, Rev. Dr. Vacek earned her BA in Economics from Northwestern University, a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University, an MEM (engineering management) from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
The Rev. Dr. Vacek will assume her role at the Seminary July 1.
