Anita Lumpkin
Executive Director of Enrollment Management
Anita comes to Duke Divinity School from the University of Chicago Divinity School, where she most recently served as dean of students and associate dean for diversity and inclusion. In that capacity, she provided comprehensive administrative and strategic leadership for student and academic support services; admissions, recruitment, and financial aid; and Title IX, equity, and diversity efforts. She previously worked at Loyola University Chicago in the Office of Military Veteran Student Services and at Northwestern University in the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid. Anita is a U.S. Army veteran who served as a military justice paralegal for over a decade.
At Duke Divinity School, she leads strategic enrollment efforts, including recruitment, admissions, and financial aid, and serves as a key member of the student support team addressing retention and student success.
Anita is in the final stages of a doctoral program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Ed.D.) and is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago (M.Ed.) and Lake Forest College (B.A.).
Admissions Staff
Ashley Cross
Director of Recruitment and Admissions
A native of Spartanburg, S.C., the Rev. Ashley Cross has lived in North Carolina since 2011. She earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015. She earned her M.Div. at Duke Divinity School in 2019, having concentrated her studies in Christian education. Ashley is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and can often be found with a latte and a smile. She was ordained in 2019 and currently serves as a children’s minister at Union Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. Her belief that faithful Christian witness promotes individual and world transformation motivates her to aid those who are interested in pursuing a theological education and those called to vocational ministry. She is enthusiastic about leading the admissions team and working with prospective students who are interested in Duke Divinity School.
Eliza Stewart
Admissions Recruiter
Originally from the panhandle of Florida, Eliza Stewart loves the city of Durham. She earned a B.A. in religion at Huntingdon College in 2018 with a minor in history and focus on Christian education. She earned her M.Div. at Duke Divinity School in 2021. Eliza has a passionate heart for ministry, justice, and photography. Born a United Methodist, she responded to a call to ministry in 2013 in the United Methodist Church while also following a passion for photography and digital communication. She believes in the transformative impact of higher education to equip and form students for endless vocational possibilities post-graduation.
MacGregor Knight
Admissions Recruiter
MacGregor is a native North Carolinian, originally from Charlotte. He spent many years living in Boone, N.C., while he attended college at Appalachian State University, where he earned a B.A. in religious studies. He recently graduated from Duke Divinity School with an M.Div. and is currently a candidate for ministry as a deacon in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. He and his wife, Anna Britt, live in Durham with their dog, Murphy. In his free time, MacGregor enjoys checking out local coffee shops and restaurants, being outside near a body of water, and watching sports (baseball, football, and of course college basketball). He is passionate about listening to people's stories and walking alongside them as they are discerning a call to ministry.
Mackenzie Fair
Admissions Recruiter
Mackenzie is originally from Indiana but North Carolina has been home for the last three years while she’s been in graduate school. She has a B.A. from Anderson University and recently completed her M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. She serves as a first point of contact and offers hospitality for prospective students and applicants.
Financial Aid Staff
Cassandra Pettigrew
Director of Financial Aid
Cassandra joined the Office of Financial Aid as the director of financial aid in the spring of 2014. She has more than 20 years of financial aid and higher education experience and previously served as the associate director of financial aid at Fayetteville State University and senior account executive for Sallie Mae Incorporated, providing higher education institutions with funding and technology solutions. She also previously served as director of financial aid for Duke's Fuqua School of Business.
Xochilth Ortiz
Financial Aid Counselor
Xochilth recently relocated to North Carolina from her home state of Georgia. She is a May 2022 honors graduate from the University of Georgia where she received a B.A. in political science. Xochilth most recently served as a college advisor with the Georgia College Advisor Corp. In this role, she advised more than 275 high school students on how to navigate the college admissions and financial aid process. Xochilth is fluent in written and conversational Spanish. In her role at Duke Divinity School, Xochilth continues the great work of advising students. She assists students with navigating the financial aid process, speaking with students during admission visit days, and serving as a resource to assist students with identifying scholarship resources to make attending Duke Divinity School affordable.