Edgardo Colón-Emeric is dean of Duke Divinity School and the Ruth and A. Morris Williams, Jr. Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Colón-Emeric earned a B.S. degree (Cornell University) and M.S. degree (University of Vermont) in mechanical engineering before earning his M.Div. and Ph.D. in theology at Duke University.
He is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, with international ecumenical service as chair of the World Methodist Council’s Ecumenical and Inter-religious Committee, co-chair of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission, and co-chair of the Anglican-Methodist International Coordinating Committee.
Colón-Emeric joined the faculty of Duke Divinity School in 2008, and he has served as the founding director of the Hispanic House of Studies, director of the Center of Reconciliation, and associate dean for academic formation. He also served as the director of Central American Methodist Course of Study and director of the Duke-Peru Theological Initiative, among his many other contributions to serve the church, academy, and world.
His scholarship explores the intersection of Methodist and Catholic theologies and Wesleyan and Latin American experiences. He is the author of The People Called Metodista: Renewing Doctrine, Worship, and Missions from the Margins (Abingdon Press) and the award-winning books Wesley, Aquinas, and Christian Perfection: An Ecumenical Dialogue (Baylor University Press) and Óscar Romero’s Theological Vision: Liberation and the Transfiguration of the Poor (University of Notre Dame Press).
Colón-Emeric has served as dean of Duke Divinity School since July 2021.
Recent Books
In the Media
Edgardo Colón-Emeric on the Council of Nicaea's lessons for today
"Family, Faith, Fiesta, Forgiveness" with Dean Edgardo Colon-Emeric
Edgardo Colón-Emeric on “The Beauty of the Church”
News and Stories
Celebrating the 2026 Graduates of Duke Divinity School
Duke Divinity School celebrated over 150 graduating students at the 2026 Baccalaureate Service on May 9 in Duke Chapel. Other events included Closing Convocation, an academic awards ceremony, and Graduate Cross services.
Duke Divinity and MTU Celebrate 140 Years of Methodist Mission Through Deepening Global Partnership
In celebration of the 140th anniversary of Methodist mission work, President Kyung-dong Yoo of Methodist Theological University in Korea (MTU) visited Duke Divinity School in January, marking a significant new chapter in the schools’ growing international partnership.
New Book Affirms 'Remarkable Convergence’ of Methodists and Catholics
Dean Edgardo Colón-Emeric contributes to Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission book that examines the theological progress made over the past six decades between the Catholic and Methodist Churches.
Upcoming Events
The annual Convocation & Pastors’ School is an intensive multi-day conference that offers lectures, worship, alumni gatherings, and seminars for Christian leaders of all traditions.
The annual Convocation & Pastors’ School is an intensive multi-day conference that offers lectures, worship, alumni gatherings, and seminars for Christian leaders of all traditions.