Meet the National Alumni Council

Duke Divinity School alumni are some of the most important supporters and ambassadors of the school. Our alumni serve around the U.S. and the world as pastors, educators, mission coordinators, youth ministers, chaplains, music ministers, counselors, nonprofit leaders, healthcare professionals, and more. The National Alumni Council (NAC) is part of a strategic effort to connect the Divinity School to its alumni and the ministry networks in which they serve.

Made up of 24 alumni from different graduating years, backgrounds, denominations, and ministry contexts, the NAC meets twice each year. The council works to mentor current and prospective students, nurture alumni through continuing education and reunions, and together identify new sources of financial aid funding and field education opportunities. Each member is recommended by either a peer, a current council members, or the alumni director to the dean, who invites a new class each year to join the council for a three-year term.

“The members of the National Alumni Council are key to ensuring that alumni insights and perspectives are heard within our community," said Minoka Yonts, director of alumni relations. "The council provides innovative expertise, wise counsel for the dean and senior leadership, and generous financial support to the Divinity School as it seeks to be a faithful, transformative resource for the church and the academic world.”

The NAC provides valuable insight to school leadership about the direction of alumni-focused programming, the skills and knowledge students will need as alumni, and the requirements to adequately prepare students for the current ministerial landscape.

Additionally, said Yonts, “Our NAC members help to educate the broader alumni community about the many ways an alum can be connected to the school, from time, talent, treasure, ties, trust, and testimony. They are absolutely critical to the success of the school’s engagement with our alumni community.”

“The members of the National Alumni Council are key to ensuring that alumni insights and perspectives are heard within our community. The council provides innovative expertise, wise counsel for the dean and senior leadership, and generous financial support to the Divinity School as it seeks to be a faithful, transformative resource for the church and the academic world.”

Meet the 2024-2025 National Alumni Council

Our NAC members represent a variety of denominations, ministry contexts, and generations. Meet some of our 24 members below.

National Alumni Council Group 2024 in York Room

Kendal McBroom

Master of Divinity and Master of Public Policy, 2019

Kendal McBroom currently serves as the director of civil and human rights at the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society and is a Ph.D. candidate at Morgan State University in Applied Sociology and Social Justice.

McBroom's time at Duke Divinity had an incredible impact on his life and ministry, from making deep friendships to gaining mentors in faculty and staff.

Said McBroom, "Learning about Christian formation from Dr. Fred Edie and the numerous classes I took with Dr. Luke Bretherton allowed me to do what I do now as it relates to advocacy and education for the church with conviction, compassion, and competence."

When McBroom was asked to be a part of the National Alumni Council, he took the request seriously, He said, "I desired to be a voice with those who have often been left out of the broader conversations of the trajectory of Duke Divinity School."

Rachel Thompson Orfield

Master of Divinity, 2015

Rachel Thompson Orfield

Rachel Thompson Orfield is the pastor at Harpeth Presbyterian Church, just outside of Nashville, Tenn.

"I would not be where I am today without my time at Duke Divinity School," said Orfield. "I am so grateful for all the ways I learned, grew, and deepened my understanding of faith and calling while I was at Duke. I believe the world needs pastors and faith leaders who have been given those same experiences, so I was delighted to join the National Alumni Council to help promote theological education at Duke Divinity for generations to come."

Duke helped prepare a strong foundation for her current work, said Orfield. The depth of study and intellectual rigor, engaging her mind, heart, and imagination, were a strong foundation for preaching and teaching at Harpeth Presbyterian.

Orfield encouraged other alumni to engage with the school, saying, "You as alumni are the best argument for why supporting Duke Divinity School matters. The ministry you are doing makes a difference for a world that desperately needs your love, skill, and compassion. The Alumni Council is praying for you and your ministry!"

Rob Tucker

Master of Divinity 2015

Rob Tucker is the pastor at Watkins United Methodist Church in Louisville, Ky. and the director of the Wesley Connexion at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

For Tucker, his time at Duke Divinity was transformative—from the deep theological work to an appointment as a student pastor to forming impactfulfriendships to meeting his wife, and fellow alum, Rev. Molly Shoulta Tucker—it shaped his preaching and life.

Said Tucker, "The friendships I developed at Duke Divinity have helped me stay in ministry. These last few years have been difficult for pastors, especially in the UMC. Without the support and encouragement of the friends I made at Duke, I am not sure I could have made it through it all."

Joining the NAC gave him a way to show how grateful he is for the formation that the school provided, said Tucker. "I am passionate about theological education, ministry, and connection. I also consistently quote Duke professors from my Kentucky pulpit. I hope that alums know that the Divinity School continues to pray for them and seeks to support them, in whatever ministry they find themselves in."

"I believe the world needs pastors and faith leaders who have been given those same experiences, so I was delighted to join the National Alumni Council to help promote theological education at Duke Divinity for generations to come."

Amanda Bolaños

Master of Theological Studies, 2022

Amanda Bolaños is a 3rd-year Th.D. student and preceptor at Duke Divinity School, interested in researching the intersection between virtue theory and liberation theology—"yearning to offer a real, pastoral, and critical perspective in looking at the systematic success and harm of religion in communities."

Bolaños said she is grateful for her time at Duke Divinity, and serving on the NAC offered a way to give back to a community that formed her, to help it flourish and grow, and to be a part of something greater than herself.

"Duke has informed, formed, and transformed me as a theologian and as a minister," said Bolaños. "I love teaching and I am so grateful that my time at Duke as a student in the classroom has allowed me to witness and learn from a variety of teaching styles and methods to help form and cultivate my own posture of teaching and catechizing.

"Theological education is a fully embodied type of education. The classroom is a safe space, but it is not necessarily a comfortable one. It is through this discomfort where growth can occur and where sustainable formation can flourish."

She offered a thoughtful word for alumni and students nearing graduation: "Our relationship with Duke Divinity doesn't stop after we graduate; that is just the beginning. Duke Divinity is not a place you leave, but rather a place that you come from."

Russell Pierce

Master of Divinity, 2001

Russel Pierce, alumni 2001 — Russel Pierce

Russell Pierce is the executive director of Housing for New Hope, a Durham-based nonprofit committed to improving the health and well-being of people who have experienced homelessness. The organization's emphasis is on connecting people to housing and the supportive services they’ll need to remain stably housed for the long haul.

Pierce has served in parish ministry, at the national and global levels of the church, and in local nonprofit agencies, and he hopes to bring that broad ministry perspective to the National Alumni Council.

Said Pierce, "My wife, Kathy Barba Pierce, and I both graduated from Divinity School in 2001. No matter where we have served or what types of ministries we have served in, we’ve appreciated the solid grounding in Scripture, theology, history, and practical ministry we received at Duke."

There are so many ways to be equipped for ministry in today’s contexts, said Pierce. "As alumni we can engage with the Divinity School and today’s students through supporting the annual fund, offering to serve as mentors from our varied ministry contexts, and hosting internships.

"The Divinity School continues to evolve new ways of training and supporting students who will serve in a variety of settings: parish ministry, community-based organizations, higher education, etc. As our dean often says, there are pulpits in many places."

Laura Russell

Master of Arts in Christian Practice, 2022

Laura Russell and family

Laura Russell serves as the pastor of children and families at Trinity United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Ala.

As a hybrid student during the pandemic, Russell's time on campus was limited, but she was surprised by the bond she still formed with professors and fellow students in her cohort.

Said Russell, "Dr. Yuckman and Dr. Portier-Young changed my life. They were champions of me as a student, as a seeker, and as a human being. Their ability to listen and to ask pointed questions as well as their encouragement of my own need for self-care was life-giving. Taking Dr. Portier-Young’s course "Domestic Violence and the Bible" pushed me the most and has continued to affect me and my ministry."

Despite doing most of her schooling from Birmingham, Russell said her time at Duke prepared her for ministry and the UMC ordination process. The hybrid program allowed her to answer a calling from a few states away.

Said Russell, "I was honored to be asked to join the NAC. I love Duke Divinity School. I love my professors. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to call myself a Duke alum and giving back to the school was an easy yes for me!"

Alumni can get involved at Duke Divinity School by:

Updating their contact information
Becoming a divinity mentor, admissions recruiting aid, or field education supervisor
Attending events hosted by the Divinity School
Praying for current students, faculty, staff, or fellow alumni of Duke Divinity School
Donating to the Annual Fund (100% of donations go to student scholarships)

Duke Divinity Alumni

Duke Divinity Alumni and the National Alumni Council gathered on campus in September for Alumni Day and the bi-annual National Alumni Council meeting.