The Disciples of Christ Historical Society draws on leaders from across the Stone-Campbell Movement who possess a passion for the work of the Society. The board recently welcomed the leadership of Rev. Dr. Yara González-Justiniano. Rev. Dr. González-Justiniano is an Assistant Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture with an emphasis in Latinx Studies at Vanderbilt University. She is also affiliated faculty of the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies. 

She received her PhD in Theological Studies with a concentration in church and society from Boston University School of Theology, where she also earned a Master of Divinity degree. At the University of Puerto Rico, Dr. González-Justiniano earned a B.A. in Audiovisual Communications with a concentration on film; she also double majored in theater and modern languages. Her educational journey of interdisciplinarity informs the ways in which she approaches theological studies. Her most recent publication, Centering Hope as a Sustainable Decolonial Practice: Esperanza en Práctica (2022), wrestles with answering the question of what hope looks like amid socioeconomic crisis. Her interdisciplinary approach to this inquiry grounds itself in ethnographic research in hopes of finding practices that enable a hope that can sustain the collective. Her research and teaching interests include Latinx theologies, Latin American Liberation theology, ecclesiology and pastoral theologies, memory studies, postcolonial and decolonial theory, popular culture and film, and popular religion and theologies of hope. She is also an ordained minister of the Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Tennessee region.

When asked what most excites her about working with DCHS, Rev. Dr. González-Justiniano said, “the opportunity to engage in the deep and rich tradition that has been shaped by the Stone-Campbell movement. It is a legacy that continues to strongly resonate with the ways we build and interrogate an ecclesiology centered in Spirit, Word, and Creation.” 

We at the Society are pleased to welcome Rev. Dr. González-Justiniano to the dynamic leadership team that makes up the board of trustees.