Rev. Dr. Daniel J. Ott Appointed as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean
April 28, 2025 | Richmond, VA — Union Presbyterian Seminary is delighted to announce that the Rev. Dr. Daniel J. “Dan” Ott has been appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, following a thorough search process and enthusiastic approval from the Board of Trustees. Dr. Ott will begin his five-year term as Academic Dean on July 1, 2025. He brings to Union a distinguished record of academic leadership, theological scholarship, and pastoral ministry. Most recently, he has served as Dean of the School of Theology, Humanities, and Performing Arts, and Dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). Since joining EMU in 2022, Dr. Ott has led with vision and compassion—guiding strategic planning efforts, developing institutional values around academic excellence and peacebuilding, and securing more than $2.5 million in Lilly Endowment grants to advance theological education. Prior to EMU, Ott served on the faculty at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Laurinburg, NC and on faculty and administration at Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL.
In announcing the appointment, Union President Jacqueline Lapsley shared:
“Dan Ott comes to UPSem with deep experience in innovative theological education. A thoughtful theologian and teacher with a track record of caring deeply about student formation, Dan brings a wealth of administrative experience to the role of Academic Dean. One faculty colleague summed up the views of many in appreciating Dan’s ‘relational approach to leadership,’ which attends to a diversity of voices in a reflective, winsome way. I look forward to welcoming Dan Ott to UPSem, and working alongside him to advance UPSem’s mission.”
Dr. Ott will hold the academic rank of Professor of Theology with tenure, and plans to begin teaching one course per academic year starting in 2026–27.
Reflecting on his new role, Dr. Ott said:
“Union Presbyterian Seminary has long been a beacon for rigorous theological education grounded in the Reformed tradition and oriented toward justice, mercy, and deep faith. I’m honored to join a community so rooted in its mission and so committed to preparing leaders for the Church and world. I look forward to walking alongside Union’s gifted faculty, staff, and students as we imagine together what faithful and courageous theological education looks like in our time.”
Beyond academia, Dr. Ott is a devoted and active member of the Presbyterian Church (USA). An ordained Teaching Elder since 2001, he currently serves as a minister member of Shenandoah Presbytery, where he sits on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry. His deep pastoral heart has been shaped through years of service in local congregations, including as Stated Supply Pastor at Sugar Tree Grove Presbyterian Church in Monmouth, IL (2011–2021), and as Pastor of Jefferson and Rocky Creek Presbyterian Churches in South Carolina (2001–2004).
His passion for community engagement is reflected in his roles as a Board Member for Any Given Child of the Shenandoah Valley, as a volunteer instructor at Hill Correctional Facility in Illinois, and through local outreach at Gemeinschaft Home, a re-entry program in Harrisonburg, VA.
A prolific thinker and writer, Dr. Ott’s current academic project, In the Twinkling of an Eye: A Christian Naturalist Theology of Death, explores themes of mortality, spirituality, and theological naturalism. He has published widely on nonviolence, theological ethics, and Christian thought in America, and has served as guest editor with The Presbyterian Outlook and the American Journal of Theology and Philosophy.
Dan is married to the Rev. Dr. Teresa “Teri” McDowell Ott, publisher and editor of The Presbyterian Outlook. Together, they are the proud parents of Isaac and Ella, and share life with Teri’s canine coworker, Max, and Ella’s puppy, River.
Union Presbyterian Seminary looks forward with gratitude and excitement to the leadership and wisdom Dr. Ott will bring to its community and mission.
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Advancement Team
Union Presbyterian Seminary
804-278-4320
