Lisa Kimball, Plenary Speaker, is the Associate Dean of Lifelong Learning, the Director of the Center for the Ministry of Teaching, and Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership at Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal) in Alexandria, VA. She joined the VTS faculty in 2009.

Lisa received her Ph.D. in Work, Community, and Family Education from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Her dissertation, “Being Godparent: A Dialogical Hermeneutic Study of Godparenthood” wove together her interests in human development, experiential learning, faith formation, church history, and popular culture. She earned a M.Ed. in Youth Development Leadership from the University of Minnesota in 2001, and an A.B. in Human Biology from Stanford University in 1980.

Prior to her appointment at Virginia Seminary, Lisa was a member of the faculty in the College of Education at the University of Minnesota with dual appointments in the School of Social Work (Youth Studies) and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Lisa also held a position as Research Scientist at Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN where she focused on adolescent spiritual development and program evaluation. She also served as adjunct faculty at Luther Seminary, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Before assuming an academic career, Lisa spent twenty years serving on the staff of five congregations and two dioceses in California and Minnesota.