Kathleen Wells, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, was recently elected by her fellow alumni as a trustee on the board of trustees of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin.
Rayford B. High, Jr., bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, said, “I am so pleased and excited Kathleen Wells has been elected to the board of the Seminary of the Southwest. Her election continues our representation as an owning diocese on the board.”
Wells said, “I am so pleased to be able to help reestablish a formal connection between the Diocese of Fort Worth and our only Episcopal seminary in Texas. We in Fort Worth are so grateful for this additional resource where we can secure first class training and formation of lay and clerical ministers who continue to serve the Church in our diocese.”
In 2007 Kathleen earned a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry from the seminary. That three-year program was primarily designed for laity to explore formal theological training and spiritual formation for use in lay ministries, such as spiritual director, counselor, and church official — and even chancellor.
Wells joins a board of trustees headed by Dena Harrison, bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Texas. Wells’ first meeting with the new board is October 9, 2014.
Wells has served as chancellor of the diocese since 2009 and as a lay deputy to General Convention in 2009, 2012, and 2015. She also serves on The Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons for a six-year term (2009 – 2015), and served on the legislative Committee on Constitution at the 2012 General Convention. Wells is a longtime member of Trinity Episcopal Church, Fort Worth. She is a former public school teacher. She graduated with honors in 1979 from Texas Tech University School of Law and since then has represented businesses, individuals, and local governments, including school districts, in trials and appeals in state and federal courts. She is one of the counsel of record challenging the former diocesan and congregation officials who broke away from the Church and diocese in 2008.