Associate provost, interim dean, five administrative appointments announced at Southwestern Seminary

Ashley Allen

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The appointments of a new associate provost, an interim dean for the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries, and administrative leaders for student services, the writing center, library and information services, and admissions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College were announced today by President Adam W. Greenway.

“I am delighted to announce new administrative staff appointments of seven key leaders who will bolster the committed team supporting Southern Baptists’ ‘Crown Jewel’ seminary,” said Greenway. “Each of these men and women bring unique gifts to their respective positions and will serve our institution well, complementing the outstanding individuals already in place. I am grateful for each of these colleagues and their service on Seminary Hill.”

Michael S. Wilder, who has served since 2019 as the dean of the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries, has been appointed to the newly created position of associate provost for innovative learning. He becomes the second person at Southwestern Seminary to hold such a senior academic administrative position, serving alongside Travis H. Trawick, associate provost for academic services.

In his new role, Wilder will oversee non-traditional education for the seminary’s four graduate schools and undergraduate college, including online and distributed learning, church-based partnerships and residencies, and other related academic innovations. He will retain his faculty status in the Terry School as professor of educational ministries.

Wilder, who previously served at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as associate vice president for doctoral studies, holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Christian education and leadership from the Kentucky-based seminary. He also earned a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Business Administration in management from Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia. Wilder has additional teaching experience at New Orleans Seminary.

N. Chris Shirley has been named interim dean of the Terry School following the appointment of Wilder. 

Shirley, who returned to service at Southwestern Seminary in 2019 as associate dean and professor of educational ministries in the Terry School, was named to the Jack D. and Barbara Terry Chair of Religious Education upon action of the seminary’s Board of Trustees at their spring meeting this year. Shirley, who earned both his Doctor of Philosophy in Foundations of Education (2002) and Master of Arts in Religious Education (1994) degrees from Southwestern Seminary, served as the program director for the Master of Arts in discipleship degree program at Dallas Baptist University (2016-19). Prior to serving at DBU, Shirley served at Southwestern Seminary as associate professor of adult education and held the Terry Chair for almost a decade.

Shirley is the author of Husband of One Wife and Family Ministry and the Church: A Leader’s Guide for Ministry Through the Family and is a contributor to the Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education. He has also authored Bible study curriculum for Lifeway Christian Resources and has previous ministry experience at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth and Calvary Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina.

Chandler M. Snyder has been appointed associate vice president for student services. Snyder has served with the International Mission Board since 2012 and has been the affinity trainer for Sub-Saharan Africa since 2020. In this role, he oversaw the creation of content and implementation of all incoming IMB personnel, field personnel, and short-term teams. Additionally, he curated training and skill development opportunities to equip missionaries to engage cross-culturally for their missionary tasks.

Snyder, who is currently a Doctor of Philosophy student at Southwestern Seminary, earned a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary in 2015 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in 2007. 

Amy L. Crider, who has served as associate professor of foundations of education at Southwestern Seminary since 2020, will also serve as director of the Southwestern Center for Writing Excellence, an on-campus resource center for all seminary and college students.

Crider earned both her Bachelor of Arts in professional writing and a Master of Arts in English with a concentration in composition and rhetoric degrees from Miami University in Ohio. She also earned a Doctor of Education degree from Southern Seminary. Crider has served on the faculty of Boyce College and as the Writing Center Coordinator at Southern Seminary. She also has previous teaching experience at the University of Northern Colorado, Aims Community College, Westmont College, Southwest Baptist University, and Liberty University.

Andrew D. Streett, who has served as associate professor of biblical studies since 2017, has been appointed director of libraries and information services at Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College.

Streett, who served as director of library services at Criswell College in Dallas (2004-10) and library director at Redeemer Seminary in Austin, Texas (2012-16), holds a Doctor of Philosophy in theology and religious studies from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Additionally, he earned a Master of Library Science from the University of North Texas, a Master of Arts in biblical and theological studies from Criswell College, and a Bachelor of Arts in religion and philosophy from Hillsdale College.

In addition to his teaching experience at Southwestern Seminary, Streett has also served as assistant professor of biblical and theological research at Criswell College and as assistant professor of New Testament at Redeemer Seminary. Since 2020, he has served as an associate editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology.

J. Craig Kubic, who has served as dean of libraries since 2015, has been named senior digital resources librarian. He has previously served as the director of libraries at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1988-2014) and acting library director at what is now Gateway Seminary (1987-88).

Kubic earned a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree from Midwestern Seminary in 2006. He also holds a Master of Divinity from the formerly named Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Library Science from Louisiana State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. Kubic also completed additional doctoral study in organization and leadership at the University of San Francisco.

Armando Hernandez has been appointed director of admissions for Southwestern Seminary and TBC. Hernandez has served as a student success specialist since May 2021. In this role, he provided academic advisement services for students for their degree progression, as well as educational enrichment opportunities for students, and aided students in course selection in alignment with their interests and abilities.

Hernandez began last fall working on his Doctor of Philosophy in systematic theology and apologetics at Southwestern Seminary, where he earned both his Master of Divinity (2021) and Master of Theological Studies (2019) degrees. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in management from the University of Texas at Brownsville.

All appointments were effective June 1, with the exception of Snyder who will assume his duties on July 1.