New Wilson Center Director

The Board of Directors of the Wilson Center for Spiritual Exploration and Multifaith Dialogue is pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Rebecca Schlatter Liberty as its new director for the 2018-2019 academic year. Rev. Liberty is well-known to the Wilson Center community and was vetted by our search committee in 2017, a process from which she withdrew due to other commitments.  In the interim she has served as a board member, a consultant, and as president of the board of directors. We are grateful that she made herself available for a search which owing to external circumstances was short, and we hope that this year will be the beginning of a long and productive relationship.

Rev. Liberty has experience with religious and spiritual life at several universities, including Stanford University and Santa Clara University. At Santa Clara, she served as a campus minister with students from any religious background or none, developing programs to help students make decisions for their future according to their deepest values and convictions. From those conversations emerged her book, The Treasure Hunt of Your Life: Seeking Your Calling, Encountering God, Finding Yourself.

Born in the Midwest and raised in Silicon Valley, Rev. Liberty earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Amherst College, her Master of Divinity at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Harvard Divinity School, and her Master of Business Administration at Marylhurst University. She was ordained in the Lutheran church (ELCA) in 2002 and has served congregations in Hong Kong, northern California, and Nevada. Most recently, she served as lead pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bangor, where she lives with her husband (a UMaine alumnus) and two young children.

Outgoing Director Rev. Lauren Seganos Cohen will conclude her time at the Wilson Center at the end of August and Rev. Liberty will assume the position of Director on September 1st.

The Wilson Center’s mission is to create progressive, ecumenical and multifaith dialogue for the UMaine community and through worship, study and service to work for social justice, honor diversity and provide opportunities for spiritual growth. The center’s core value is the equality of all people.

The Wilson Center is located at 67 College Avenue in Orono.