Rev. Cherisna Jean-Marie

A Haitian-American born and raised in Newark, NJ, Rev. Cherisna Jean-Marie is the newly elected Dean of the Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt. She is the first woman and person of color to occupy this role and begin her tenure there on April 1, 2024. She is a pioneer in her own right as she was the first to serve as Director of Leadership and Organizing at Children’s Defense Fund, first to serve as the Director of Racial justice ministries at Scarritt Bennet Center, first woman and person of color to serve as Dean of Chapel at Bethany College, in Bethany West Virginia, first woman to serve as Chaplain at Jarvis Christian College the only HBCU affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the first woman to be ordained by the Chirstian Church (Disciples of Christ) at New Covenant Christian Church in 2012.

On November 3, 2022, she founded The Co-Conspirator Institute. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that seeks to create space for individuals to confront and eradicate systemic, social, structural, and institutional racism and provide opportunities for healing from racial trauma. At the heart of her work with TCCI, is hosting grief retreat for Black mothers who has lost their children due to gun violence. TCCI was started in honor of her beloved nephew Christopher Aldy Morand who was murdered in 2019 due to gun violence. In 2001 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Communications from Kean University in Union, NJ.

In 2010, Rev. Jean-Marie completed her Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. During commencement, she was awarded the coveted Florence Conwell Prize for outstanding preaching.

She is a co-contributor for 5 book projects, a mentor, social entrepreneur, community organizer, antiracist activist, an international teacher and preacher but her most beloved role is being “auntie” to her 9 nephews and 1 niece.

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