BJC Staff Reports
Former BJC Executive Director Brent Walker has been named the interim president at The John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Arlington, Virginia.
Walker recently retired as executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee, a position he held for 17 years. He continues to serve the organization as an executive consultant.
In a news release announcing the appointment, Leland proclaimed Walker a Baptist leader who is known throughout the country because of his leadership relating to religious freedom. He shares that passion with the school’s namesake, John Leland, who advocated for religious freedom in the nation’s earliest years.
Walker is a graduate of the University of Florida, Stetson University College of Law and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar and an ordained minister.
Walker has been a tireless advocate for religious freedom for all people, and has received numerous awards, including the Virginia First Freedom Award, the Adrian Westney Religious Liberty Award from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Leland in 2013.
Most recently, Walker received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Florida, one of the highest honors bestowed by the university.
During spring commencement, University President Kent Fuchs presented the honor to Walker, and David Richardson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, spoke to the crowd about Walker’s accomplishments and the work of the Baptist Joint Committee defending religious liberty for all people. The award is given to alumni who are excellent examples for students as they step off campus and into the world as graduates.
Walker begins his tenure at Leland on August 15.
From the July/August 2017 edition of Report from the Capital. You can also read the digital version of the magazine or view it as a PDF.
