Cathedral News
The Process to Call the Eighth Dean of Grace Cathedral
July 14, 2010
Development of the Profile
Soon after the seventh Dean of Grace Cathedral, Alan Jones, announced his retirement, a committee was formed to search for a new Dean. The Search Committee for the eighth dean of Grace Cathedral met for the first time on December 17, 2008. The team was a well rounded group of individuals with a variety of perspectives. They represented the diverse constituencies of the cathedral community and brought a broad array of experience and talent to the work. The first meeting gave members the chance to meet each other and provided a general overview of the process.
In addition to the Search Committee, a Council of Advice was created to ensure a broad community perspective on what would best serve Grace Cathedral for the future, with leaders from the worlds of social service, civil service, the arts, the religious community, education, and youth.
The goal was to seat the next permanent dean in September 2010.
The Search Committee outlined the following steps to start the process:
- A self-study in March, April and May, 2009 engaged the congregation and the wider community with the resulting information being shared with the Board at the May 20 Trustee meeting. The study took place through a series of town hall meetings and in “house meetings” in locations around the Bay Area. There were also meetings with Choir parents, the Cathedral Board, Staff and Chapter, as well as members of the Council of Advice. Approximately 50 input meetings were held.
- The Profile was drafted in June. It included in depth information about Grace Cathedral (history and background, strengths & challenges, etc.), a description of what we wanted the dean to do and what we wanted the dean to be, as well as information about the process.
- Members of the Search Committee traveled to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church of the USA (ECUSA), July 8-17, 2009 to discuss the profile and meet with potential candidates and church leaders who could suggest outstanding candidates for consideration.
While a team worked on the profile, the Candidate Development & Evaluation team drafted a candidate two-step application process. We were open to receive applications and nominations on July 1, 2009.
On July 22, 2009, the Bishop and Board of Trustees approved the final Cathedral Profile which was made available to potential candidates and the wider community. The Profile was posted on the Grace Cathedral website and nearly 3,000 letters, with the Profile included, were emailed to church leaders soliciting nominations. Throughout the process, there was an opportunity for everyone to provide input on the Grace Cathedral website.
Applications Received
Between July 1 and October 1, 2009, the Search Committee received over 40 applications for the position of eighth Dean.
The applicants reflected a great deal of diversity—the nominations included men and women from a wide variety of places, both within the U.S. and outside the country, as well as differences in age, sexual orientation, background and experiences.
Each of the applicants was asked to provide the DSC with a nomination form, a completed preliminary application questionnaire, a Church Deployment Office (CDO) personal profile, a signed consent form and a resume. The CDO profile provided the DSC a consistent set of parameters by which to evaluate the nominees’ various leadership styles.
Narrowing the Field of Candidates
The DSC members read each application and made an independent assessment of the match with the Profile. On October 10, 2009, they had to make the hard decision about whom to move forward. By October 15, 2009, just under half of the original 43 applicants were invited to continue in the process.
On November 30, 2009, each candidate provided the DSC with a variety of personal writings and samples of sermons; a number of personal, professional, adversarial and academic references; and a detailed application form providing his/her experience and perspectives on:
- Positions and activities
- Continuing education
- Spiritual growth and development
- Pastoral care
- Ministry and mission
- Leadership and management
- Personal life
To arrive at this selection of semi-finalists, the DSC reviewed more than 400 collective pages of applications and selected writings and hours of sample sermons.
In February and March, 2010, teams from the DSC visited the six semi-finalists in the places of their current roles to see them working and interacting in the context of where they now serve. As part of this process, the DSC has conducted extensive interviews with the candidates' diocesan bishop, peers and colleagues, subordinates, references and their spouses or partners. The semi-finalists themselves also had additional rounds of live, in-person individual interviews. Following the visit, each team wrote an evaluation of the candidate which included an overview of the “whole person” and an analysis of their alignment with the Profile. DSC members reviewed all the reports and again made individual evaluations before convening to make decisions as a committee.
The DSC gathered on Saturday, March 27th to review their findings, evaluate their alignment with the profile of the dean role along with their strengths and potential. Three finalists were recommended by the DSC. The profiles of the three finalists were subsequently reviewed by the executive committee of the Grace Cathedral Board of Trustees and received their enthusiastic support. The Bishop reviewed and enthusiastically accepted the recommendations. As part of Bishop Marc's discernment process, he invited finalists for private visits to the Cathedral in May, where they met with key members of the Cathedral community including the executive committee of the board of trustees, the DSC, chapter and staff, Bishop Peter James Lee in his role as interim dean, and, of course, at length at the beginning and the end of the visit with the bishop himself. The finalists themselves took part in defining what was included in their visits - to help them in their own discernment about the role and fit, as well.
On June 25, 2010, Bishop Marc Handley Andrus nominated the Rev. Canon Dr. Jane Alison Shaw. The Board of Trustees enthusiastically confirmed Dr. Shaw as the eighth Dean of Grace Cathedral by unanimous roll call vote.
Communication was a key element of the process throughout the search. Regular updates were provided via the website and in cathedral publications. Town Hall meetings and updates to the Board of Trustees were also a regular feature. Communication updates will continue as we move through the transition phase. Look to this website for announcements concerning Dr. Shaw’s expected arrival in San Francisco and installation as the Cathedral’s next Dean.
The Dean Search Committee included:
Valerie Crane Dorfman, Chair
Tobias Keller, Co-Chair
Michael Barlowe
Bruce Bearden
Philip Bowles
Eliza Brown
Dave Chapman
Christopher Hayes
Kathy Kirkpatrick
Kitty Lehman
Lori Ogden Moore
Greg Scott
David Thier
Trevor Traina
Anthony Turney