The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) has launched its inaugural Fellows Programme, an initiative aimed at equipping a new generation of Anglican women leaders from the Global South. Led by the Rev. Dr Kwok Pui Lan, the programme draws on decades of vision, experience and advocacy for women’s leadership in the Church. Among those shaping the programme are Dr Jenny Te Paa-Daniel (Aotearoa) and Dr Esther Mombo (Kenya), both highly regarded theological educators and mentors.
For Dr Te Paa-Daniel, this is the revival of an idea first trialled between 2007 and 2009. Back then, she and Dr Mombo, alongside three other women, created a high-level mentoring programme for women in theological education. The need was obvious — she and Dr Mombo were, at the time, the only women of colour serving at their level of leadership in Anglican theological education worldwide.
“We figured the remedy was to start a women’s leadership mentoring programme,” Dr Te Paa-Daniel recalls. “We had good support from Archbishop Rowan Williams, and funding from St Augustine’s. But much of that funding was redirected into men’s leadership programmes. Even so, we never lost sight of the vision. We kept working as private individuals with women, many of whom have since gone on to highly successful careers in both church and secular roles.”
EDS, a “seminary without walls” led by the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin, has a strong feminist commitment to fostering women’s leadership. This time, the programme is fully resourced, with a clear focus on the needs of the Global South.
More than the path to ordination
A key theme for Dr Te Paa-Daniel is that women’s leadership should not be confined to the path of ordination. While the Church often idealises the journey from deacon to priest to bishop, she sees a much broader field of influence.
“With a good theological education, women can shape the public square in any number of roles and still be powerful representatives of the Church,” she explains. “I want to say to some women, never underestimate the strength of lay leadership. In fact, lay people can often be more fearless because they are less subject to the internal controls and expectations that diminish courage.”
Education, she argues, is the key to that fearlessness. Many people, she says, do not fully understand the structures, politics and limitations of the Church, and so can feel its weight more keenly. Theological literacy can “unstitch the threat” of patriarchal control and equip women to navigate power with confidence.
The inaugural cohort
The first cohort includes ten women, most already accomplished in high-level secular careers. Some are lawyers, academics or professionals in fields such as engineering and the military. Each brings deep commitment to their faith, strong leadership skills and a determination to serve their communities.
The 2025–2026 EDS Fellows are:
- Dr. Alaimaluloa Toetu’u-Tamihere (Kingdom of Tonga/Aotearoa New Zealand): Indigenous framed theologian with a particular focus on creation care
- Paula de Mello Alves (Brazil): Executive Secretary of the Southern Diocese of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, advocating for youth and women’s ministry
- The Rev. Natalie Blake (Jamaica & the Cayman Islands): Tutor and Warden of Anglican Students at the United Theological College of the West Indies
- Dr. Sanjana Das (India): Feminist theologian, biblical scholar, and advocate for human rights and gender justice
- Sunshine Dulnuan (Philippines): Indigenous theologian, teaching theology and gender justice at St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary
- Dr. Thandi Gamedze (South Africa): Educator, theologian, and Senior Researcher at the University of the Western Cape’s Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice
- The Rev. Dr. Akua Ofori-Boateng (Ghana): Director of Programmes for the Anglican Diocese of Accra, and cofounder of the Aequitas Foundation
- The Rev. Nancy Auma Omino (Kenya): Anglican priest in the Diocese of Maseno South, and chairperson of the St. Paul’s University chapter of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians
- Nuha El-Far Shaheen (Palestine): Vestry member at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ramallah with a master’s degree in Public Affairs Theology
- The Rev. Claire Chia-lin Wang (Taiwan): Curate at St. John’s Cathedral
“These women are admirably ambitious but in a selfless way,” Dr Te Paa-Daniel says. “They want to become more active and effective in their church and social communities so that needs are met. They see themselves as change agents, and they understand that their faith calls them to this work.”
The programme runs for one year and combines virtual and in-person engagement. Fellows meet monthly online for workshops, writing projects and leadership discussions. They will gather twice in person — the first in Atlanta this November for a major conference on Living Postcolonial Anglicanism: Prospects for a Polycentric Anglican Communion, and the second in February 2026 for a women-only retreat focusing on opening leadership spaces at the highest levels.
The November conference will welcome a large Global South delegation, including younger leaders and authors whose work addresses pressing issues such as Indigenous rights, gender justice, peace and conflict, and political transformation. Participants will also hear from women working in challenging contexts, including Palestine.
Building knowledge, courage and connection
Dr Te Paa-Daniel stresses that the programme is not just about inspiration but about building practical capacity. Fellows are expected to develop deep knowledge of Anglican ecclesiology — how the Church works, its politics, structures and canons — in order to critique and improve it. They will also be linked with mentors, networks and theological education opportunities tailored to their needs, including connections to seminaries in Taiwan, the Philippines and Kenya.
Her hope is that the Fellows will model leadership that is both theologically grounded and politically courageous, whether ordained or lay. She points to Dame Naida Glavish and Lady Tureiti Moxon as examples of women who have led with faith and vision beyond traditional church roles.
“This is about creating leaders who can be a public force to be reckoned with,” she says. “The Church needs people who can speak clearly, act boldly and embody justice. These women already have the courage; they already have the gifts, and our job is to help them strengthen both.”
And when the programme is done? Dr Te Paa-Daniel laughs. “Then I might go fishing.”