SFTS Administration

The San Francisco Theological Seminary Administrative Cabinet consist of the Seminary's president, four vice presidents, and two associate deans. They meet weekly to coordinate the administrative leadership needs of the seminary.

Dr. Laird J. Stuart
Interim President of the Seminary
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Denomination: Presbyterian

Dr. Laird J. Stuart became Interim President of San Francisco Theological Seminary in March 2010. Stuart served on the SFTS Board of Trustees from 1997-2006, including two years as board chair. His ministry has spanned 41 years, including pastorates in Presbyterian churches in Milford, Conn., Bergenfield, N.J., Grand Haven, Mich., and St. Clair, Pa., and many local and national leadership positions in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Most recently, he has served as pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church of San Francisco (1993-2010). Stuart holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College, a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Divinity degree from Waynesburg University, and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Westminster College.

Elizabeth Liebert, Ph.D.
Dean of the Seminary
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Spiritual Life
Denomination: Roman Catholic

Dr. Elizabeth Liebert is the first Roman Catholic sister named as dean at a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminary. A professor at SFTS for more than two decades, she is also on the doctoral faculty in Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union. Her most recent book – The Way of Discernment: Spiritual Practices for Decision Making (Westminster John Knox 2008) – is already in its second printing. Dr. Liebert holds a B.A. degree from Fort Wright College of the Holy Names, a M.A. from Gonzaga University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. She is a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names, a religious congregation dedicated to the full development of the human person through various educational and pastoral ministries.

BARBARA BRENNER BUDER
Vice President for Administration and Finance
& Chief Financial Officer
Denomination: Presbyterian

Barbara Brenner Buder holds a bachelor’s in business from University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Yale School of Organizational Management. She worked for 14 years at Bank of America Corporation in San Francisco, advancing to executive vice president in the Corporate Strategy and Development Group. Prior to that, Brenner Buder was a manager in the audit department of Deloitte & Touche, a public accounting firm in San Francisco. Brenner Buder is an ordained Presbyterian elder and a member of First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, where she sings in the Chancel Choir.

PETER D. CROUCH, M.Div.
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Denomination: Presbyterian

The Rev. Peter D. Crouch holds a B.A. degree from UCLA and an M.Div. from SFTS. His ministry has included pastoral ministry in Bellevue, Washington; Director of Development, Communications, and Stewardship for Chicago Presbytery; Development Officer of the Presbyterian Foundation; and Chief Development Officer of Church World Service. He joined the seminary’s administration on July 1, 2005 and oversees the offices of funds development, communications, IT, alumni relations, church relations, and conference services.  



Judy Yates Siker, Ph.D.
Vice President, SFTS/SC
Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins
Denomination: Presbyterian

The Rev. Dr. Judy Yates Siker joined SFTS in July, 2008 as Vice President and Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins. Before coming to SFTS she had served as Dean and Associate Professor of New Testament at the American Baptist Seminary of the West, another founding member school of the Graduate Theological Union. Her administrative duties for SFTS include oversight of the southern campus of SFTS in Pasadena. Dr. Siker is a Presbyterian minister who has been and remains active teaching, preaching and leading spiritual retreats in northern and southern California. She holds a B.A. from Meredith College, an M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

MARY (Polly) COOTE, M.A., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical Greek
Associate Dean for Student Life
Registrar of the Seminary
Denomination: Episcopalian

Dr. Coote holds a B.A. From Swarthmore College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. She has been at SFTS since 1979 and serves in several capacities: associate dean for student life, director of admissions & financial aid, registrar, and associate professor of Biblical Greek.


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