The Rev. Dr. Mark Lee, an Army chaplain and dean of the U.S. Army Institute for Religious Leadership, has been appointed president of Bexley Seabury Seminary by its board of directors. He will be the first Asian American to hold the position.
“I’m very hopeful and excited for our future. In a time where there are great changes taking place across theological education, and an even greater need for theological education in the church, Mark is poised to lead us through these days,” the Rev. Jason Fout, interim president of the seminary, told The Living Church in a statement.
Lee has served as a military chaplain for nearly 25 years. Formerly affiliated with a Presbyterian denomination, he joined the Episcopal Church after what he describes as an epiphany while attending an Episcopal service during active duty training.
“I felt like I was coming home and this is the liturgical home,” Lee said, recalling how the liturgy struck him as “beautiful,” particularly the act of coming to the Communion rail to receive the Eucharist. “That was exactly what I had been looking for—liturgically—and the beauty, and the power of the Eucharist.”
The experience took place in 2005. Lee said that at the time, it was not easy to change denominations as a military chaplain. Almost a decade later, while stationed in South Korea, an Armed Forces bishop reached an agreement with the Diocese of the Rio Grande that allowed chaplains from different traditions to be received.
“And so that’s what I followed and became an Episcopal priest,” said Lee, who is also a certified educator and on the national faculty with the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education.
The Rev. Anna Sutterisch, a Bexley Seabury alumna and chair of the search committee, described Lee as “someone with courageous clarity and a deep sense of humility.” She was the person who informed him in August that he had been chosen as president.
“I think his work in trauma-informed care has really brought a clear point of view for him,” Sutterisch told TLC. She said Lee’s experience helps him understand the content and purpose of theological education and the importance of clear communication.
“We are trying to get better about spreading the word that Bexley Seabury is very much alive, very strong and doing really powerful ministry and formation,” she added. “And so I think what Mark can bring is the stability, the clarity, and the operational ability for us to really tell that story to create more excitement for formation for all orders.”
A native of Hawaii, Lee has served as a chaplain in Germany, Washington, and Texas. Before enrolling at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1996, he worked in banking and finance.
Lee said his military career has prepared him well for his new responsibilities. “It’s prepared me to really think from a strategic level,” he said, “to look out farther not only in terms of time horizon, but looking at all of the impact of a decision.” Accustomed to operating in hierarchical systems, he said “a single decision” can have “secondary or tertiary orders of effect down the line.”
Sutterisch said Lee was shocked when she delivered the news, which had been endorsed unanimously by the seminary’s search and executive committees. Lee agreed.
“I have been surprised I kept making it to the next round, and frankly thought, Wow, that’s kind of surreal,” he said.
Lee holds the rank of colonel and, as dean, oversees four academic schools, three Clinical Pastoral Education centers, two family life centers, and all academic programs serving more than 200 students annually. According to the seminary’s announcement, he manages a $3 million budget and leads a team of faculty and staff across six locations nationwide.
Bexley Seabury was formed from the federation of Bexley Hall and Seabury-Western seminaries and accredited as a single institution by the Association of Theological Schools in 2013. It maintains campuses in Ohio and Illinois.
Lee succeeds the Rev. Dr. Micah TJ Jackson, who concluded his tenure on January 13. He will assume duties in June 2026 and be installed as president during Commencement Week in May 2026.
Asked about being the first Asian American to serve in the post, Lee said, “Regardless of my background and ethnicity, I think I’m just really honored and thankful I’ve been selected.” To be the first Asian American president, he added, is a “double honor.”
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
