Published on October 2, 2025 by Neal Embry  
StefanaDanLaing

Professor Stefana Dan Laing has been appointed to lead the Center for Women in Ministry at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School.

Laing, who joined Beeson’s faculty in 2018, brings a wealth of knowledge to the position and hopes to use her academic network to bring in ministerial and academic speakers for future events.

Laing also leads the school’s women’s theological colloquium. She is the third director in the center’s history. Established in 2021, the center hosts multiple events per year, a biannual conference and provides numerous resources to aid women called to serve the Lord in ministry, including Beeson students, alumni and women who may already be serving in ministry.

"I'm honored to be entrusted with the leadership of the Center for Women in Ministry and for the opportunity to continue to promote its vision ‘to encourage and equip women called to Christian ministry,’” Laing said. “This vision was set by its founder Kristen Padilla and was ably stewarded by Anna Russell subsequently. I firmly believe in empowering and resourcing God-called women who desire to be theologically educated to serve the church to the best of their ability. We want them to flourish in ministry, investing their whole gifting into their vocation."

Beeson Dean Douglas A. Sweeney said Laing’s experience will aid the center going forward.

“We are thrilled that one of our own beloved faculty members has taken the reins of the Center for Women in Ministry,” Sweeney said. “Dr. Laing will lend many years of professorial and scholarly experience and wisdom to the center and its work. We are all excited to see how God will use her to take the center to the next level of fruitfulness and effectiveness.”

The center partners with programs and colleagues across the Samford campus, including the women’s theological colloquium, the Beeson Alumni Association, Beeson’s Thriving Pastors Initiative, Beeson’s Robert Smith Jr. Preaching Institute, Beeson’s Student Government Association and Minority Student Fellowship, the Biblical and Religious Studies department, the Christian Ministry program and the Center for Worship and the Arts.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.