Meet F. Douglas Powe | President of Phillips Theological Seminary

We had the good fortune of connecting with F. Douglas Powe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi F. Douglas, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
I am president of Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK. My “industry” is theological education, which is a non-profit entity. Most individuals perceive seminaries as places that educate pastors and this is true. What many people do not know is more and more students come to seminary who are pursuing non-profit work outside of faith based institutions. The reason so many see seminary as a place to pursue this work is that we have a justice oriented curriculum that helps leaders think beyond charity models of engagement. The second surprise for many is that at Phillips we engage the art community. We do a rotating quarterly art exhibit that focuses on a different justice themes and invite artists who have come from all over the U.S. to exhibit and share about their work. While seminaries do in fact educate pastors, we also do other things that many find surprising.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am currently the president of Phillips Theological Seminary. My career actually started in the benefits arena with Principal Financial Group and I eventually became a regional sales manager with Community Mutual Blue Cross and Blue Shield. I finally answered my calling and went to seminary at Candler school of Theology where I was fortunate to have great professors and mentors. I quickly decided I wanted to be a professor. I entered the PhD program at Emory University and while finishing my dissertation taught at Spelman College. One of the highlights of my time at Emory was being a teaching assistant for archbishop Desmond Tutu. My first job as a professor was at Saint Paul School of Theology and Dr. Stephen Gunter was instrumental in preparing me for the position. I eventually left Saint Paul for Wesley Theological Seminary. I really enjoyed my work at Wesley and eventually became the Director of the Lewis Center. My time at the Lewis Center was great and enabled me to integrate my time in the business world and in theological education. I have learned a few key things along the way on my journey. Communication is critical and when people are on the same page things go smoother. People are willing to take risk if they see you as a leader in the same boat with them. One of the most important lessons is invest in others. I have benefited greatly from people investing in me and I have tried to model this in my career. My hope is to help others achieve their career goals even it means them having to leave working for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I just moved to Tulsa so it would be hard for me to put together an itinerary. So we would actually get to explore together. We would start in the Greenwood neighborhood where the horrific Tulsa massacre occurred and visit the new Greenwood Rising museum. The next day we would visit the Philbrook museum which includes Native American art. On the third day we would go down to the riverfront (Arkansas river) and walk a part of the 26 mile trail and enjoy the businesses in that part of town. The fifth day we would go to the zoo and experience some of the animals from around the world. The sixth day we would go the the air and space museum which is pretty cool that Tulsa has one. We would end the week at my work place,
Phillips, and enjoy the current art exhibit. It would be a full week with diverse activities.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been blessed to be mentored by many individuals in my life. I want to recognize Dr. Stephen Gunter who was instrumental in being a part of my journey as a professor. I also wan to recognize Dr. Hal Knight who mentored me and helped me to start my writing career.

Website: https://ptstulsa.edu/

Linkedin: Doug Powe

Facebook: Frederick Douglas Powe, Jr.