Rev. Dr. Heather Vacek

Vice President / Dean, Moravian Theological Seminary and Lancaster Theology Seminary Associate Professor of Church History ThD, Duke Divinity School, Duke University, 2012 MDiv, summa cum laude, Duke Divinity School, Duke University, 2006 MBA, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern U, 1996 MEM (engineering management), Northwestern University, 1996 BS (industrial engineering), Northwestern University, 1991 BA (economics), Northwestern University, 1991 Ordained in the Moravian Church Phone: 610-861-1516 Email: vacekh@moravian.edu Curriculum Vitae

Heather joined Moravian Theological Seminary and Lancaster Theological Seminary as VP/Dean in the summer of 2021. She relishes walking alongside students, staff, and faculty as they discern their individual and collective vocations in service of God’s work in the world. Heather is ordained in the Moravian Church and is honored to lead the work of theological education at MTS and LTS.

Through her research and teaching, Heather seeks to offer insight about the past that will shape faithful responses in the present and future. Her research focuses on the historical relationship between Christian belief and practice, particularly around interpretations of suffering in the American context. Her book, Madness: American Protestant Responses to Mental Illness, explores reactions to mental illnesses from the colonial era through the 21st century.

Before serving at Moravian and Lancaster seminaries, Heather spent nine years at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, first as a faculty member and then as vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty.

When not tending to the work of theological education, Heather loves cooking, reading fiction, and especially being in the woods running trails or hiking.