Atchison To Return To Teaching, Continue UBE Leadership

Dr. Gabrie’l Atchison, who has served the partnership dioceses as missioner for administration for the past two years, has announced that she will resign her position to return to adjunct teaching at the end of May.

“During her time on the partnership staff, Gabrie’l has been a thoughtful colleague and a catalyst for helping to move our racial reconciliation work forward,” Bishop Sean said. “I am particularly grateful for her leadership in securing a Becoming Beloved Community grant from the Episcopal Church, which has helped our congregations hear the voices of leaders working in the areas of racial justice and climate change. Her students will be fortunate to benefit from her wisdom and creativity.”

In 2021, Atchison became president of the Bishop James Theodore Holly Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE), a leadership role in which she will continue. The Buffalo-based UBE chapter works collaboratively with the partnership dioceses’ Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination and, this year, is focused on increasing membership and mitigating the harm of mass incarceration. Learn more on the UBE chapter’s website.

Atchison, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, master’s degrees from Temple University and Yale Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in women’s studies from Clark University, currently teaches at Wells College in Aurora, New York. Her final day in the Tonawanda office will be April 27.

In the coming weeks, Bishop Sean will evaluate the partnership’s need for administrative support in the Tonawanda and Erie offices. Watch future issues of the newsletter for updates.