Scarritt Bennett Center Executive Director to Step Down; Visionary Leadership Sought to Continue SBC’s Ministry
Sarah Wilke will be leaving her post as executive director of Scarritt Bennett Center at the end of this year, the SBC board of directors has announced.
“It has been a joy and an honor to lead this historic ministry of the United Methodist Women,” Wilke said, “but I feel the time is right to hand the baton to a new leader.”
During her five-year tenure, Wilke, 59, has led the center through a series of capital improvements, helped launch the SBC Racial Justice Initiative, developed new partnerships in the Nashville community and beyond, and shepherded the center through the pandemic, ensuring a strong foundation for the future.
“We’ve been blessed that Sarah has been such a guiding hand and an inspiring servant leader through all of the opportunities and challenges that have arisen over these years, especially during the quarantine,” said Andrea Hatcher, SBC’s board president. “We offer her all of our best wishes as she moves on to pursue her dream to work on a passion project with her family.”
Located on a 10-acre oasis in the heart of Nashville’s historic Music Row, SBC’s campus has been a place for justice and transformative education for more than a century. What began as a school for women missionaries in 1892 in Kansas City, Missouri, eventually evolved into Nashville’s Scarritt College for Christian Workers and later, Scarritt Graduate College. In 1988, the United Methodist Women transformed the campus into an independent nonprofit that serves as a conference center and hub for women’s empowerment, racial justice, spiritual formation and education of the laity.
“We are grateful that even as we continue to adapt to the pandemic, Scarritt Bennett remains strong,” Hatcher said. “We are thrilled that both our physical campus and our online offerings are breathing life into a prophetic future, and we look forward to finding our next strong leader to guide us into it.”
For more information, visit https://scarrittbennett.org/careers.