The Society of Biblical Literature is pleased to share the good news that Dr. Steed Vernyl Davidson began his tenure as the new Executive Director on June 24, 2023. He comes to us most recently from McCormick Theological Seminary, where he served as Professor of Hebrew Bible and held the positions of Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty.

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Davidson received his undergraduate education at the University of the West Indies, holds a Diploma of Ministerial Studies from the United Theological College of the West Indies, received master’s degrees from the University of the West Indies (M.A.) and Boston University (S.T.M.), and completed his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY. His published works include Empire and Exile: Postcolonial Readings of the Book of Jeremiah (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011); Writing/Reading the Bible in Postcolonial Perspective (Brill, 2017); (as co-editor with Jione Havea and Margaret Aymer) Islands, Islanders, and the Bible: RumInations (Semeia Studies #77, SBL Press, 2015); and (as co-editor with Daniel Timmer) Prophetic Otherness: Constructions of Otherness in Prophetic Literature (T & T Clark, 2021).

Dr. Davidson has been an active and engaged SBL volunteer as General Editor of the Semeia Studies series and as co-chair of the steering committees for the Annual Meeting’s “Reading/Writing Jeremiah” program unit and the International Meeting’s “Bible and Empire” unit. He also brings to this new role considerable experience and a distinguished administrative record from his time at McCormick, a compelling vision for SBL’s future, and enormous energy. Dr. Davidson is a bridge builder and well known for his collaborative spirit.

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Davidson at our upcoming International Meeting in Pretoria, South Africa and at November’s Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, USA.