Southeastern Announces Faculty Changes and Administrative Faculty Hires

Anna Daub as Assistant Professor of Missions 

“At Southeastern we say that every professor is a Great Commission professor,” commented President Danny Akin. “This is indeed true of Anna, who has championed our Great Commission mission for our Global Theological Initiatives (GTI) office. She has enabled our institution to make and maintain Great Commission partnerships around the world, and I know she will train our students to communicate well cross-culturally with biblical fidelity and the love of our King Jesus.”   

Anna Daub, who currently serves as Director of Special Projects and Partnerships for GTI, is joining the administrative faculty at SEBTS as Assistant Professor of Missions. Daub will continue her role in the GTI office while teaching introductory missions courses at SEBTS and The College at Southeastern. Having graduated from SEBTS with her PhD in Applied Theology-Missiology in 2021, Daub has demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and to the mission of SEBTS. 

“I am thrilled Anna is joining our missions faculty at Southeastern,” shared Keelan Cook, Instructor of Missiology and George Liele Director of the Center for Great Commission Studies (CGCS). “Having served overseas, she does an excellent job synthesizing real-world experience with the best in missiological scholarship. Anna is a first-rate missiologist, and more importantly she desires deeply that all may know the gospel. Our students will benefit greatly from her instruction.” 

Christy Thornton as Assistant Professor of Christian Thought 

“God’s kindness to SEBTS is evident in the remarkable faculty he has given us at this Great Commission institution,” commented Akin. “Christy is no exception. Christy has modeled biblical fidelity and academic excellence not only as a student but also in her administrative roles. She has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to the Great Commission and to training students for Great Commission ministry.”   

Christy Thornton has served faithfully in the PhD Studies office at SEBTS since 2017 and currently serves as Associate Director of PhD Studies and Director of ThM Studies at SEBTS. Thornton is retaining these roles as she joins the administrative faculty at SEBTS as Assistant Professor of Christian Thought. Thornton will be teaching courses related to Christian thought and practice in The College and in The College’s prison programs and will be coteaching occasional courses at SEBTS with full-time faculty members. 

“Christy’s personal missions experience, passion for the nations, and deep commitment to the life of the local church shapes how she teaches and mentors students,” shared Provost Keith Whitfield. “She is dedicated to forming students theologically and helping them use their gifts and callings to equip the Church for its mission.” 

Miguel Echevarria as Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek 

Having served as Director of Hispanic Leadership Development at SEBTS since 2017, Miguel Echevarria is leaving the role to serve in a full-time faculty position at SEBTS as Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek. Echevarria is transitioning out of his directorship role so that he can dedicate more time to classroom instruction, student mentoring, and various writing projects. 

“Our Hispanic Leadership Development office owes a historic debt to Miguel as he faithfully led this program to a new level of organization, quality, and growth,” commented John Ewart, Professor of Missions and Pastoral Leadership and Associate Vice President for Global Theological Initiatives and Ministry Centers. “He strengthened established partnerships, created new ones, and developed new certificates and degrees as well as delivery methodologies to train hundreds of Spanish-speaking leaders in the U.S., the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. I am very grateful Miguel is part of the Southeastern family and will continue to teach within the Hispanic Leadership Development program even while teaching on campus and online as a full-time faculty member.” 

Scott Hildreth as Associate Professor of Missiology 

Scott Hildreth, who has served as the Director of the CGCS for the past ten years, is transitioning from this administrative role to serve full-time at SEBTS as Associate Professor of Missiology. During Hildreth’s leadership at the CGCS, SEBTS witnessed record numbers of students entering the mission field as Hildreth developed new strategies for recruiting and equipping students for Great Commission ministry. Hildreth is leaving his administrative role to invest full-time in his teaching, mentoring, and writing responsibilities at SEBTS. 

“Scott has been a faithful champion of Southeastern’s mission to train and mobilize Great Commission students around the world,” shared Whitfield. “His leadership as the Director of the CGCS has enabled Southeastern not only to connect students with ministry partners and provide them with hands-on missions experience but also to cast and implement a vision for Great Commission studies that helps our students and faculty approach all of life through the grid of the Great Commission. I am grateful for his investment in the CGCS and am excited that he will be remaining at Southeastern to dedicate more time to the classroom, to our students, and to his writing projects, which will richly bless the academy and the Church.”