CHRIS 180, the Atlanta-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed mental health services for children, youth, and families, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lisa Taylor, DMin, MDiv, MSSL, ACPE CEC, as the new Director of the Institute for Spiritual Health. In her new role, Taylor will provide leadership and vision as the Accredited Certified Pastoral Educator (ACPE) for the organization’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program with Northside Hospital’s Atlanta and Gwinnett locations as well as CHRIS 180’s community sites.

"Dr. Lisa's life, as well as her professional experience, are a perfect match for CHRIS 180 and the Institute for Spiritual Health," said Kathy Colbenson, LMFT, President and Chief Executive Officer of CHRIS 180. "We needed someone who was ready to help grow our program, who not only had strong community affinity experience but also had the ACPE accreditation. We found a special person in Dr. Lisa, and we look forward to her leadership to help strengthen our community of practice around spiritual care, health and wellness, and grow our outreach to the faith community."

Dr. Taylor is an ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a former pastor of New Seed of Faith AME Church in Tarrant City, Ala. She has more than 27 years of experience in business, nonprofit management and ministry leadership. Most recently she served as Manager of Pastoral Services and Clinical Pastoral Education program at the third-largest freestanding behavioral health hospital in the United States, located in Grand Rapids, Mich. While there, where she managed the daily department operations and educated ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education students.

Taylor's dissertation, "Soul Work and the Transformative Process in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education)," emphasizes the importance of soul work in transformation and learning in CPE. It is a means of educating and equipping pastoral/spiritual care providers so that they are more self-aware, emotionally intelligent, spiritually intelligent, authentic and effective in ministry delivery. 

"This job is a perfect fit for me, and I am ecstatic to get started," said Taylor. "My calling is to train the next generations of leaders to serve and maximize their potential, as well as that of their spiritual communities. It’s all about educating, empowering and equipping people to take them from where they are to where they need to be, must be or want to be."

Dr. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing, along with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., a Master in Strategic Leadership Degree from Mountain State University in Beckley, W.V., a Master of Divinity Degree from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala., and a Doctor of Ministry Degree with a concentration on Professional Education and Leadership from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Mich.

The Institute for Spiritual Health & Wellness at CHRIS 180 is committed to providing spiritual care to cultivate healing, transformation, and the development of nurturing relationships. Taylor's leadership will take the Institute for Spiritual Health and Wellness to the next level, strengthening the organization's trauma-informed practices while relying on the center's core values of CARE (Connection, Awareness, Resiliency, and Empathy).

For more information about the Insitute for Spiritual Health, visit our website at https://chris180.org/spiritualhealth/.