Remembering Rev. Joan Brown Campbell
Dear Chautauquans,
We learned this week of the passing of the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, our former Director of the Department of Religion and a force in the world.
Joan served Chautauqua faithfully for more than a decade, assembling some of the most important preachers and prophetic voices in the world on our stages, in our pulpits and on our grounds. Joan believed, as we long have, that Chautauqua had a larger role to play in the world, and that bringing thought leaders from around the globe was only a part of the magic sauce of Chautauqua.
It was when all those assembled took in the words of those voices and committed to do something with the inspiration and challenge they received that Chautauqua had the potential to change the world for the better. Joan often described Chautauqua’s program as “rich and full.” That is precisely how she has left our world and the greater world around us: rich and full because of her leadership, her gifts her friendship.
We hope you enjoy this video tribute and that you will leave your own memories and reflections of Joan here.
I will always remember her welcome when I arrived in late 2016. Joan generously shared her wisdom with me and never stopped believing in Chautauqua. She would visit and grace our stages for years after her retirement. How lucky were all of us who had the chance to be in her orbit.
May light perpetual shine upon her; may she rest in peace. Amen.
With gratitude for the life of Joan Brown Campbell,
Michael E. Hill, Ed.D.
President, Chautauqua Institution
Honoring the life of
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell Memorial Service
Plymouth Church UCC
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Sunday April 27, 2025
The Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, the first woman member of Chautauqua Institution’s senior staff, passed away March 29, 2025. She was a devoted leader whose 14-year tenure as director of the Department of Religion at Chautauqua left a lasting impact well beyond her retirement in 2013.
About her time at Chautauqua, she was quoted as saying, “These 14 years have changed me. To say that the 2 p.m. lecture is now interfaith and to understand what that means has had the most influence on my faith journey. I think it is the responsibility of a Christian not to take his or her faith and say, ‘This is for everyone,’ but to honor the faith of others, to believe that their faith means as much to them as mine does to me.”
In every job she held, she was the first woman to carry that responsibility. She was the first woman to be associate executive director of the Greater Cleveland Council of Churches; the first woman to be Executive Director of the U.S. office of the World Council of Churches; the first ordained woman to be General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; and the first woman Director of Religion at Chautauqua Institution.
Campbell’s longtime friend and colleague, Maureen Rovegno was hired by Joan to work in the Department of Religion when her time on the Chautauqua Board of Trustees ended. Rovegno eventually held the same position as director of religion.
“We were all the beneficiaries of the fact that Joan had come to us well-positioned on the world stage to expand our spiritual embrace, and her connections opened doors for us that allowed Chautauqua to take a place of honor in national and international conversations for 14 growthful years that were too rich and full to articulate in these few words.” Rovegno said adding, “A significant example that I would offer, however, among so many, is the fact that the final wordsmithing of world-renowned Comparative Religion author Karen Armstrong’s International Charter for Compassion was accomplished in the Department of Religion office with Joan and me on the phone with Karen in London.”
Rovegno goes on to say, “Joan’s influence and impact was both national and International, as her bio will attest, but I will attest that her incredible life history, her personality, her presence and joie de vivre, and her expressive TLC for our Chautauqua community will be forever legendary and heartwarming for all of us who were blessed to be part of her tenure of leadership on our behalf.”
Other members of the Chautauqua community reflect on the impact of Campbell in the Department of Religion and beyond.
“I greatly mourn the loss of the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, who was a preeminent religious leader,” said Rabbi Samuel M Stahl. “I had the privilege of knowing and working with Joan during her entire tenure as the head of Chautauqua’s Department of Religion. Joan was an extraordinary visionary in the world of interreligious relations, as evidenced by her launching the Abrahamic Initiative to foster closer ties among the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”
Stahl adds, “Her ‘Rolodex’ was the envy of Chautauqua. She was on a first-name basis with government and religious luminaries throughout the world. Joan was also a gifted writer and speaker. Her pastoral prayers at worship services were liturgical and literary gems. She was also driven by fierce ardor for social justice and courageously spoke out against the abuses and injustices of our country.”
During her last appearance at Chautauqua in August 2018, Campbell shared the Amphitheater stage with the Rev. Jesse Jackson. “We move along in just trying to remember — I think, which is a very important thing — the role that (Dr. Martin Luther) King played in the life of all of us, of all of the things that Jesse and I and others have gone through,” Campbell said. “We take a look now at what’s before us today and what we learned from yesterday and how we will behave in a country much in need of what it is that these people of the past have given to us.”
She worked with Dr. King and brought him to her own congregation, the first white church in Cleveland, to receive him as a guest.
Desmond Tutu referred to her as “a woman of courage and compassion.” He pointed out that Rev. Campbell was the only woman in the clergy procession of over 200 for his enthronement as Archbishop of South Africa. “Her voice helped to bring an end to the evil of apartheid.”
She published the book Living into Hope: A Call to Spiritual Action for Such a Time as This in 2012, followed by Prayers from Chautauqua in 2013, offering a collection of prayers she delivered during her time at Chautauqua.
Her time at Chautauqua also leaves an impression on the leaders of Chautauqua today.
“Rev. Campbell’s influence on the Religion pillar twenty-five years ago shaped me as a young person, studying religion and embarking on a career in and among religious communities. Because of her work, I could imagine pursing a vocation that operated beyond congregation and academy, and I am deeply grateful for her as an inspiring and courageous model in ministry,” shared Vice President of Religion Melissa Spas.
“A great oak has fallen. Joan Brown Campbell was an inspiration to me and countless others in this nation for how to be courageous in advocating for peace, justice and reconciliation across religious and political divides. She welcomed me into the Chautauqua fold 23 years ago, inspiring me to help make this place become a living icon of God’s vision for a beloved community. May she rest in peace and rise in glory!”” said Bishop and Senior Pastor Eugene Sutton, Chautauqua Institution.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Campbell cherished her family, which included three children and eight grandchildren. One of her greatest joys was officiating the wedding of her eldest grandchild.
When asked about aging, Campbell was quoted in The Post as saying, “The older people I know who are happy have something beyond themselves: a cause, a belief that they can get interest in. It takes you out of yourself, which is one of the gifts of a career. You get up in the morning and you go. You are confronted with things you can’t even know. It pushes you to be challenged.”
Campbell’s influence extended far beyond Chautauqua, and though she has passed, her work continues to inspire. She will be remembered not only as a trailblazer but as a beloved family member, friend and Chautauquan.