For Robert Wilson-Black, Chautauqua has long been a home away from home — and now he returns to step into one of the Institution’s most historic roles. 

Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce the appointment of Wilson‑Black as its new Director of Religion. With a deep personal connection to Chautauqua and a proven voice in religion, public life and institutional leadership, he is poised to drive transformative change. 

Wilson‑Black joins the Institution following decades of leadership at the intersection of faith, higher education, public discourse and social change. A religion scholar, public speaker, administrator, and convener, he has served as Sojourners’ longtime CEO. Additionally, he has served as President and CEO of The Faith & Politics Institute and as co-founder and founding board chair of the National Museum of American Religion. 

Beyond his executive leadership, Wilson‑Black brings significant experience in university governance. He currently serves as a Trustee of the University of Lynchburg, where he chairs the Endowment Committee and has served on the Presidential Search Committee and the Institutional Excellence Committee. Across these roles, he has worked closely with scholars, clergy, policymakers and community leaders to foster thoughtful dialogue, ethical leadership, and inclusive civic engagement. 

“Robert brings an extraordinary combination of intellectual rigor, institutional leadership, and deep pastoral sensibility,” said Chief Programing Officer and Senior VP of programming, Deborah Sunya Moore. “What makes this appointment especially meaningful is that he does not come to Chautauqua as a newcomer, he comes as someone who knows this place, loves it, and understands the sacred trust of stewarding its religious life for a new era.” 

For Wilson‑Black, Chautauqua has long been a home away from home. His ties to the Institution span many years and many dimensions. He first attended as a program guest of Joan Brown Campbell, has family connections through the Presbyterian House, and has made scholarly contributions housed in the Chautauqua Library. His book, The End of College: Religion and the Transformation of Higher Education in the 20th Century, reflects the very questions of faith, learning, and public life that Chautauqua has long championed. 

As Director of Religion, Wilson‑Black will steward one of Chautauqua’s most historic and vital program pillars, building on its legacy while guiding its continued evolution. His experience as a strategist and institutional leader, combined with his scholarly grounding and relational leadership style, positions him to strengthen both longstanding traditions and emerging expressions of religious life at the Institution. 

Wilson-Black holds a PhD and AM in American religious history from the University of Chicago, where he studied under renowned scholar and frequent Chautauqua speaker Martin E. Marty. His academic background also includes degrees from the University of Richmond. 

He is widely published, holds an honorary doctorate from Franklin College, and is frequently invited to speak at universities, conferences, and public forums in the United States and abroad. Among these engagements are Dartmouth’s Orr Lecture and gatherings of the World Economic Forum. 

Please join us in welcoming Robert Wilson‑Black to this new role. He is enthusiastic to begin, and community members may see him on the grounds this week.