EDS at Union welcomed two new associate program directors to the staff this summer, the Rev. Anna Olson and Emilee Walker-Cornetta. Learn more about Rev. Anna Olson and Emilee Walker-Cornetta below.

The Rev. Anna Olson

The Rev. Anna Olson is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity ‘98) and Stanford University (Bachelor of Arts in History ‘93). She is an ordained Episcopal priest, canonically resident in the Diocese of Los Angeles and living since 2019 in the Diocese of Washington DC. She served from 2019-2021 as Director of External Relations for Cristosal, a human rights organization working in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. From 2011-2019, Anna served as Rector of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church, an historic Japanese-American congregation in the diverse Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles.  Her interests and expertise in parish ministry include working with historic congregations to connect with the needs and gifts of new neighbors; developing models for multilingual and inculturated liturgy and preaching; public liturgy; and leadership and congregational development strategies for the post-Christendom church. Prior to 2011, Anna served as the Los Angeles director for CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), Rector of Trinity Church in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Associate Rector at St. Luke’s Church in downtown Long Beach, Associate Rector of Holy Faith Church in Inglewood, CA and organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union. She is the author of Claiming Resurrection in the Dying Church: Freedom Beyond Survival (Westminster John Knox, 2016) as well as a number of published articles.

Emilee Walker-Cornetta

Emilee Walker-Cornetta is a board-certified chaplain and former Coordinator of Pastoral Care at New York-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Her clinical work and research has focused on improving access to spiritual care for underserved populations, including LGBTQ+ youth and patients with preferred languages other than English. She holds an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and graduated from EDS at Union with an STM in 2021. She is a postulant for holy orders in the Episcopal Diocese of New York and lives with her family in Atlanta, GA.