2026 TIDEL Summit

Join the Technology, Innovation, and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) for the TIDEL Summit & Fellows Showcase. This public event takes place at Teachers College, Columbia University, and online, bringing together faith leaders, scholars, innovators, and dynamic speakers from across industries.

TIDEL Fellows present their technology-driven innovation projects, highlighting work emerging from faith-based organizations across diverse contexts.

Save the date for October 2, 2026. More details and registration information are shared soon.

This event is co-sponsored by TIDEL, The Kairos Center, RISE Together in Ministry Mentorship Network, and Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.

TIDEL Speaker Series – Systems & Socials: Systems Management & Social Conditions to Thrive

Join us on Monday, April 27th, for a virtual conversation with Cassie Bingham, Director of the UVU Center for Social Impact, a leading systems and design educator and impact strategist. The focus of this virtual event is on the social conditions necessary to allow systems management strategies to thrive. If you are curious about designing spaces that allow for systematic reflection and communal impact, this is for you! The conversation will be moderated by our own Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, Director of TIDEL.

TIDEL Speaker Series – Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in Digital Culture

This spring, the Technology, Innovation & Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) welcomes Dr. Heidi Campbell for a timely Speaker Series conversation, “Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in Digital Culture.” An author, professor at Texas A&M University, and TIDEL Coach, Dr. Campbell is a leading scholar in digital religion and online faith communities. Together, we will explore how religious identity, practice, and authority are reshaped in a networked age, and what it means to lead faithfully in digital spaces.

Dr. Campbell will be in conversation with Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, Director of the TIDEL Fellowship at Union Theological Seminary, for an engaging dialogue on technology, theology, and the future of faith communities. Join us on March 9 at 5 PM EST for a rich discussion at the intersection of innovation, scholarship, and justice-centered digital engagement.

TIDEL Speaker Series – Discovering Social Impact

Join the Technology, Innovation & Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) this winter for a dynamic Speaker Series conversation, “Discovering Social Impact,” featuring Milan Drake, Community Design Lead at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. Drawing on his work at the intersection of design, community engagement, and social innovation, Drake will explore how intentional, people-centered approaches can help leaders create meaningful, lasting impact in their communities.

Drake will be in conversation with Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, Director of the TIDEL Fellowship at Union Theological Seminary, for an engaging dialogue on leadership, equity, and digital engagement in a rapidly changing world. The event will take place on February 23 at 6 PM EST, inviting participants to reflect on how creativity, technology, and justice-centered practice can shape more equitable futures.

TIDEL Speaker Series – Interactive Design and Engagement: Creating Stronger Digital Communities

Union Theological Seminary’s Technology, Innovation, and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) invites you to the next conversation in the TIDEL Speaker Series: Interactive Design & Engagement – Creating Stronger Digital Communities. Hosted by Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, Director of the TIDEL Fellowship, this event will explore how design thinking and creative engagement can help faith-based and justice-driven communities thrive in digital spaces. Together, we’ll examine how technology, storytelling, and interactivity can deepen belonging, foster empathy, and strengthen connections across difference.

Joining Dr. Wilkes is Rev. Bethany Stolle, designer, pastor, and Founder of Stolle Creative, an organization dedicated to cultivating meaningful learning and worship experiences through innovative design. Drawing from her expertise at the intersection of theology, creativity, and human-centered design, Rev. Stolle will share practical insights on crafting digital spaces that are inclusive, participatory, and spiritually enriching. Don’t miss this dynamic online discussion on December 11, 2025, at 12:00 PM EST, as these two visionary leaders explore how thoughtful design can build stronger, more connected digital communities.

TIDEL Speaker Series – We Pray Freedom: The Intersection of Social Justice & Digital Engagement

Union Theological Seminary’s Technology, Innovation, and Digital Engagement Lab (TIDEL) invites you to the next installment of the TIDEL Speaker Series: We Pray Freedom – The Intersection of Social Justice & Digital Engagement. Hosted by Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, Director of the TIDEL Fellowship, this conversation will explore how digital spaces are shaping contemporary movements for justice, faith-based organizing, and public theology. Together, we’ll consider how technology can be used as a sacred tool to build community, amplify marginalized voices, and reimagine collective liberation.

Joining Dr. Wilkes is Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Founder and Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice, and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. A leading faith-rooted activist and scholar, Dr. Theoharis brings decades of experience working at the intersection of religion and systemic change. Don’t miss this engaging online conversation on November 13, 2025, at 1:00 PM EST, as two visionary leaders discuss what it means to pray freedom in both the physical and digital public square.

TIDEL Speaker Series – The Sustainability of Artificial Intelligence

Join us for a timely conversation on the ethical sustainability of artificial intelligence. While AI promises innovation, it is also deeply harmful to our environment demanding vast amounts of energy and resources that place a strain on our communities. Attendees will be invited to think critically and faithfully about how theology, innovation, and communal responsibility can guide decision-making around artificial intelligence for the good of all.

Our featured guest is Dr. Philip Butler, Associate Professor of Theology and Black Post-Human Artificial Intelligence Systems at Iliff School of Theology. He will highlight and share insights into how AI technologies intersect with justice, sustainability, and the flourishing of human communities. This conversation will be moderated by TIDEL’s Director of Programs, Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes.