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The Columbia Theological Seminary Board of Trustees voted unanimously on March 30, 2026, to appoint two new faculty members in Old Testament: Dr. Ka Kwan Almond Sin as Assistant Professor of Old Testament, effective July 1, 2026, and Ms. Michelle Elizabeth Navarrete as Instructor of Old Testament, effective July 1, 2027.
Dr. Sin brings to Columbia a richly interdisciplinary approach to Old Testament scholarship, with specializations that include gender and feminist biblical studies, postcolonial and queer hermeneutics, reception history, and diaspora and migration studies. Her forthcoming monograph, Hidden Women in Genesis 4–11: Whispers from the Past (Routledge), recovers marginalized and anonymous women in the primeval history and traces their afterlives across Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.
Dr. Sin earned her PhD in Religion from Vanderbilt University (2023), where she also completed a Master of Arts degree. She holds a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has taught at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, and Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto, offering courses across the breadth of the Old Testament as well as in Classical and Biblical Hebrew.
A member of a PC(USA) congregation, Dr. Sin is deeply committed to inclusive pedagogy and to bridging rigorous scholarship with congregational life. She regularly leads Bible studies and public lectures among immigrant and diasporic communities.
“Columbia Theological Seminary is marked by its distinctive commitment to weaving rigorous scholarship into the life of the church. I look forward to joining colleagues and students in engaging biblical texts with discipline and imagination as we address the pressing questions facing our world today.”
— Dr. Ka Kwan Almond Sin, Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ka Kwan Almond Sin to the Columbia Theological Seminary faculty as Assistant Professor of Old Testament. Dr. Sin brings a rich scholarly voice through her work in biblical reception history and her careful attention to the often-overlooked women of the biblical narrative. Her work will enhance our capacity to prepare leaders equipped to engage Scripture with rigor, attend to marginalized voices, and serve the Church and the world with wisdom and discernment.”
— The Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo Jr., President, Columbia Theological Seminary
“We are excited about the appointment of Dr. Ka Kwan Almond Sin for many reasons. She is an excellent biblical scholar, a gifted teacher, a generous colleague, and an experienced pastoral leader who believes in the power of theological education to transform lives and the world. She cultivates inclusive learning opportunities and captivates imaginations with her creative and incisive work. I look forward to serving with and learning from Dr. Sin for years to come.”
— Dr. Christine Roy Yoder, Senior Vice President, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, Columbia Theological Seminary
Ms. Navarrete is a doctoral candidate in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Emory University, working on her dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Roger Nam. Her dissertation examines the Psalms through the lens of “rewritten scripture” and postcolonial theory—exploring questions of canonicity, power, and the experiences of lament, exile, and migration. Her work is anchored in U.S. Latine biblical interpretation and the reception of the Psalms among indigenous communities in 16th-century Tenochtitlán, Mexico.
A second-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants, Ms. Navarrete is the first Latina student accepted into Emory’s Hebrew Bible doctoral program. She is a recipient of the Forum for Theological Exploration Doctoral Fellowship (2025–26), the Louisville Institute Doctoral Fellowship (2025–27), and support from the Hispanic Theological Initiative. She is currently a Scholar Fellow at BibleProject, where she contributes to translation, research, and content production. She also serves as junior faculty at Candler School of Theology’s La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies.
Ms. Navarrete holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Her commitments span the church and the academy. She is part of Proskuneo Ministries in Clarkston, Georgia, which creates resources and music for multicultural and multilingual ministries. Michelle is also a contributing author to several forthcoming publications, including a chapter in a volume on the Psalms contracted with InterVarsity Academic and an article in Currents of Biblical Research on migration and diaspora from the U.S. Latine perspective.
“I am deeply humbled to receive the invitation to join the Columbia faculty, as it has long been a place where I could see myself thriving and making a difference in the community. I look forward to officially starting the journey together in the fall of 2027!”
— Michelle E. Navarrete, Ph.D. Candidate in Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Emory University
“We are enthused to welcome Ms. Michelle E. Navarrete to the Columbia Theological Seminary faculty as Instructor of Old Testament. As a second-generation Latina scholar, Michelle brings a deeply integrative approach to biblical studies, shaped by lived experience, rigorous scholarship, and commitment to the communities she serves. We look forward to the ways her teaching and research will enrich our community and advance our mission for the sake of the Church and the world.”
— The Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo Jr., President, Columbia Theological Seminary
“While it is difficult to wait for a year for Ms. Michelle E. Navarrete to join the Columbia faculty, we do so because we recognize Ms. Navarrete’s remarkable gifts as an Old Testament scholar, theological educator, and church leader and are convinced that her gifts are vital for the future of Columbia’s mission. Michelle brings deep commitments to intercultural, interdisciplinary, ecumenical, and integrative work that connects the academy and the Church. She is a bridge builder from whom we will learn much.”
— Dr. Christine Roy Yoder, Senior Vice President, Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, Columbia Theological Seminary
Columbia Theological Seminary, located in Decatur, Georgia, is a graduate school of theology in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Columbia prepares faithful, imaginative, and courageous leaders for the Church and the world through graduate theological education, continuing education, and research.
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