Terrence Williams is Pendle Hill's New Dean of Studies

Pendle Hill is welcoming Terrence Williams to campus as the new Dean of Studies. In announcing his appointment, Director Jen Karsten noted that Terrence sees the position as one to which “he felt called” and Pendle Hill as a place where "having the opportunity for Quaker worship and the chance to do work that speaks to my sense of purpose each day, would be a perfect match for my skills, spiritual path, and hopes for my life at this time.”

Terrence has worked at Haverford College for the past four years, first as the Jill Sherman Fellow for Leadership in Advancement and then as the Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. Following an early career stint with AmeriCorps, he developed a passion for program design and has served residential learning communities, provided direct youth services, and led young adult career development. During the last decade, Terrence has worked at Colorado College and St. Lawrence University where his skills in leadership and recruitment, and his desire to help people to live meaningful lives, were strengthened.

As he explained to the search committee, Terrence has grown increasingly aligned with and drawn toward Friends’ testimonies and practices in recent years and yearns to support both spiritual seeking and witness – for others and in his own life. His references describe him as "incredible with people," "a thoughtful supervisor," and "very committed to sound management.” Jen notes that he values the aims of the Resident Program, STEP program (workshops and retreats), and the young adult program and is, in his own words, “eager to lead and learn at Pendle Hill.”

Originally from the Washington, DC area, Terrence earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Communication Arts from Salisbury University and completed Master’s coursework in Higher Education and Leadership Administration at the University of Arkansas.

Terrence and his wife, Jessica Parrillo, will live on the Pendle Hill campus. Jessica is a counseling psychologist who works at Columbia University but is awaiting an offer from a local university for the fall term. Her professional life will require her to spend much of her time away from campus, but Jen shares that Jessica is excited to be a part of Pendle Hill's community and to get to know her new home.

Gretchen Castle, who served for a year as Acting Dean of Studies, will celebrate her marriage to David Botwinik at Pendle Hill and then move to Britain, where she will become General Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation in January 2013.

Please join the Pendle Hill community in welcoming Terrence Williams as Dean. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .