CONTACT: SVOTS Transition Committee, transition@svots.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YONKERS, NY, Monday, May 20, 2024—St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) announces the retirement of the Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield as SVOTS President and Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel, effective July 1, 2024. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, along with the Board of Trustees, received and accepted a request for retirement from Fr. Hatfield on Friday, May 17 at the 2024 Spring Semi-Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
During his seventeen-year tenure at SVOTS, as Chancellor and then President, Fr. Hatfield oversaw significant developments at SVOTS, including but not limited to the expansion of the faculty and academic programs, enhancing of campus facilities, strengthening of the staff and administration, and the reinforcement of the Seminary’s financial foundation. Fr. Hatfield will begin a six-month sabbatical, continuing as the Skvir Professor of Pastoral Theology, concluding on December 31, 2024.
His Beatitude and the Board of Trustees expressed gratitude and appreciation for Fr. Hatfield’s many years of service at SVOTS. His Beatitude, Chairman of the Board, stated, “Fr. Chad’s leadership has been transformative for the Seminary. His commitment to service in the Church and for the Church has preserved and strengthened the legacy of St. Vladimir’s Seminary as a beacon of Orthodox Christian education. We are immensely grateful for his unwavering dedication to upholding the teachings of the Orthodox Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Over the course of the summer, SVOTS will initiate a comprehensive search for Fr. Hatfield’s successor, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon as Chairman of the Board, who will chair a President Search Committee, as mandated by the SVOTS bylaws. The Board of Trustees also appointed a Transition Committee to assist with and ensure a seamless transition. In the interim, the Board of Trustees appointed Academic Dean, Dr Ionuţ-Alexandru Tudorie, as the Interim President and Academic Dean, effective July 1, 2024, to oversee the Seminary’s operations.
More information regarding the succession search will be made available in the coming weeks.
Inquiries can be directed to:
SVOTS Transition Committee
Email: transition@svots.edu
