Rev. D'ana Downing

Rev. D’ana Downing (She/They/Queen) is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner, movement chaplain, and creative whose work centers the spiritual, ethical, and identity formation of youth and young adults. An ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, she brings a Womanist and Afrofuturist lens to questions of belonging, justice, and collective flourishing. She currently serves in two inaugural roles: Chaplain-in-Residence at The George Washington University and Program Coordinator for the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice at Virginia Theological Seminary; and is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. 

With more than two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and higher education, Rev. Downing is also the founder of Light+Essence, a consulting practice focused on strategy, governance, and philanthropic advising. Her work integrates spiritual care, community storytelling, and justice-centered leadership development to help institutions cultivate more inclusive communities. She holds multiple earned degrees in divinity, nonprofit management, and English literature, along with advanced training in museum studies. She is a passionate advocate for spaces where people can show up fully as themselves.

The quote you return to when thinking about community, culture & inclusion

"...we are each other’s harvest: we are each other’s business: we are each other’s magnitude and bond." -Gwendolyn Brooks