The Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce this year’s Distinguished Alumni for 2025. A list of previous winners can be found on the BUSTH website.
“Exuding light in a troubled world, these amazing alumni are preeminently distinguished by their bridge-building work—bridging cultures of east and west or north and south, bridging across the disciplines of social work, ecological justice, and divinity, and building bridges of mutual respect, dialogue, and justice advocacy,” says G. Sujin Pak, dean. “They exquisitely embody the convergent thinking needed in our world today clearly evident in their impact at the intersections of health, worship, sustainability, ecumenism, and higher learning.”
A celebration of these alums and their achievements will be part of our annual Community Day, scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2025. Please register for our Community Day by responding on this page.
2025 School of Theology Distinguished Alumni
Reverend Dr. Casely B. Essamuah, (’03)
Reverend Philomena Hare, (’11)
Reverend Dr. Sung-Deuk Oak, (’02)
In the category of Emerging Leader:
Reverend Mariama M. White-Hammond (’17)
2025 Distinguished Alumni Biographies
Rev. Dr. Casely Baiden Essamuah (ThD’03) is the Secretary of the Global Christian Forum (GCF), where he provides leadership to a worldwide platform that nurtures Christian unity by fostering mutual respect and understanding as well as by addressing common challenges. Through the GCF, he facilitates dialogue and faith-sharing among key Christian bodies, including the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance, the Pentecostal World Fellowship, and the Roman Catholic Church.
Born in Ghana and ordained in the Methodist Church Ghana, Dr. Essamuah has studied and worked in Africa, Europe, and North America. He is a missiologist and practical theologian with more than two decades of experience facilitating global missions. A reflective practitioner of his faith, he is a bi-cultural bridge-builder, straddling the spheres of the global South and North, while working in missions, ecumenism, the church, and the academy.
Dr. Essamuah holds a B.A. from the University of Ghana, an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School, and a ThD from Boston University School of Theology.
He is married to Dr. Angela Wakhweya-Essamuah, and they are blessed with three children.
Reverend Philomena Hare (MDiv’11) serves as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Wareham, United Church of Christ, a historic congregation founded in 1739 with a legacy of serving and loving the community. She is deeply engaged in prophetic and progressive ministry, drawing on the Black preaching tradition to connect scripture with everyday life in ways that inspire hope and action.
With a background in social work and divinity, Philomena brings a unique blend of pastoral care and community leadership. She chairs the board of the Cape Cod Council of Churches, is active in the Rotary Club of Bourne-Sandwich, the Junior League of Boston, and has secured funding for programs addressing food insecurity and social connection.
Her ministry extends globally through her work in El Salvador, where she has participated in eye health campaigns, clean water initiatives, and eco-stove building projects that improve health and sustainability.
Philomena is passionate about creating spaces of belonging and fostering collaboration across diverse communities. She has emphasized innovative approaches to worship and outreach, such as dinner church and partnerships between congregations and community organizations.
Her preaching and leadership are shaped by experiences including walking the Civil Rights Trail in Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, Alabama, and participating in In the Footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi with the Shalem Institute. Whether in the pulpit or the community, she equips individuals and congregations to live out their faith as a public witness of God’s grace, peace, and hospitality.
Reverend Dr. Sung-Deuk Oak’s (ThD’02) extensive academic journey includes degrees from Seoul National University, Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, culminating in his graduation from Boston University School of Theology in January 2002. Since 2011, he has held the Dongsoon Im and Mija Im Endowed Chair of Korean Christianity at UCLA’s Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.
His research, initiated in 1984, focuses on the historical indigenization of Christianity in Korea and its global connections. His significant contributions to the field are reflected in his numerous publications. Key works include The Making of Korean Christianity: Encounters of Protestantism with Korean Religions, 1876-1915 (2013), and multi-volume edited collections such as the Horace G. Underwood Papers (5 volumes, 2005-10) and Samuel A. Moffett Papers (4 volumes, 2017). He has also authored A New History of Early Korean Protestantism (2016), The History of the Korean Bible Society, 1876-2002 (3 volumes, 1994, 1995, 2020), and The First Events of the Early Korean Protestant Churches (2025). Forthcoming works include History of Modern Nursing in Korea, 1885-1945 and Seoul Christianity and Pyongyang Christianity, 1876-1946.
Emerging Leader
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond (MDiv’17) is an advocate for ecological & social justice, youth engagement, and Spirit-filled organizing. She is the founding pastor of New Roots AME Church in Dorchester. New Roots is a multi-racial, multi-class community that is innovating new ways of being a church. Rev. Mariama is active in secular and interfaith justice efforts. In particular, she uses an intersectional lens in her ecological work, challenging folks to see the connections between immigration and climate change or the relationship between energy policy and economic justice.
From April 2021 – April 2024, Rev. Mariama served as the Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the City of Boston. In this role, she was responsible for enhancing environmental justice and quality of life in Boston by protecting air, water, climate, food and land resources, as well as preserving and improving the integrity of Boston’s architectural and historic resources. She continues to serve as the Pastor of New Roots and is currently working on a book about scuba diving titled – Divine Diving: Sacred Lessons from Under the Sea.