Denver Seminary has named Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) K. Harper as the inaugural Dean of its newly established School of Counseling, effective July 1, 2026. She will lead the School of Counseling in partnership with Dr. Gregg Okesson, the seminary’s provost, who carries the academic mission as a whole.

“I have watched Liz Harper lead in a way that seeks the good of others before her own,” said Dr. Mark Husbands, President of Denver Seminary. “She asks what will actually help a colleague or a student, and she waits for the honest answer even when it takes longer to arrive. She has my full confidence, and the School of Counseling has a leader who will hold student formation as her first work.”

The deanship is a newly created office. Exercised in close partnership with the provost, the dean carries responsibility for the formation of faculty and students, the strength of the curriculum, and the school’s accreditation and long-term direction.

Dr. Harper has served on the Denver Seminary counseling faculty since 2021. She holds a PhD in counselor education and supervision from Mercer University and an MA in professional counseling, with a trauma specialization, from Richmont Graduate University. A Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and Georgia and a National Certified Counselor, she has provided trauma training, debriefing, and program evaluation in the United States and abroad, in settings ranging from a homeless shelter to a psychiatric hospital to a missions agency. Her research centers on trauma, grief, and counselor development, with particular attention to counselor burnout and the effect of trauma on individuals and their work. At Denver Seminary she oversees the Chi Sigma Iota honor society and the seminary’s Approved Continuing Education Program. She holds clinical rigor and Christian formation as a single standard, neither bought at the other’s expense.