The Rev. Dr. Mark C. Lee became President of Bexley Seabury Seminary in September 2025, bringing more than two decades of experience in theological education, pastoral care, chaplaincy, and organizational leadership. An Episcopal priest and U.S. Army Chaplain who holds the rank of Colonel, Dr. Lee most recently served as Dean of the Graduate School at the U.S. Army Institute for Religious Leadership, where he led four academic schools, three Clinical Pastoral Education centers, and faculty across six locations nationwide.

Dr. Lee holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen, a DMin from Erskine Theological Seminary, an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an MBA and BS from the University of Southern California. His areas of expertise include practical theology, Clinical Pastoral Education, chaplaincy, pastoral care, trauma and spirituality, PTSD, moral injury, and posttraumatic growth. His scholarship includes work on moral injury and posttraumatic growth among military personnel and the role of the Church in supporting combat veterans.

As a scholar-practitioner and educator, Dr. Lee believes theological education is most effective when students' life experiences and academic learning are brought into conversation with one another. His teaching is highly collaborative and grounded in adult learning, with an emphasis on listening, sharing experiences, conversation, and reflection. He seeks to meet students where they are and to understand the unique needs and circumstances they bring to their theological education.

As President and Dean, Dr. Lee provides vision and leadership for Bexley Seabury Seminary, with a particular passion for expanding the reach of distributed theological education. He believes the Church needs well-formed leaders who can serve God's people wherever ministry happens—not only within church buildings and on Sunday mornings. He is particularly excited to teach in Chaplaincy Studies and to help prepare leaders for the many forms of ministry that take place beyond traditional congregational settings.

Dr. Lee is guided by a deep belief in God's all-inclusive love and a vision for a Church whose theological “tent” is large enough to embrace all people. He is passionate about theological education that forms leaders who love God, serve their neighbors, and help the Church become a place of reconciliation rather than division.

In the Columbia, South Carolina, area, Dr. Lee volunteers at three Episcopal parishes, assisting with worship, preaching, and pastoral ministry. He also supplies pulpits in other congregations when invited and enjoys opportunities to teach and preach throughout the wider Episcopal Church.

Outside of work and ministry, Dr. Lee enjoys spending time with his family, being near the water, walking trails, planning well into the future, and staying active. A former CrossFit enthusiast, he now focuses his workouts on staying healthy and fit. He also enjoys traveling, discovering good food, and, when the weekend allows, binge-watching K-dramas.

Areas of Expertise and Research Interests: Practical Theology, Clinical Pastoral Education, PTSD, Moral Injury, Posttraumatic Growth, Trauma and Spirituality, Chaplaincy, and Pastoral Care

“Moral Injury & Posttraumatic Growth,” in A Persistent Fire: The Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I on the Global Profession of Arms, Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press, 2019.

“Combat Veterans, Post-traumatic Growth and the Role of the Church,” Presbyterian Outlook, March 4, 2019.