I Am Starr King: Interview with Jamie Krovontka

Jamie Krovontka
Special Assistant to the President
Operations Director

Why did you decide to work for Starr King? 

I decided to work for Starr King when my friend, who is a graduate of the school, told me about the position being open. At the time, the position was to be the assistant to The Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker; I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to work for an amazing theologian and leader and to work for an organization that was aligned with my values and that delved into the areas that I think need the most help in the world. So, I thought it was a great opportunity.

What has been your most memorable or meaningful experience at Starr King?

I think there have a lot of meaningful experiences… I could probably list a few specific ones.

I remember the graduation of the first class that had started at Starr King the same August that I started. I started in August of 2010, just one week before orientation, so it felt as if we had come into the school together. That commencement was particularly meaningful.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our board of trustees. I think they are pretty amazing people. I have come to know them well over the years, and I really think they do a great service to the school.

I have enjoyed getting to know all of my colleagues. Everyone has different perspectives, different backgrounds, and different issues that are important to them. And it has been really enlightening to learn more about each of those areas that had not necessarily been on my radar before.

So I think those would be some of the highlights over my past five years at Starr King.

In witnessing and participating in the work of the school, what role would you say Starr King has in progressive religion?

I certainly think Starr King plays a critical role because it is training both future ministers and lay leaders to address the important societal issues we face such as classism, sexism, racism, food justice—just so many areas that need attention. I think it is important to know that it is not only ordained ministers that can or should do this work, it is lay leaders as well. And so I think Starr King’s most important role is opening up people who are not called to ordained ministry to this work—from community leaders, activists, even just the staff and faculty members here at Starr King. I think it is important to educate everybody for this work. And I think that Starr King does that through its programming, its courses, it workshops and so much more.

What will you be doing next?

I will be working as the Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer at The Nature Conservancy in Washington, DC. I will be helping to manage the development arm of the largest organization promoting conservation and the preservation of natural resources. It is very exciting!

What will you be taking with you from Starr King as you go forward into this next opportunity?

Oh wow…I definitely think I will be taking an open mind and experience with diverse populations that I might not have experienced otherwise. I have found that the staff, faculty and student body are incredibly diverse, and it has really been an amazing experience working with them. And I think that this experience will help me in encounter future situations where I am being exposed to and working with different, diverse groups of people.

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