Conyers Scholars - Online Leaders
Dr. Rebecca Poe Hays
Dr. Rebecca Poe Hays is Assistant Professor of Christian Scriptures (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament). Before joining the faculty at Truett, she worked with Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning on a grant from the Lilly Endowment’s Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative that focused on the exploration of vocation in churches. Dr. Poe Hays believes that ministry must be grounded in faithful and responsible readings of Scripture, and she loves teaching the “Older” Testament in order to draw out its ongoing relevance for the church. She is particularly interested in how the stories in Scripture—particularly in the Psalms—communicate with us and shape us, and in how these sung stories might help individuals and faith communities build resilience. She presents regularly at the national meetings of the Society for Biblical Literature and is co-chair of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible unit of the Society of Biblical and Related Literature.
An ordained Baptist minister, she has served in churches and Christian non-profits in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas. Dr. Poe Hays is married to the Rev. Dr. Joshua Hays, who serves as Associate Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Waco, and together they have a daughter Mary Brandon, a son Whitten, and a distinguished mutt named Cooper.
Dr. Nathan Hays
Nathan Hays is assistant director of Baylor's Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL), which assists Baylor in achieving its mission of integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment. He has also served with Baylor's Soundings Project, a Lilly Endowment, Inc. grant that helps churches develop projects related to vocation. Previously, Nathan earned his Ph.D. in Religion at Baylor with an Old Testament concentration. His research focused on the intersection of priestly and prophetic literature, and his dissertation was on the book of Malachi. He has seven peer-reviewed articles, and he has taught classes in Baylor's Religion department and George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Prior to the Ph.D., Nathan completed a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at Duke Divinity School and B.A. At Baylor. A native Texan, Nathan is married and has three children.