JANS – Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells, who is a member of the Rhodes Class of 1982 and Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humanities at the 177th Commencement of Rhodes College. The ceremony will be held Saturday, May 16, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hubert F. Fisher Memorial Garden on campus. In the event of rain, Commencement will take place in the Bryan Campus Life Center.
In 2024, Wells made history becoming the first woman and first Black person elected to lead the diocese. She had served as rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Germantown, Tenn., and chaplain of the church’s preschool. Born in Mobile, Ala., Wells earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Rhodes, where she was the first Black student inducted into the college’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. She has also earned a Master of Divinity from the Memphis Theological Seminary, a Juris Doctor from The University of Memphis, and Doctor of Ministry from Emory University.
Prior to her ordination into the ministry, Wells practiced law for 18 years, first with the law firm of Waring Cox, PLLC and then as a corporate attorney for FedEx. She also has been active in the Memphis community, serving on the boards of directors of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), Church Health, Community Alliance for the Homeless, and Room in the Inn-Memphis…