The Rev. Kari Webb has been called to serve as Director for Digital Community and Learning for the South Dakota Synod. She will also serve as the Project Director of Journeying Together in Christ, overseeing the work of the Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations Grant. Prior to joining the Synod staff, she served as a parish pastor in western South Dakota, where she discovered the unique joys and challenges of rural ministry.
“I am delighted to welcome Pastor Kari Webb to the Synod team,” said Bishop Constanze Hagmaier. “Her vast experience with digital curriculum design and creation are the needed skill set to live more fully into the synod’s vision of creating and offering church resources for congregational use in a time where we are learning to live into the church’s future leveraging digital opportunities for the sake of the Gospel.”
Rev. Webb is a lifelong educator, bringing a wide range of academic experience to her new role with the Synod. She worked with the Education and Outreach team at Sanford Underground Research Facility, exploring the mysterious world of dark matter and neutrinos. Webb served as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the Sioux City School District. It was in this capacity that Webb became a passionate advocate for deeply personalized, job-embedded professional development. She is eager to bring this passion to her new role with the Synod.
Webb was instrumental in developing the infrastructure of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Initiative in its earliest years. She helped to deploy innovative educational pedagogy and programs across the state, reaching underrepresented populations in the STEM fields. Webb’s first love is classroom teaching. She taught High School chemistry in rural Northwest Iowa for a decade. Every student was her favorite.
Kari Webb received a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry and physics from Augustana University in 1986 and a Master of Arts in Chemistry from the University of South Dakota in 1988. She earned a Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of Iowa in 2014. Shifting to theological studies, Webb completed a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Seminary and was ordained in 2021.
Welcome Pastor Kari by sending her a note at kwebb@sdsynod.org.
