Reverend Laurie Tiberi was installed as the Protestant chaplain at the Interfaith Chapel last weekend.
She started her new position on campus August 1.
“I was fortunate to get this position,” Tiberi said. “I am thrilled to be back in western New York.”
In the winter of 2004, Tiberi began the application process for the position at the Interfaith Chapel. After completing an application, numerous interviews and a campus visit, Tiberi was selected by a committee to be the Protestant chaplain.
Members of the search committee were impressed with all aspects of Tiberi’s ministry.
“Her academic credentials are impressive and well suited to a university environment,” search committee member Lawrence Jones ’87, said. “Her sermons were well delivered, creative and insightful, they will appeal to a broad audience in terms of theology and background.”
Tiberi looks forward to life both here on campus as well as off.
“I love Rochester,” Tiberi said. “It’s just the right size, and there’s just enough for me to do.” Although she is technically employed by Genesee Area Campus Ministries, all of Tiberi’s work will mainly be in the Interfaith Chapel.
Tiberi has had a substantial amount of experience in the religious community prior to coming to UR. After being raised as a Catholic, she attended college and then entered the seminary for her religious studies. From there, she served as associate pastor at a Presbyterian church in Lockport, N.Y.
After serving there for five years, Tiberi moved on to Binghamton, where she served as pastor of a church from 1991 to 1999. At that point, she decided to attend law school at the City University of New York.
“I decided to go to law school because it was something I had always had an interest in as an undergraduate,” Tiberi said.
CUNY was founded as a public interest law school, so naturally Tiberi worked at a nonprofit agency that provided legal services to low-income families after law school. Simultaneously, she provided part-time services to a small church in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
In the year immediately preceding Tiberi’s move to Rochester, she worked for the Legal Aid Society of New York, the largest public-interest law firm in the country. Tiberi was employed there as a public defender. At the same time, Tiberi rediscovered her love for the church and pulpit, and began the process of changing her ordination from Presbyterian to the United Church of Christ.
Soon after this, Tiberi started perusing online job listings looking for work in a college ministry.
“I had been thinking even before law school that when I left Binghamton, I would look into campus ministry,” Tiberi said. “The very first job listing that I found was the University of Rochester.”
The Protestant student population has embraced Tiberi so far.
“We are very excited to welcome such an experienced, intelligent and warm person to be our chaplain,” Protestant Chapel Community President Jennifer Zogg said.
“We are lucky indeed to have secured a Chaplain with the background and numerous skills that Laurie Tiberi offers,” Jones said. Majarian can be reached at mmajarian@campustimes.org.
