Rev. Lea Matthews Associate Pastor | St. Paul & St. Andrew 263 W 86th Street New York, NY 10024

I was very fortunate to be on a teaching team with Keisha for four years at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. We, along with two others, supported all of the MDiv students, during their second year, while they were undergoing their internships at professional ministerial placements in preparation for future work. 

Our work was two-fold: we taught instructional blocks on topics and essentials of practical ministry to a large class of eighty+ students and we supported them in small groups of eight-ten students, where we extended pastoral and professional guidance and facilitated peer-to-peer support. Keisha excelled at this work. She is a natural teacher, able to assess student needs, as well as student giftedness. Keisha provides a grounding and assured presence as a teacher, ably facilitating a brave space for learning and sharing. She works with each student individually, meeting them where they are. And at the same time, she sets an expectation for excellence and rigor. Keisha is a gem on a team, adept at working collaboratively with other colleagues. She is a blessing to her students and her fellow faculty alike!  

Keisha is an old soul who's calm spirit soothes most ailments in her presence. She works intentionally and creatively to bring the best out in others. While her peaceful nature serves as an emotional refuge, Keisha’s passion and perseverance shines through when advocacy is needed. She is one of the most trustworthy leaders I've had the honor of working with; her ethics and piercing honesty set the bar in conversations and collaborations. I am grateful to have ritualized with and received much magic from Keisha-- she is a blessing to this planet!

”Keisha is a talented director and an exceptional teacher.”

In my work as an educator, I’ve always looked for students who had a mixture of natural empathy, excellent listening and accompanying skills, courage and a strong spirituality, as well as the ability to learn and grow as individuals and clinicians. Keisha brought all of that and more to the program. 

I also knew Keisha as a colleague, after she received her MDIV, she served as a course assistant mentoring and guiding students individually and in small groups. In this she continued her work of assisting others as they developed, and faced their own fears and challenges. She brought a depth to this work and a sensitivity that was essential as the students were a diverse group that contained a wide range of beliefs and life experiences.

Keisha Kogan is the colleague, leader, and collaborator one hopes to always encounter in their work. Her disposition is to approach opportunities and challenges from a place of curiosity and learning, inviting and inspiring her colleagues and her team in the process. Furthermore, Keisha possesses an impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in her field, and as such, she is a natural leader that richly contributes with nuance, care, substance and depth. 

It is rare to encounter someone with the humility, maturity, and gravitas that Keisha brings to her work, and how she shows up in her work. Judicious and insightful, welcoming and a person of great integrity, Keisha is the real deal. It is difficult to speak of her without struggling to seem hyperbolic.

Yet without reservation, Keisha is and would be an invaluable leader to any organization that is seeking talent as well-rounded and extensive as what she offers.