Elon University Chaplains

Reverend Kirstin C. Boswell is the University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Associate Dean of Student Support Services and the Associate Chaplain at Brown University, the Chaplain to the Institute and Director of the Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Associate Chaplain at Bentley University, and the Director of Operations for The International Association of Black Religions and Spiritualities, at the University of Chicago. 

Reverend Boswell completed her undergraduate work at The University of Virginia and holds a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from The University of Chicago Divinity School. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology of Religion at the University of Chicago, where her writing focuses on the Black Church, viewed through the lenses of Womanist Theology, self-identity, and exile.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Rev. Boswell has lived in London, England; Pella, Iowa; Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; and Providence, RI, but her family of three children and two dogs now calls Burlington, NC home.

Rev. Julie Tonnesen (she/her) currently serves as the Associate University Chaplain and LEAF Campus Minister. In her role as Associate University Chaplain, Julie works with Elon's Protesant campus ministries, helps to administer the Chaplain's Fund, leads a grief and loss support group for faculty and staff, and supports the overall mission of the Truitt Center.  Julie supports LEAF students through pastoral care, worship leadership, faith formation, and program development. 

Julie is a 2014 graduate of Elon University and received her Masters of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in 2019.  She completed additional coursework at Luther Seminary.  Julie was ordained as a pastor to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 2020.  Julie is passionate about fostering spaces where young adults can ask hard questions about faith and life and develop expressions of their faith that are authentic and sustainable in college and beyond. 

Imam Shane Atkinson currently serves as the Associate Chaplain for Muslim Life. In 2011 he was awarded an Ijaza (traditional degree) to teach Islamic theology, law, and spirituality. Shane entered the Clinical Pastoral Education program at UNC Medical Center in 2015 as the first Muslim in their Chaplains Department. Shane completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and now teaches in UNC’s CPE program as well as serving on their Professional Advisory Group.

Since 2015, Shane has served as Associate Imam at As Salaam Islamic Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Shane was named the recipient of the 2019 Muhammad Ali Spiritual Leadership Full-Tuition Scholarship to support his graduate studies. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2023. Shane is currently a doctoral student at Catholic Theological Union.

Rabbi Dr. Maor Greene (they/them) currently serves as the Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life at Elon University. They joined Elon University in 2022 after receiving their rabbinic ordination from Jewish Theological Seminary. Maor is a proud Conservative rabbi and native North Carolinian.

Maor supports pluralistic Jewish Life at Elon through ritual leadership, student mentoring, education, programming, music, and spiritual care. They frequently partner with Elon’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center to support the spiritual lives of all LGBTQIA+ students. Maor also serves on Elon University’s Council of Chaplains. They believe that repairing the world begins with returning to our own hearts.

Maor holds a BS from Duke University (Psychology and Religion), MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, MA in Bible and the Ancient Near East from Hebrew University (Jerusalem), and PhD in Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation from Jewish Theological Seminary. They are currently revising their doctoral dissertation on images of violent speech in Psalms for publication. They have previously worked for Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, Park Slope Jewish Center, and Union Theological Seminary.

Peter Tremblay has been the Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life since 2016.  He is a member of the Franciscan religious community. He was ordained a Catholic Priest in 2012.  Peter served as an associate pastor at St. Paul Church in Kensington, CT as well as a theology and philosophy teacher at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, MD.  

Peter earned a Masters of Divinity degree from the Washington Theological Union is 2011.  He has published an online blog article entitiled "God of Love in a Quantum Cosmology".  Additionally he has served as a retreat director, preacher, and speaker.  He has preached retreats on forgivenss, Christian Hope, Biblical Escatology, A Christian's Response to the Contemporary World, and spoken on Science and Religion, Postmodern philosophy and Catholic Theology, Contemporary Moral Issues among many others.

Peter has served many areas of the University beyond Catholic Life.  He has been an active advocate for mental and emotional health, served as a resouce for the Office of Student Care, the Office for Student Conduct, and Counseling Services.  He works hard to advance the multifaith work of the Truitt Center especially Jewish and Catholic interfaith activities.