Anya Powers
Anya Powers is a board-certified chaplain and ACPE Certified Educator currently serving as Regional Manager for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) with AdventHealth in the Rocky Mountain region. In this role, she leads a newly established CPE program based at Porter Adventist Hospital, overseeing chaplain residency and internship training across multiple hospitals. She works closely with small cohorts of students, providing supervision, curriculum development, and administrative leadership while helping shape the next generation of spiritual care providers. Her work integrates clinical chaplaincy practice with a strong commitment to inclusive, trauma-informed, and equity-centered spiritual care.
Her professional background spans hospital systems, military service, and advanced theological education. She previously served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Chaplain Corps and completed extensive chaplaincy training and educator candidacy work with CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region. Anya earned her Master of Divinity from Yale University, where she completed clinical pastoral education at Yale New Haven Hospital. She also trained in Buddhist chaplaincy at the Upaya Zen Center, becoming one of a small number of Buddhist-informed educators in the field of Clinical Pastoral Education in the United States.
Anya’s work is shaped by a deep commitment to interspiritual care, diversity, equity, and inclusion within healthcare chaplaincy. She has helped build and expand CPE programming from the ground up, including launching new regional training systems and supporting chaplains in complex clinical environments. In addition to her leadership roles, she contributes to regional committees focused on standardizing spiritual care practices across hospitals and is involved in developing innovative assessment tools that better serve non-theistic and diverse spiritual perspectives. Her approach to chaplaincy is grounded in presence, relational depth, and the integration of contemplative Buddhist practice with clinical education.
• Board Certified Chaplain
• ACPE Certified Educator
• Yale University - MDiv
• Venture Grant Recipient
• Association of Professional Chaplains
• Association of Clinical Pastoral Education
• Upaya Zen Center
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to other people, particularly the really wonderful role models I've had throughout my life. My mom, Grace, has been an incredible influence. She was one of the first female pilots in the Air Force and is now a physical engineer and CEO and President of her company. She went by Grace Jenkins for most of her professional career before finally changing her last name to Powers after 25 years of marriage. Growing up, she was the kind of person that every time somebody told her she couldn't do something, she smiled and said, 'watch me.' Having role models like her, both near and far, has shaped my journey and given me the strength to navigate challenges in my own field.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from my mom, who really instilled in me the importance of asking why. She always encouraged me to ask the question, why, and if I don't know why I'm doing what I'm doing, then maybe I should take a pause before I keep doing it. Being really connected to why I do this work, why I work overtime, why I show up every day has helped guide me toward work that is truly meaningful and integrates my core values. That connection to purpose can make the work sustainable, even on the hardest days.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would advise young women entering my industry to embrace the advantage of a fresh perspective and not feel constrained by how things have traditionally been done. Your willingness to ask questions others may no longer consider is a strength that can lead to meaningful insight and innovation. I also encourage you to see both your age and your perspective as a woman as valuable assets, not something to justify, but as resources that add real value to the field.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field is navigating assumptions about what a chaplain “should” look like, especially as a young woman who often appears younger than I am and does not fit traditional expectations. I am frequently the only woman and the only non-Christian in certain professional spaces, which has meant having to advocate more intentionally for my role and credibility. At the same time, this comes at a pivotal moment where the spiritual landscape is shifting, with more people identifying as non-religious or spiritually unaffiliated—creating an important opportunity to broaden and reimagine spiritual care in more inclusive and responsive ways.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is the most fundamental value in both my work and personal life. For me, it means maintaining alignment between head, heart, and gut—ensuring that thought, emotion, and intuition are all acknowledged and none are dismissed. I also value compassion deeply. People are complex in every setting, and while the work can be challenging, I consistently find that choosing patience and kindness leads to outcomes I never regret, even in difficult moments.
Locations
AdventHealth
Denver, CO 80219