Her Story
About Rev
Rev Ledford serves as a civil rights attorney with a career spanning more than 35 years and as an Episcopal priest for about 15 years. Her educational background includes a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law earned in 1986, a Master of Divinity from CDSP Trinity School of the Pacific completed in 2013, and a Doctor of Ministry from the Pacific School of Religion in Political Theology obtained in 2019. Now residing in Hawaii after moving from Michigan for semi-retirement, she is developing a podcast that explores the role of progressive Christians in shaping public policy. The podcast aims to distinguish policy from partisanship, encourage thoughtful engagement with faith in the public square, and address topics such as immigration reform from both legal and gospel perspectives, including the imperative to care for the least of these. She attributes her success to her parents, particularly her mother who supported her early education, her wife of nearly 45 years, dear friends David and Doug, and influential professors. Her core values center on compassion, and she advises staying true to oneself, following instincts, and pursuing meaningful work that contributes to society.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rev
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to start with my parents, my mother particularly, who provided the opportunity for my at least the beginning of my education, and I'm talking about college. And I would have to say my wife, who's been tremendously supportive for almost 45 years. And dear friends, David and Doug, and some of my professors along the way.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Stay true to yourself. Follow your instincts. If something's right, do it. If you know something is wrong, don't do it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Figure out what is really important to you, and do that. There's a book called Do What You Love and The Money Will Follow. And I think there's a lot of wisdom in that. Now, it may not be tremendous riches, but it is more than just wanting to live, and doing something that is meaningful to you, makes a contribution to society, is so important.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of my biggest challenges for the podcast is I very much want to keep this nonpartisan. I'm not gonna get on there and just rant about Trump all the time. What I want to do is encourage people to think about their relationship, you know, church and state is a good thing, ultimately, but it messes us up because we think we can't speak our faith as part of the bigger public debate. My biggest challenge is to keep it nonpartisan and stay focused on issues. And what the policy says. Not overhauled our Immigration Act since 1996. From a civil rights perspective, what we are doing to people that we are detaining is fundamentally wrong. But how do we talk about that in a way that everybody can sit at the table. Get away from the partisan rhetoric, and really talk about what the issues are. Also from an immigration standpoint, so you're looking at the legal side of it, and how we deprive people of their rights. But also, there's the gospel imperative, which is do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Looking out for what Jesus called the least of these.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
First and foremost, we agree in compassion.
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