Rev. Lauren Van Ham

she/her

Raised under the big sky of the Midwest prairie, Rev. Lauren Van Ham, M.A., began her professional life as a performing artist in NYC before pursuing interfaith seminary studies in California. She served for 9 years as a hospital chaplain focusing in psychiatry, palliative care, and bereavement support. Moved by spirituality and ecology, Lauren’s ministry called her to a consulting firm where she custom-designed employee engagement sustainability programs for multi-national corporations. For nearly a decade, she served as Seminary Dean for the Chaplaincy Institute, and interfaith seminary and community. Lauren’s passion for spirituality, art and Earth’s teachings have supported her specialization in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. Her essay, “Way of the Eco-Chaplain,” appears in a collection of women’s work; and her work with Green Sangha is featured in Renewal, a documentary celebrating the efforts of religious environmental activists from diverse faith traditions across America. She is a guest writer for “Progressing Spirit.” Lauren holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Naropa University. Currently, Lauren serves as Climate Action Coordinator for URI (the United Religions Initiative). She is a spiritual director and guest faculty for several schools in the Bay Area.