Princeton Seminary Alumni Awards

Pamela Holmes-Saxton, MDiv ’14 | 2026 Alumni Service Awardee

The Reverend Pamela Holmes-Saxton, MDiv ’14, is a leader whose ministry is marked by emotional resilience, profound spiritual grounding, and a generous spirit. For more than fifteen years, she has served Emmanuel Baptist Church in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, as associate pastor, bringing pastoral excellence to congregational life through preaching, care, and adaptive leadership. Her vision of ministry extends beyond longevity, emphasizing the cultivation of leaders, the strengthening of structures, and the creation of a church equipped to thrive well beyond any one individual’s presence.

In March 2024, Holmes-Saxton was sworn in as the first Black woman chaplain in the 160-year history of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). In this historic role, she provides spiritual leadership not only in moments of ceremony, but also in times of crisis, offering presence, counsel, and care to firefighters and their families.

Through her faithful service to both church and society, Holmes-Saxton exemplifies the values and mission of Princeton Theological Seminary. We are proud to recognize her enduring impact and elated to present her with the 2026 Alumni Service Award.

Mark DeVries, MDiv ’86 | 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awardee

The Reverend Mark DeVries, MDiv ’86, is a pastor, teacher, and ecclesial innovator whose influence has shaped youth, family, and congregational ministry for nearly four decades. His work reflects a rare combination of pastoral longevity and systemic vision, building ministries and institutions designed to endure and form leaders across generations.

A deeply committed alumnus of Princeton Theological Seminary, DeVries has played a formative role in some of the Seminary’s most influential initiatives of the past thirty years. He was a key member of the team that designed and established the Institute for Youth Ministry, pioneering what became known nationally as the “theological turn” in youth ministry, and has remained a trusted teacher, mentor, and consultant to students and faculty. He also served as a key coach and mentor in the early development of the Farminary, an innovation now central to the Seminary’s identity and pedagogical approach. In addition, DeVries has served the Seminary with distinction through alumni leadership, Board of Trustees service, and ongoing engagement as a mentor and presenter on campus.

Beyond Princeton, DeVries’s sustained pastoral ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville laid the foundation for his broader impact. For twenty-eight years, he formed young people in faith, equipped volunteer leaders, and built ministry systems that continue to thrive decades later. From this work emerged Ministry Architects, which he founded in 2002 and has since partnered with hundreds of congregations across more than thirty innovation and mission entrepreneurships within the church. His commitment to leader formation is further reflected in his leadership of the Center for Youth Ministry Training at Austin Seminary, now known as the Ministry Leadership Center, which integrates theological education with mentored practice and coaching.

A widely respected author, coach, and mentor, DeVries has guided thousands of leaders through his writing, teaching, and consulting. Known for his pastoral wisdom, spiritual integrity, and hopeful vision for the church, he embodies leadership that is deeply rooted in theological conviction and courageously reaching toward the renewal of the church and the world. We are proud to recognize his extraordinary contributions and enduring influence by presenting him with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.