Mary Charlotte Chandler, rscj, has been appointed Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Life. The center, established in 1988 by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men and Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, serves as a resource for religious congregations in the United States.

Sister Chandler holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, with a concentration in religion and society. Her dissertation examined the social identity of women religious in the United States. She also holds a Master of Arts in Sociology from Fordham University, a Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from UCLA in database management.

Sister Chandler has taught theology in both high school and college and worked as a research associate in the Office of Pastoral Research and Planning in the Archdiocese of New York. Most recently, she has worked on national projects as a research associate CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) in Washington, D.C.

Sister Chandler assumes her new post in September, succeeding Barbara Kraemer, OSF, who was elected president of her congregation, the School Sisters of St. Francis.