Jennifer L. Walters was appointed Smith’s first dean of religious life in 2001. Her not-so-linear career path has taken her on many adventures including community HIV education, non-profit administration, mediation, higher education, and ministry of different sorts. Before coming to Smith she taught ethics and principles of health education to undergraduate and graduate students at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. She also served for six years as the University of Michigan’s ombudsperson handling disputes and conflicts concerning students. She earned a doctorate of ministry from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA and is a priest of the Episcopal Church. In 2006-07 she was a Kahn Liberal Arts Institute Fellow involved in the "Marriage and Divorce" project. She is the Associate Director of the Women’s Narratives of Success Project.

As dean of religious life, she encourages inter-religious learning, ethical reflection and analysis, cross-cultural conversation, and community engagement. She remains active as a priest and teacher whose primary vocation is to ask questions rather than to give answers. She has written about spirituality and higher education and is currently working on a book about forgiveness.