Elonda Clay
Elonda Clay is Library Director at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, where she integrates her expertise as a librarian, scholar, and ethicist to explore the intersections of digital religion, digital inclusion, and environmental justice. Her librarianship emphasizes instruction in information, digital, and AI literacies, while her interests span critical pedagogy and equity-driven approaches to learning.
Clay’s research examines digital religion and human-centered technology, with a focus on the ethical and ecological dimensions of emerging technologies. She adopts a comprehensive approach to addressing environmental costs of generative AI, working collaboratively to create just and sustainable digital futures.
Her academic credentials include an MLIS from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a Master’s in Theological Studies from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and a Master of Divinity from Gammon Theological Seminary.
Her leadership roles include principal administrator for the AAAS/DoSer “Questioning Science with Good Faith” grant (2021-2022) funded by John Templeton Foundation and co-lead for the AUC Data Science Initiative’s “Religion and/as Big Data” digital humanities project (2024). She is a collaborator on the “Future Humans, Human Futures” project supported by the Henry Luce Foundation and a founding member of the Technology, Ecology, Religion, and Art (TERA) Collective.
Upcoming Projects: Currently, Clay is co-editing a volume on critical approaches to religion and artificial intelligence.
