Eliza Smith Brown Receives Anderson Award
During the Seminary’s 230th Commencement, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary honored Eliza Smith Brown with the 2026 John Anderson Award of Merit, the Seminary’s highest honor.
The John Anderson Award of Merit is bestowed by the Board of Directors of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary upon those individuals who have contributed distinctive service to the Seminary and community at large. The Anderson Award is named for Pastor John Anderson, founding president of the Seminary in 1794.
Eliza Smith Brown served on the Seminary’s Board of Directors from 2013 to 2025, providing leadership as Board vice chair (2018-2023) and chair (2024-2025) and spearheading the search committee that brought President Asa J. Lee to PTS. An author, storyteller, and historian who worked for three decades in historic preservation and architecture, Eliza has given lectures and tours for organizations such as the Smithsonian, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Frick Pittsburgh and has authored several books about local history, including She Devils at the Door (2023) and Pittsburgh Legends and Visions: An Illustrated History (2002). Her passion for Pittsburgh history has come hand-in-hand with active community involvement; she has served on the boards of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, The Neighborhood Academy, and other local organizations. The perspective she brought to PTS from her 11 years of experience as a trusted writer, editor, and strategist at The Association of Theological Schools has also been a great benefit to the Seminary. Eliza’s passion for her community, curiosity about its history, and commitment to active service all informed her contributions to the life and direction of the Seminary, and PTS’s future will continue to be marked by the ongoing effects of her leadership.
“Our society has experienced a period of intense change in recent years,” says President Asa Lee, “and leadership during such times is never easy. In the midst of this, Eliza has been able to see opportunities for PTS to visibly center its values and take actions that concretely express its Christian identity. Her passion for community flourishing, knowledge of local history, and strategic expertise informed by experience in a variety of nonprofit organizations, including ATS, have been instrumental to the Board in navigating monumental shifts, and her wise leadership has set PTS on a course to continue in its mission faithfully and adaptively in the coming years