Janet Cooper Nelson, the first woman to serve as a university chaplain in the Ivy League, has provided pastoral care to Brown faculty, staff, and students since 1990. Her poetic prayers are a cornerstone of University celebrations and the interfaith suppers she has hosted at her home have sparked invigorating conversations about spirituality. 

Amir Tamaddon ’25, a Jewish and Muslim student from Iran, has been struck by her ability to navigate tension, especially in the wake of recent conflict in the Middle East. “By the end of a conversation with her, people are able to acknowledge something deeper about who they disagree with, softening what were previously rigid perspectives.”

Cooper Nelson has a keen interest in religious identity, religious literacy, and interreligious cooperation. In 1998, after surveying more than 1,500 students, faculty, and staff about their religious needs and perceptions of campus, the Harvard Divinity School grad restructured the chaplain’s office to serve a diversity of religious needs. Her insights have informed programs across the nation, and in 2024 she earned the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education.

Cooper Nelson retired in May but will continue teaching at the Warren Alpert Medical School. She says she is enthusiastic about the University’s next chapter, despite the latest challenges. “Brown just has to keep being itself,” she says. “I expect to be cheering for all of it.”