InterVarsity Press author Christena Cleveland has been appointed as associate professor of the practice of reconciliation and as the director of the Center for Reconciliation (CFR) at Duke Divinity School effective July 1. Cleveland is the author of Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces That Keep Us Apart.

Cleveland is currently an associate professor of reconciliation studies in the department of anthropology, sociology and reconciliation studies at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and works in the field of social psychology. Her research seeks to uncover the underlying processes that affect relationships within and between groups, and to help leaders understand how to promote appreciation for diversity and build effective collaborations with diverse groups. In 2014 Christianity Today magazine named her one of "33 Under 33" (millennial leaders who are shaping the next generation of Christian faith), and JET magazine identified her one as of five "online shepherds to follow."

IVP publisher Bob Fryling said, "InterVarsity Press has a significant partnership with the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School, including the publication of seven books in IVP's Resources for Reconciliation series. So it is with great delight that IVP celebrates the appointment of Christena Cleveland as the new director of the Center for Reconciliation. Cleveland's book Disunity in Christ just adds to this common vision for meaningful reconciliation in a broken world and often a fractured church."

Disunity in Christ, a book about the unseen dynamics behind conflict and divisions among Christians, received a 2013 Leadership Journal Book Award. Combining her experience as a social psychologist with the latest studies and research, Cleveland shows why Christians who have a heart for unity have such a hard time actually uniting.

Cleveland is currently working on her next book, The Priesthood of the Privileged, which examines power and inequality in the church. She has also started writing a regular column for Christianity Today called "Truth Be Told."

Cleveland earned a BA from Dartmouth College and a PhD in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. An award-winning researcher, she has published numerous scholarly articles. She regularly coaches pastors and leaders on multicultural issues.

Prior to her appointment at Bethel University, Cleveland was an assistant professor of psychology at St. Catherine University, an assistant professor of psychology at Westmont College and a visiting assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

For more about Christena Cleveland visit christenacleveland.com.