Denton Waits

is the head archivist at the Bishop Payne Library in Alexandria, Virginia, which serves as the repository for the Virginia Theological Seminary, the General Theological Seminary, the Bishop Payne Divinity School, and the African American Episcopal Historical Collection. They hold a M.A. in American and Public History from the University of West Georgia, a M.A. in Christian Formation from the Virginia Theological Seminary, and is a Ph.D. student in the Department of History of George Mason University. 

Publications: 

“Book Review: From Interrogation to Integration: Centering Social Justice in Special Collections, Archives, and Preservation,” The Mid-Atlantic Archivist. Vol. 55, no. 3 (Summer 2026). Harrisburg, PA: Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, 2026.  

Presentations, Exhibits, Workshops, Retreats and Addresses:

Presenter, “19th Century Resource at the Bishop Payne Library,” International Nineteenth Century Studies Conference, Smithsonian Museum of American History, July 2026.

Guest Lecturer, “Archival Record of Episcopal Church Missions,” The History of the Episcopal Church, Virginia Theological Seminary, October 2025.

Guest Lecturer, “Early Records of the Episcopal Church,” The History of the Episcopal Church, Virginia Theological Seminary, September 2025.

Presenter, “Record and Reconciliation,” MARAC Fall Virtual Conference, November 2024.

Presenter, “Religious Music Archival Collections”  The Hymnody of Rae Whitney, Virginia Theological Seminary, May 2023.

Presenter, “Latent Transphobia in the Episcopal Church,”  Queer History Conference, San Francisco State University, June 2022.

Presenter, “Fighting to See the Face of God: An Exegetical Exploration of E Source Covenant Narratives” Seminary Symposium, Virginia Theological Seminary, April 2022.

Panel Contributor, “The Codification of Queerness,” Queer History Forum, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Carrollton, GA, July 2021.

Panel Contributor, “Reconsidering Atlantic World Professions through the Lenses of Religion, Race, and Gender,” Interdisciplinary Conference in the Humanities, University of West Georgia, November 2013.

Exhibits, Displays, and Projects:

Exhibit Curator, “Jones and Allen: The Making of Black Churches,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, January 2026.

Exhibit Curator, “John T. Walker,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2025.

Exhibit Curator, “The Long Arc of History: A Seminary’s Journey Towards Justice,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, April 2025.

Exhibit Curator, “The Development of Theological Libraries,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, December 2024.

Exhibit Curator, “An Outward and Visible Sign: The Senior Class Crosses,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2024.

Exhibit Curator, “Virginia Theological Seminary – Historic Bicentenary: 200 Years of Revelation, Repentance, and Reconciliation,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “VTS and the Global Community,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “20 Years of the African American Episcopal Historical Collection: Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “The Library Through The Years,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “Passing On The Faith: Theology, Faculty, and Curriculum at Virginia Theological Seminary,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, August 2023.

Project Developer, “Called and Holy: Virginia Theological Seminary LGBTQIA+ Oral History Project,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, February 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “African American Episcopal Historical Collection Oral Histories,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, April 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “Virginia Theological Seminary Archives: History and Mission,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, February 2023.

Exhibit Curator, “John T. Walker: Maker and Witness,” Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, January 2023.