Published on: April 14, 2026
An ATIXA Tip of the Week by Advisory Board Member Josie Hoover, DMin, SHRM-CP, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
When people hear the term Title IX, they may think of the law, regulations, or compliance obligations. It can sound reactive or punitive, after harm has occurred. I approach Title IX differently. For me, Title IX is a form of community care.
That framing developed over time at the intersection of my work in higher education, my vocation in a theological education context at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS), and my lifelong relationship with embodiment, movement, and dance. Over nearly two decades in higher education administration, spanning governance, human resources, compliance, diversity, and Title IX leadership, I have learned that policy alone does not create safe or brave spaces. Culture does, and culture is something we build intentionally together.
Where Embodiment Meets Policy
In my young adult years, I was part of a liturgical dance ministry shaped by a faith tradition that valued discipline, reverence, and mindfulness about how we presented ourselves in shared spaces. We were taught to dress modestly so that our bodies would not distract from the message. Later, through field education at a theological seminary, I helped students discern and navigate vocational placements in churches, nonprofits, and institutions.
Both experiences formed my early understanding of embodiment, responsibility, and presence. As my work expanded into Title IX and equity compliance, those lessons deepened. I found myself reflecting more intentionally on whose comfort is prioritized, whose bodies are regulated, and how we communicate belonging, often without saying a word.
Title IX gave me the language and structure to the questions I had long pondered. It provided a framework for understanding dignity not as something conferred by others, but as something inherent.
Dignity in Practice
Working closely with students who experienced discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation sharpened that understanding. In theological education, especially, I encountered students with internalized messages about who they were permitted to be. For me, the concept that people are born with inherent dignity moved from abstraction to practice. Whether grounded in theology or secular principles of equity, our systems must translate dignity into policy and practice.
Over time, my work as a Title IX Coordinator clarified and strengthened my theological commitments. I came to see embodiment as central to justice, education, and community life. In my own ministry, I combine theology and the arts to help others experience themselves as embodied and dignified. The throughline remains that systems, spaces, and practices should affirm, not diminish, who people are.
Mission-Driven Compliance
Today, as the Director of Human Resources and Title IX Co-Coordinator at a faith-based institution, I work in spaces that intentionally hold complexity. Seminaries are unique environments with internal diversity that is not always visible to the outside world. Here, progressive and conservative perspectives coexist alongside cultural, global, and denominational traditions, as well as evolving understandings of gender and power.
While these dynamics may not always result in formal complaints, they shape the campus climate. Leading Title IX in this context requires clarity, collaboration, and the ability to engage multiple stakeholders. When concerns arise, I begin with our mission, which anchors the conversation. Our mission is to form communities as sacred work. Title IX is part of that calling.
When people understand Title IX as community care, the conversation changes. It becomes less about enforcement and more about shared responsibility; less about fear and more about accountability rooted in care.
A Culture of Prevention
I recall a time in my career when I served at a large public institution, and I often met people only after harm had escalated. By the time they arrived at my office, trust was already strained, and options felt limited. That experience made something very clear to me. Compliance without prevention is incomplete.
At PTS, prevention is central to our approach to this work. I meet students at orientation, often within their first days on campus. We talk about Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX together, not as isolated statutes, but as collective commitments to building a culture of care.
Many of our students are adult learners who have been away from formal education for years. Framing Title IX as community care makes it accessible. It communicates that this work is not only about rules. It is about how we treat one another and what kind of community we choose to build.
Training matters, but training alone is not enough. Compliance must be woven into the ethos. When expectations are clear and values are shared, prevention becomes possible.
Contributing a Faith-Based Lens to the ATIXA Advisory Board
Serving on the ATIXA Advisory Board feels like a natural extension of this work. Theological education occupies a distinct space within higher education. Questions of gender, authority, doctrine, culture, and identity are often embedded in the curriculum itself, not just the campus climate. That reality requires nuance.
In my experience working at two seminaries and serving as a peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and The Association for Theological Schools/The Commission on Accrediting, I have seen how compliance can be treated either perfunctorily or fully integrated into the culture. When it is merely procedural, it becomes reactive. When it is embedded in mission, governance, and daily practice, it strengthens the institution.
Building the Field Together
Title IX professionals shape more than policy. We influence whether compliance feels distant or accessible, adversarial or supportive. We determine whether people encounter our offices as a last resort or as part of a shared commitment to accountability.
ATIXA creates space for that kind of professional growth. Through rigorous training, thoughtful dialogue, and communities of practice, we sharpen not only our technical expertise but also our judgment. When Title IX is approached as a form of community care, everyone is invited to participate in evolving the work.
With 20,000 members, ATIXA is the largest membership association for Title IX professionals and their primary source of professional development. Stay engaged, deepen your practice, and become an ATIXA member to help move the field forward, together.