Clinical Pastoral Education Faculty
Rev. Joanna Tarr
Director, Clinical Pastoral Education
Rev. Joanna Tarr is an ordained Cooperative Baptist Fellowship minister. Originally from Arlington, Texas, she served on active duty in the United States Navy as a chaplain for eight years in Norfolk, Virginia, and is now a Navy Reserve chaplain. Prior to joining the Navy, she was a youth minister and a missionary in Russia. She has a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Baylor University; a Master of Divinity from The Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond, Virginia, and a master's degree in Art Therapy and Counseling from Eastern Virginia Medical School. She is also a Certified Educator (Supervisor) with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Previously the Palliative Care Chaplain at Saint Luke's, she is currently the Director of Pastoral Education at Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Missouri. She loves art; antiques; nature; and spending time with her son, daughter, husband, and three dogs in Weatherby Lake.
Fr. Emeka P. Ajuka
Supervisor, Clinical Pastoral Education
Fr. Nnaemeka “Emeka” P. Ajuka, PhD, BCC, is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Nigeria. He is a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC).
Fr. Emeka holds philosophical and Theological degrees from Urban University Rome. He was an adjunct lecturer at Seat of Wisdom Seminary in Umuahia and Federal University of Agriculture in Umudike, Nigeria. He is an educator and a retreat preacher.
He takes Saint Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace, “Lord make me an instrument of peace,” as his ministry mission statement. He loves his family and believes in community. Fr. Emeka meets human needs without discrimination. He has been actively involved in the pastoral ministry in parishes in Nigeria and in the U.S. since his ordination in 2003. He has ministered as a Catholic priest staff chaplain at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage; Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; and University of California Davis Health where he began his CPE journey.