Administration

Emerson Institute is proud of its highly qualified, professional and caring administration.The goal of the administration is to serve the students, assisting them to experience profound personal and spiritual growth.

Provost, Emerson Theological Institute – Reverend Doctor Ruth L. Miller

Rev. Dr. Miller was appointed President of the Institute in January, 2025. Prior to her ordination as a New Thought minister, she earned a BA in anthropology and museum studies, a graduate certificate in environmental studies, the Master of Science in cybernetic systems emphasizing cultural systems dynamics, and a Ph.D. in systems science, with a dissertation enhancing impact assessment methodolgy. Dr. Miller then taught and administered programs in colleges and universities in California, Oregon, and Washingon. She studied for and was ordained as in independent New Thought minister in 1993, after discovering the power of New Thought principles for healing. Since then, she has been an advisor and minister for Unity and Unitarian churches, and Centers for Spiritual Living, around the Pacific Northwest, and has taught countless classes and workshops on metaphysics, consciousness, and New Thought principles. She earned the Doctor of Divinity degree at Emerson Institute in 2024. Her radio program, Noetic Moments, offers insights into developing understandings of the brain and mind. Her tv show on New Thought Media Network introduces the people who make up “New Thought Roots & Branches.” Her many books and talks on New Thought are listed on her website: ruthlmillerphd.com.

Founding President – Reverend Doctor Angelo Pizelo

Rev. Dr. Angelo Pizelo founded Emerson Theological Institute in 1992. A professional educator, he is Superintendent Emeritus of the Bass Lake Joint Union School District. His academic degrees are: BA, MA, PhD in school administration.He received additional training through California School Leadership Academy and has been awarded Gonzaga University’s Distinguished Alumni award. A Marine Corps Veteran, he became a Religious Science minister through Religious Science International and earned the Doctor of Religious Studies. He is founder of the Positive Living Center of Central California, Inc., and of the Emerson New Thought Center and Emerson Theological Institute.

Faculty

Instructors and Advisors for Emerson Institute are selected based on their demonstrated proficiency in the material they teach and their grounding in New Thought principles and practice. Some work individually with students and some are part of Cooperative Learning Centers. Current Administrative faculty include:

  • Director, Advanced Learning: Rev. Dr. Melissa Higginbotham
  • Director, Interspecies Relationships Program: Rev. Dr. Jeanne Kataoka
  • Director, Enrichment Programs: Rev. Dr. James Mellon
  • Director, Quality Review: Rev. Dr. Sharri McMurray

Advisors

Emerson Institute is developing a Board of Advisors from among the Centers who offer classes credited through the Institute.

And, EI assigns individual faculty to be Program Advisors for students. These advisors help students attain their spiritual, academic, and career goals, assisting students with questions, enrollment process, and class information, as well as degree and credential information.

Emerson Institute Cooperative Learning Centers

New Thought ministers and centers who are members of the Emerson New Thought Center offer classes that may be counted as credits toward a program of Emerson Theological Institute. They do so on their own schedules and using their own faculty and resources. CLICK HERE for a current list of Centers.

Relationship With the Affiliated New Thought Network (ANTN)

Emerson Theological Institute (EI) is the religious school of the Emerson New Thought Center “church without walls” (ENTC). ENTC is an organizational member of ANTN, which supports many independent churches and centers. And, like many other ANTN member organizations (e.g., the Global Truth Center), ENTC, through EI, offers training and credentials for New Thought Practitioners and Ministers.

Emerson, however, also offers advanced degrees in various aspects of the New Thought movement, and many members of ANTN have earned those degrees, which has led the Board of Trustees of ANTN to name Emerson Institute as its official educational “arm.”

As a result, Emerson Institute Commencement exercises are held at the annual ANTN retreat (on the 2nd Thursday of October), and participants at the retreat are encouraged to attend the ceremony. In addition, an Emerson Institute representative has an honorary seat on the ANTN Board of Trustees, which makes planning the ceremony more efficient.

Over the years, some ANTN members have been members of the ENTC board, as well. As such, their focus is the development and maintenance of ENTC as a New Thought church without walls, quite apart from its (or their) membership in ANTN.

So, while the Emerson Institute, as a program of the Emerson New Thought Center, is a member of the Affiliated New Thought Network, they are separate organizations that have separate leadership, separate finances, and very different foci for their work.

Emerson Theological Institute
PO Box 2127 40359 Hwy 41, Suite 2
Oakhurst, CA 93644
email: info@emersoninstitute.edu

Emerson Theological Institute is owned, operated, and controlled by the Emerson New Thought Center, a 501c3 New Thought Church.  It is headquartered in Oakhurst, California near beautiful Yosemite National Park, was founded by Dr. Angelo Pizelo, and operates under the direction of its Board of Trustees. Copyright Emerson Institute 2025 – All rights reserved.

Emerson Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Commission International.