Damien Domenack, a doctoral candidate at Drew Theological School in Madison, has been named one of 15 scholars nationally to receive a 2026 Forum for Theological Exploration doctoral fellowship worth $35,000.

The fellowship, announced by Drew University on Wednesday, Aug. 19, will fund Domenack's dissertation completion, pair him with a faculty mentor from the FTE network and provide professional development as he prepares for the academic job market.

Domenack's research sits at the intersection of Christian social ethics, queer and trans studies, dance and critical performance studies, and Indigenous, Womanist, Black feminist, Afro-Latine, Caribbean and Mujerista theory. He arrived at Drew directly from a clinical chaplaincy residency during the pandemic, drawn by the school's transdisciplinary focus and its partnership with the Hispanic Theological Initiative.

"Theological education is my second career," Domenack said in the university's announcement. "Bridging the worlds of social justice organizing and hospitality management sharpened my attention to how institutions structure labor and the conditions under which care becomes possible across difference."

Before entering theological study, Domenack spent 18 years in hospitality, operational management and restaurant expansion. He holds two master's degrees.

The FTE, founded in 1954, has awarded more than 2,000 doctoral fellowships over its history and focuses on supporting underrepresented students in religion and theology programs. Of the 127 fellows who have completed their programs, 97% are employed in their fields as of 2025.

Domenack will join the 2026 FTE Writing Workshop, an intensive session with the cohort's other fellows, and participate in the Forum for Theological Educators program. After finishing his doctorate, he plans to teach Christian social ethics while developing culturally responsive models of care with healthcare systems and faith communities.

The recognition is the latest for Drew's graduate theology programs. As we reported Tuesday, Aug. 18, Drew professors recently recruited 55 collaborators for a project exploring what artificial intelligence misses in theological inquiry.