The very Reverend serena sides
The Very Reverend Serena Sides was elected as Dean and Rector at Christ Church Cathedral in October 2024. She joined the Cathedral on December 1, 2024.
Prior to coming to the Cathedral, Serena served at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, including as Interim Rector for almost eighteen months and as Associate Rector for over two years. Serena also served briefly at St. Augustine’s Chapel at Vanderbilt University and as the Assistant Rector at Christ Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
A life-long Episcopalian, Serena came to the priesthood as a second career. She practiced corporate law and worked in national security for almost 16 years in New York City and Washington, D.C. before discerning a call to the priesthood. She was ordained to the priesthood in June 2017 at the Washington National Cathedral. Serena grew up in Washington, D.C. and Connecticut. She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a J.D. from Harvard Law School; and an M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary. Serena and her family moved from Washington, D.C. to Nashville in August 2019 when her husband, John Sides, took a position as Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University.
Serena and John have two children in high school, Ethan (17) and Hannah (15). Serena enjoys the nearby hiking trails, reading fiction, baking desserts, walking their dog Coco, rooting for the UNC Tarheels, and attending her children’s many ice hockey games.