Davida Foy Crabtree is a pioneering minister, activist, and denominational leader whose career has been defined by a lifelong commitment to justice, inclusive ministry, and the empowerment of women in the church. Born in 1944 in Waterbury, Connecticut, she discerned her call to ministry as a teenager at Silver Lake, a United Church of Christ (UCC) summer camp, despite the barriers posed by widespread sexism in religious life at the time.

Crabtree studied sociology, anthropology, and biology at Marietta College in Ohio before entering Andover Newton Theological School in 1967. At a time when few women pursued theological education, she advocated for gender equity and helped lay the groundwork for a more inclusive learning environment. Her leadership began early: in 1969, she was elected vice president of the National Council of Churches while still a student.

Following her graduation in 1971, Crabtree served as a campus minister and founded the Prudence Crandall Center for Women in New Britain, Connecticut, a shelter and advocacy organization still in operation today. She went on to serve as pastor of Colchester Federated Church and later became the first woman to serve as Conference Minister for the Southern California Conference of the UCC. In 1996, she returned to Connecticut to lead the state’s UCC Conference, where she served until her retirement in 2010.

Crabtree also served on the Andover Newton Board of Trustees and twice as interim Director of Development, continuing her advocacy for theological education and leadership development. Today, she remains an influential voice on feminist theology and environmental justice from her home in Bloomfield, Connecticut