After meandering path marked by ‘oddball invocations,’ Willamette University’s “heart and soul” plans her retirement

Karen Wood, Willamette University chaplain, will retire in July 2021 (Courtesy/Willamette University)

For over a decade, Karen Wood, the chaplain at Willamette University, has had a challenging task: addressing hundreds of faculty, students and their family from different faith traditions (or none at all) in a meaningful way without offending or alienating anyone.

As she prepares to retire, Wood, 63, said humor is key to managing this precarious balancing act. She’s not above a lawyer…