The Right Rev. Sean W. Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, has been elected as the 28th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church on the first ballot during the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Rowe, 49, will succeed Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, becoming the youngest to hold the position. His election was confirmed by the House of Deputies, and he will start his nine-year term on November 1, taking over the leadership of the denomination. Rowe's background includes degrees from Grove City College and Virginia Theological Seminary, and he has been actively involved in various church leadership roles.