[8] She attended college at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
[12] Women's ordination had been officially approved in the Episcopal Church USA in 1976, and the first woman to be ordained in the Southern Ohio Diocese was Doris Ellen Mote.
[11] At the start of her academic career, Douglas found a position as Assistant Professor of Religion at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida.
She wrote Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God in response to the death of Trayvon Martin.
[23] In this role she helped lead discussions on current issues with the congregation, providing theological background and interpretation.
In 2015, a controversy emerged over two stained glass windows in the cathedral that honored Andrew Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
[26] Douglas received the 2023 Grawemeyer Award for Religion, from the University of Louisville, for her book Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter.
[27] In 1995, Douglas received the Grace Lyman Alumnae Award by the Women's Studies Department at Denison University.
[28] Douglas has been awarded honorary doctorates from Denison University (2021), Ithaca College (2021), and General Theological Seminary (2022).