Board President

REV. DR. LINWOOD T. BLIZZARD, II​

Dr. Linwood T. Blizzard, II serves as the Senior Pastor of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Heathsville, Virginia and is a Calculus teacher for Northumberland County Public Schools. He chairs the Committee on Social Justice for the Baptist General Convention of Virginia and is the President of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Neck, headquartered in Kilmarnock, Virginia. A focus on equitable access for communities centers his work on reforms for education.

Board Vice-President

CANDACE PATE

Candace Pate serves as the Director of Development and Marketing for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis. She is the former Executive Director for Institutional Advancement for Martin University in Indianapolis, IN. Candace has vast experience in child development and family life.

Board Secretary

BISHOP WADE MOORE JR.

Bishop Moore is the Senior Pastor at the Christian Faith Centre in Wichita, KS. He serves as President of the Greater Wichita Ministerial League - a group of predominantly African-American churches, Pastors and Ministers. Bishop Moore is also the founder of the Urban Preparatory Academy in Wichita. ​

REV. MICHAEL PHILLIPS

Michael Phillips is the Chief Engagement and Fulfillment Officer for the T. D. Jakes Foundation in Dallas, Texas. He is the former Senior Pastor of Kingdom Life Church, a non-denominational congregation in Baltimore, MD and has served as the Regional Director of the World Harvest Ministerial Alliance and has been actively involved in educational initiatives for Maryland schools.

REV. DOUGLAS SLAUGHTER​​

Douglas A. Slaughter, a visionary leader and servant, is the Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church in Aiken, SC. With 40 years in ministry and leadership, Pastor Slaughter has led Second Baptist since 1992, becoming the 11th pastor of the church and congregation.​ ​

REV. LOUIS TILLMAN

Rev. Louis Tillman is the Senior pastor at St. Phillip Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD. Rev. Tillman earned his Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago in 2017. Known as Pastor T, he has become an integral part of St. Phillip’s faith community since he joined in late 2019.

REV. DR. WILLIE D. FRANCOIS, III

Dr. Willie Dwayne Francois III serves as Senior Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville, New Jersey and President of the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality. New York Theological Seminary appointed Francois as the Director of the Master of Professional Studies Program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility and Assistant Professor of Liberation Theology. A published author, Francois' pastoral activism takes shape around racial equity, economic justice, and radical education and criminal justice reform.