installation speaker biographies
Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley is the Senior Pastor of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va.—only the eighth pastor in the church’s more than 200-year history. Under his visionary leadership, Alfred Street has grown to over 12,000 members with a weekly online viewership exceeding 25,000. The church has expanded its ministries while remaining firmly committed to spiritual formation, social justice, and community engagement.
A nationally respected voice for justice, compassion, and grace, Dr. Wesley is renowned for preaching that speaks to both the heart and the conscience. His sermons—such as “When the Verdict Hurts, A Rizpah Response” and “Tell Your Own Story”—have been archived in the National Museum of African American History and Culture and praised in national media for their timeliness and depth. In recognition of his transformative ministry, he was inducted into the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in 2015.
Dr. Wesley’s influence extends beyond the pulpit. He has been recognized by The Root 100, UNCF, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and the NAACP, which honored him with the Chairman’s Award at the 47th Annual NAACP Image Awards for his advocacy in social justice.
A native of Chicago, Dr. Wesley earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude in biomedical and electrical engineering from Duke University. Answering his call to ministry, he left medical school and later graduated summa cum laude from Boston University School of Theology as a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in preaching from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, along with multiple honorary doctorates.
The proud son of the late Rev. Dr. Alvin and Helene Wesley, Dr. Wesley represents the fourth generation of Baptist preachers in his family. Above all, he treasures his role as a devoted father to his two sons, Howard-John II (“Deuce”) and Cooper Reece.
Dr. Wesley is the 78th Laurel Wreath Laureate and national chaplain of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
Rev. Lawrence E. Aker III serves as the Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was elected in 2003 as the eighth pastor in the church’s history.
Widely recognized as one of New York City’s top 100 faith leaders, Pastor Aker is frequently called upon to speak locally, nationally, and internationally. He has been featured on local television and is actively engaged in initiatives to improve both physical and mental health within the Brooklyn community.
In his role as Lead Pastor, Rev. Aker leads the Cornerstone Baptist Church (CBC) Development Center, which oversees several key properties including the Sandy F. Ray Nursing Home, an apartment complex, and a brownstone residence and office space. Under his leadership, the church has completed the renovation of its historic exterior, launched a thriving youth basketball program, and experienced significant growth in membership.
Rev. Aker is a cum laude graduate of Howard University with a B.A. in Communications. He also holds a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale University. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Pastor Aker has studied Biblical Archaeology at the Holy Land Institute in Jerusalem and has preached globally in Zimbabwe, London, and Seoul.
In addition to his pastoral and academic work, Pastor Aker is a founding board member of the Issachar Conference (IC3).
A devoted family man, Pastor Aker lives in Brooklyn with his wife and college sweetheart, Cynthia. They are the proud parents of three children—Lawrence IV, Karina Vivian, and Nyla Victoria.
The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III is a third-generation advocate for civil and human rights who has built a ministry centered on community empowerment, racial equity, and social justice activism.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Moss is a 1992 honors graduate of Morehouse College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Religion and Philosophy. He received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1995, and was honored in 2011 with Yale’s Award for Distinction in Congregational Ministry. He later earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2012.
Ordained in both the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the United Church of Christ, Dr. Moss began his pastoral career at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. Since 2008, he has served as Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, leading a thriving ministry rooted in prophetic preaching and community transformation.
Dr. Moss serves as chaplain for the Children’s Defense Fund’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor Child Advocacy Conference and is the visionary behind Imani Village, a comprehensive community development initiative located at the gateway to Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood.
He is also the founder and CEO of Unashamed Media Group, a faith-based, social justice-centered media company that produces content to inspire hearts and challenge systems of injustice. One of its acclaimed works, “Otis’ Dream,” is an award-winning short film documenting his grandfather’s 1946 attempt to vote in Troup County, Ga.
In 2014, Dr. Moss delivered the prestigious Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale Divinity School, presenting a three-part series titled “The Blue Note Gospel: Preaching the Prophetic Blues in a Post-Soul World.”
A prolific speaker and author, his most recent book, Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times (2022), has been widely praised as a powerful, life-affirming guide for navigating today’s political, social, and spiritual challenges.
Dr. Moss is married to his college sweetheart, Monica Brown Moss, a graduate of Spelman College and Columbia University. They are the proud parents of two young adults, Elijah Wynton and Makayla Elon.