For more information, contact: IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dr. Sheryl Kennedy Haydel 4/13/2018 [email protected] :: 504-816-4024
Bishop Joseph Walker III Selected as Dillard University 2018 Baccalaureate Speaker
NEW ORLEANS – Bishop Joseph Walker, III, author and internationally renown pastor from Shreveport, La., will deliver the keynote address at Dillard University’s Baccalaureate service on Friday, May 11, at 6 p.m., on the Rosa Freeman Keller Avenue of the Oaks on the University’s campus, 2601 Gentilly Blvd. The service is free and open to the public.
Walker, the International Presiding Bishop in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, is the pastor of the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, Tenn. In July 2013, he was chosen to succeed the founding International Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., co-pastor of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans.
In 1992, at the age of 24, Walker became pastor at Mt. Zion with 175 members. Presently, the congregation has grown to more than 30,000 members. Under his leadership, Mt. Zion has expanded beyond its original location on historic Jefferson Street in Nashville to eight weekly services in three locations. The weekly services include a virtual church location www.mtzionanywhere.tv that reaches millions, as well as a weekly broadcast on BET with 25 million viewers worldwide.
QUOTE FROM REVEREND
Walker earned a bachelor’s of arts degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge; a master’s of divinity degree from Vanderbilt University; and a doctorate of ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Additionally, he holds two honorary doctorates from Meharry Medical College and Southern University, respectively.
Considered a prolific writer, Walker is the author of 11 books. He and his wife, Dr. Stephaine M. Hale, co-authored the eighth book, Becoming A Couple of Destiny. His latest book was released in January 2018 entitled, No Opportunity Wasted: The Art of Execution.
Walker is a regular guest on the popular syndicated Rickey Smiley Radio Show as well as a host of other nationally syndicated radio shows that reach millions across the United States. He also has been a guest on CNN, The CBS Morning News, The Roland Martin Show and authors a monthly op-ed in the Tennessean Tribune, entitled, Reset.
He currently serves on the board of directors for Meharry Medical College and Citizens Savings Bank. In October 2016, Walker was appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem to serve as chairman of the board of trustees for Tennessee State University. He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity.
Walker and Hale, who is an assistant professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Vanderbilt University, are the parents of Jovanni Willow and Joseph Warren Walker, IV.
###
Dillard University, located in New Orleans at 2601 Gentilly Blvd., is a private four-year liberal arts historically black institution with a history dating back to 1869. For more information, please visit www.dillard.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter, Facebook @DU1869 and Instagram: Dillard University.