Rev. Dr. William Webster Easley, Jr.
Senior Pastor
Bethel AME Church

Pastor Easley has successfully pastored five major congregations; served as Treasurer for the Second Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Church embracing the States of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and the District of Columbia; Chairman, the Board of Ministerial Training for the Western North Carolina Conference and the Tennessee Conference of the A.M.E. Church; Chairman, the Fourth Year Class for the Washington Conference Board of Ministerial Training.

ORGANIZATIONAL
Delegate to the A.M.E. Church General Conference since 1976; Delegate to the 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th World Methodist Conference; Student Observer and Delegate to the Consultation On Church Union; Member, the Kentucky Department of Justice's Committee for Recruiting and Retaining Women and Minorities in State Government; Participant, the White House Religious Consultation on the SALT II Arms Limitation Treaty between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.; Member, the National Council of Churches IMPACT Briefing Sessions in the U.S. Congress; President, Durham Congregations In Action, Durham, North Carolina; Participant, the State of North Carolina Educational Policy Seminars; Member, the National Panel of Consumer Arbitrators; Participant, The U.S. State Department's Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad; Participant, the White House Briefings on the Africa Trade Bill; Chairman, the Southeastern Region of Partners-In-Ecumenism (PIE), a program of the National Council of Churches; Member and Contributing Writer for the A.M.E. Theological Working Papers II in 1980; Co-Anchor of INTERCHANGE, a religious talk show for Durham Cablevision 8, Durham, North Carolina; Member, The A.M.E. Church's Strategic Planning Initiative, 2003-2004.

EDUCATION
B.S. (Bachelor of Science in Sociology), Tennessee State University, 1967; M.Div. (Master of Divinity), Payne Theological Seminary, 1970; A Ford Foundation Fellow; A Richard Allen Fellow. Further Graduate Studies: The Urban Training Center for Christian Mission (University of Chicago); The University of Dayton - History; Austin-Peay State University, History; Eastern Kentucky State University, Group Dynamics and Clinical Psychology; The University of Georgia, Institute for Government.

AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS
The Lubrizol Foundation Award for Academic Excellence, "The Brotherhood Award", from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina Free and Accepted Masons (PHA); Commissioned "A Kentucky Colonel", by the Governor of Kentucky, 1990; The North Carolina Department of Human Resources', "Certificate Of Merit"; The North Carolina "Governors Award" for Exemplary Citizen Involvement; Three (3) "Certificates of Appreciation", from the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon benefiting the United Negro College Fund, United Way of America; "Award Of Excellence", 1990, Featured Preacher in "The Washington Times" Pulpit Series; Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), 1984, Monrovia College, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa; Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), 1988, Monrovia College, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa; Visiting Lecturer, The University of Louisville; Guest Lecturer, Duke University; Visiting Lecturer, Bowie State University; Guest Preacher, Duke University Chapel and Guest Preacher, St. Paul's College.

Married to Ora L (Seats); they have one son, William Webster Easley, III and daughter-in-law, Sonja Elaine of Silver Spring, Maryland.