Celebrate Rev. Mia's 3rd pastoral anniversary at Riverside on Sept. 14 as we welcome everyone back from summer. 

We will have a guest preacher, The Rev. LaKeesha Walrond, Ph.D sharing with our community this Sunday. You are invited to read her bio below.

Educator, visionary leader, sought after speaker, and consummate change agent, the Rev. Dr. LaKeesha Walrond is a force faithfully encouraging those she encounters to embody their infinite possibilities. Dr. Walrond is a dynamic speaker who draws both national and international audiences. She has spoken in over 20 states in the US and engaged international audiences in India, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Bahamas, South Korea, St. Lucia, Mexico, and Guyana. 

Rev. Walrond has received numerous recognitions including honors from the New York Liberty WNBA Basketball Association, the National Action Network, the McDonald’s GospelFest, NCNW, NAACP, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The Positive Community, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, The Black Author’s Festival, Union Theological Seminary and Morehouse College. She has preached Homecoming and Founder’s Day services in Sister’s Chapel at her alma mater, Spelman College and her portrait hangs in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. 

Dr. Walrond has a passion for children and education. She worked in the public-school system in North Carolina for eleven years as a teacher, a coordinator for special education programs, assistant principal, and as a principal. From June 2019 to August 2024, she served as the first woman President of New York Theological Seminary. During her tenure, NYTS began of a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and graduated 16 incarcerated women in its first two years. Her challenging five-year term concluded with NYTS relocating its campus and engaging in a strategic partnership with Union Theological Seminary, ultimately saving the institution’s mission and legacy. Former New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio named October 26, 2019, “Rev. LaKeesha Walrond Day” in the city of New York. 

Dr. Walrond answered her call to the ministry in December of 1995 and began her journey in ministry serving as an Associate Minister at Zion Temple UCC in North Carolina for six years. She served as the Executive Pastor and Chief of Staff of First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) in Harlem, NY for thirteen years, As Chief of Staff, she used educational and organizational strategies to maximize FCBC’s capacity and influence in the community and abroad. As Executive Pastor, she implemented strategies to create a culture of learning which evolved into a community of learners. For the past five years, Pastor LaKeesha and has been serving FCBC as Preaching Pastor focusing her attention on preaching, speaking, coaching and consulting. 

In an effort to authentically reach the hearts of women, Dr. Walrond launched the Getting to Greatness (G2G) Women’s Conference in 2013. In 2024, G2G become Getting to Greater Global, honoring the call to engage in greater peace, joy, love, living, giving and serving. As founder of CEO of G2G, she is relentless in her pursuit to empower women to Work Smart, Rest Well, Play Often, and Dream Big through leadership development and a sevenfold wholeness emphasis - spiritual, emotional, mental, psychological, sexual, financial and physical wellness. She is the author of My Body is Special (2017), which is the first of her six-part “Let’s Talk About It” (LTAI) children’s book series, written to help end sexual violence against children. 

A native Texan, Dr. Walrond earned her undergraduate degree from Spelman College, a Master of Education (MEd), Master in School Administration (MSA), and Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education (PhD) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Union Theological Seminary in New York, NY - where she later served as a trustee for three years.