Clarence V. Boyd Jr.
Pastor, Administrator
Vice President, Oral Roberts University, Author Endangered Masculinity
Dr. Boyd received his Doctor of Ministry degree in 2002, and Master of Arts in Practical Theology in 1998, and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in 1977, all from Oral Roberts University. Dr. Boyd has worked in various leadership and administrative roles at the University since 1977, including 19th years as the Dean of Student Affairs, and was appointed Dean of Student Development in 2005. Dr. Boyd is committed to merging development theory with spiritual formation. His wife, Dr. Kim Boyd, serves as the Dean of the College of Education at Oral Roberts University.
Dr. Boyd is also the President and Founder of Revelations-Revealed Truth Ministries, an evangelistic outreach which targets intercity youth who are considered at-risk. The heart of this ministry is to provide mentoring to the youth with emphasis placed on helping young men understand the role and responsibility of manhood. He and his wife are the founders of Revelations-Revealed Truth Evangelistic Center, a local church in the city of Tulsa. Ministry to the family is one of the priorities of the church. As a team, both are committed to revealing to others the covenant value of marriage and the awesome privilege parents have to nurture and prepare the next generation for life and service.
Dr. Boyd is an author who speaks to the next generation of men about fatherhood, manhood, and masculinity. The goal of this endeavor is to see men return to their rightful place in the home, in the workplace, and in the church.
Drs. Clarence and Kim Boyd are the parents of four children, all of which are ORU graduates. They also have nine grandchildren.
Lindsey Dates- Board Chairman
Attorney
Partner, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP
Lindsey D. G. Dates is a partner in Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. Lindsey represents U.S. clients in high-stakes litigation matters in forums across the country. Lindsey also represents global clients in U.S. courts and has significant experience representing companies that conduct business in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Lindsey’s vast commercial litigation experience includes breach of contract, class action, labor and employment, product liability, business tort, intellectual property, antitrust, commercial real estate, and commercial bankruptcy litigation matters.
Lindsey earned his J.D., with honors, from the University of Illinois College of Law, where he was a Lincoln Scholar and a recipient of the Rickert Award for Excellence in Public Service. Prior to law school, Lindsey enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the age of 16; earned two Bachelor Degrees as a triple major student (Rhetoric (Technical Writing), Speech Communications, and Political Science); and received multiple honors, including induction into the University of Illinois Senior 100 Honorary.
Active in the community, Lindsey is currently the Chair of The Chicago Committee, an organization that seeks racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession. He also created and currently serves as the chair of the Don Hubert Scholars Program, a program featured in a Chicago Lawyer Magazine cover story, and the director of community outreach for the Mentor Teacher Brother Center located in Chicago’s Roseland community. Lindsey has also served on the board of directors for the University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Association, as a co-chair of the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Young Professionals Board, and as an associate board member of the Chicago Committee On Minorities In Large Law Firms.
Jemal King
9 to 5 Millionaire, Real Estate Guru
Jemal King is a born leader and gifted communicator. Born in Chicago, Jemal was an all state football player with college scholarship offers from all over the country. After deciding to stay home and play for Western Illinois University, he went on to win several conference championships while serving as the team captain. Jemal had dreams of making millions in the NFL. After injuries dashed those dreams, he joined the family business and became a full time Chicago Police Officer. However, Jemal still had the millionaire’s mindset and decided that investing in real estate would be his method to earn millions and create the lifestyle he desired for his family. As his real estate portfolio increased, Jemal and his wife Camille invested the profits from real estate and opened a childcare center. The center was highly successful and since then, they own and operate multiple sites in Chicago. Jemal’s growing empire consists of 4 multi-million dollar companies including a brand new security company that grossed several million dollars in its first few years of inception. Jemal has created these businesses while still maintaining his position as a full time Chicago Police Officer, devoted husband, father and the newest member of the world’s number one personal development brand, Eric Thomas and Associates. Jemal’s colleagues have appropriately nicknamed him “The 9-5 Millionaire”. His unique story of the millionaire’s mindset and creating generational wealth has inspired thousands and will no doubt inspire millions.
Isaac Mims-Board Treasurer
Accountant
Accountant, Apache Corporation
Graduating from Oral Roberts University in 2001 with a degree in Accounting I began my career working for Deloitte and Touche in their tax department. The following year due to 9/11 the office I was working in had staff reductions, however this seeming negative is what opened the door for me to have the opportunity to shift my young career in a new direction. In October of 2002 I was able to land a job working for Lakewood Church to assist in planning and managing budgets for several different departments, Manager over the accounts payable department/purchasing departments, which included developing from the ground up the accounting and internal control functions necessary to manage the purchasing department. I spent 4 years at Lakewood Church in this role before returning to public accounting in a tax role for a short period of time in 2007. Then, beginning in October 2007 I began my career in the oil and gas industry working for Apache Corporation, a mid size E&P (exploration and production) company. The first 3 years I spent working in the accounting group before taking the opportunity to pursue a marketing position. For the last 10 years I have directly participated in the process of negotiating Apache’s multi-year multi-million dollar gas marketing contracts and worked with our legal department in writing these contracts. It was also while at Apache I have been able to discover another passion in learning and teaching financial literacy and my next career move. This passion along with the impact that mentoring has had on my life personally is what had me contact Vondale to be a party of what CHAMPS is doing in the lives of young African American men. The value of mentoring cannot be quantified on a spreadsheet, and the work that Vondale and Gavin do on a daily basis is what makes the rest of this all possible.
Rodney Patterson
CEO, The Learner’s Group
Pastor Rodney S. Patterson is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Rodney graduated from Hales Franciscan High School in 1977. His service in ministry began under the tutelage of Pastor Gordon A. Humphrey Sr. in July of 1977, and Pastor Humphrey Sr. officiated his ordination, held at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, in August of 1986.
Upon visiting Vermont for a job interview, Rodney realized that there were no black churches in the state. With guidance from Pastor and Mrs. Humphrey Sr., Rodney began holding worship services, and in 1989, he founded New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church, the first black church in the state of Vermont. New Alpha is still in existence today. With support from Pastor and Mrs. Humphrey, Sr., Rodney went on to establish a second church, Ebenezer Baptist Church of Lansing, Michigan, in 1994. Alongside his brother-in-law, Bishop Gordon Humphrey Jr.,
Rodney was instrumental in establishing Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Stockton, California. In 2007, Rodney returned home to work alongside his brother-in-law, the late Gordon Humphrey, Jr., as Co-Pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, where he was eventually elevated to Pastor in March 2017.
Rodney’s work history includes more than 30 years establishing himself as a notable facilitator and trainer in the areas of diversity, race, and employee engagement. He has also worked as a teacher at the elementary and high school levels, which included a position teaching at his Alma Mater, Hales Franciscan High School, where he would eventually go on to become President.
In addition to his role as Pastor, Rodney is the Diversity Resource for Farm Credit bank and the CEO of The Learner’s Group consulting firm. Rodney was a contributing author on the book, Men to Men: Perspectives of Sixteen African-American Christian Men, published by Zondervan in 1996. His chapter entitled, “Male Bonding: Men Relating to Men” is still a relevant piece of literature today. In May 2015, Rodney released his first book, Trumping the Race Card – A National Agenda: Moving Beyond Race and Racism. Rodney has been married to his wife Charlene “Humphrey” Patterson for 26 years.
Steven Robertson
Associate Director, Marquette University EOP Outreach
“I help people discover their Purpose, Potential and fulfill their Mission in life, by taking intentional steps daily on purpose.”
Steven’s past makes him an advocate for education and the perfect youth speaker. His compelling story includes being abandoned by his father, bullied by his peers, diagnosed with a speech and language disability, and the death of his mother at a young age. The barriers of anger-management issues, low self-worth, and hopelessness that he had to overcome resonate with students experiencing similar traumas. As he began to respond to the “warm-demanders” in his life, Steven began to understand, realize and pursue his potential and was able to be the first in his family to graduate from college and become the respected teacher, leader, high school principal, director and mentor that he is today.
Steven’s message of persistence and grit inspires youth and adult audiences as he shares his personal story. Determined to be the same “warm demander” for other youth that his mentors had been for him, Steven has devoted more than twenty years of his professional life serving youth. He counts it a privilege to inspire them to realize, refocus, rebuild and reach their academic and personal goals despite obstacles they may face. His life mission is to help students to go, succeed, and graduate from college.
Steven Robertson Sr. is experienced college access professional with over 30 years of relevant experience, including 5 years as a high school administrator, 20+ years of TRIO program experience, as well as managing the US Department of Education funded Upward Bound (UB), Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS), and Educational Talent Search (ETS), Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP). and GEAR UP.
Guiding Young Men to Achieve their Dreams
BROTHERHOOD ~ CONSISTENCY ~ POSITIVE MINDSET ~ UNCONDITIONAL LOVE ~ SERVICE
The Mission of the CHAMPS Male Mentoring Program is to Educate, Empower, and Expose African-American and Latino Young Men beyond the four walls of the school in order to help them to achieve their dreams and goals.