Rev. Starsky D. Wilson
President & CEO
Deaconess Foundation
Pastor, Saint John’s Church (The Beloved Community)
Born: Dallas, Texas
High School: Magnet Center for Public Service: Government, Law & Law Enforcement
College & Degree(s):
Xavier University of Louisiana, BA, Political Science
Eden Theological Seminary, Master of Divinity
Duke University Divinity School, Doctor of Ministry (anticipated Fall 2016)
National boards of trustees/directors:
- Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
- United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund
- Chicago Theological Seminary
- Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
- National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
Local boards:
- United Way of Greater St. Louis
- St. Louis Regional Chamber
- Teach for America-St. Louis
- Mayor’s Commission on Children, Youth and Families
Tell us about the work of the Deaconess Foundation and your role as its leader.
Deaconess is a faith-based grant making organization devoted to making child well-being a civic priority in the St. Louis region. From a corpus of approximately $50 million, the foundation has invested nearly $80 million since 1998 to advance its mission in the area. I have led Deaconess since 2011 and focused our strategy on a dynamic and catalytic community capacity building model, aligning policy advocacy, organizing and community engagement with grantmaking.
With a 125 year history, the Deaconess Foundation is rich with history and tradition. What are some of the ways you keep the organization current and responsive to the changing times and changing needs of the community it serves?
A critical and overlooked aspect of leadership is the importance of proximity and practice of listening. To assure the responsiveness of the Foundation, I make a personal commitment to stay close to the needs, lives and voices of the youth we serve and advocate with. In order to institutionalize these commitments, in 2014 and 2015 Deaconess established community and policy advisory boards with youth, child advocates and policymakers to inform our grantmaking and help us iteratively assess strategy.
You’re also pastor of Saint John’s Church (The Beloved Community) and you’ve been involved in the response to the killing of Michael Brown Jr. in several fronts—from protests to the Ferguson Commission. How has your ministry been shaped or influenced since August 9, 2014?
My mission in ministry has always been the liberation and social deliverance of people. So, the events of August 9, 2014 did not shape my ministry as much as the prior ministry shaped my response to the events. The people of Saint John’s have been ever-present partners: opening the doors of the church to the #BlackLivesMatter Freedom Ride, risking and accepting arrest by my side, participating in Commission work groups and organizing accountability meetings. Because freedom is essential to the gospel, we believe this is what it means to be church.
What do you see as the greatest challenge in implementing “Forward through Ferguson”—the Ferguson Commission report?
The greatest challenge to implementing the “Forward Through Ferguson” calls-to-action will be leveraging the momentum of the 2016 election cycle to keep elected officials accountable rather than falling into the age-old pattern of personality politics. We must understand and accept this as a set of priorities for our region informed by participatory democracy. With that in mind, those running for office should be assessed and rewarded with votes based upon their public commitment to advancing the community’s stated interests in the report.
On a lighter note, you and your wife recently welcomed a baby girl to your family of three sons. Honestly—how tightly is she wrapped around your little finger? And how badly is everyone spoiling her?
The feet of our princess shall never hit the ground. My wife, Dr. LaToya Wilson, has birthed her favorite dress up doll. My sons are already learning how to give a girl gifts and vie for her attention. In short, she’s all the way spoiled and we’re gonna keep it that way.
