Reverend Patrick H. O’Connor

Reverend Patrick H. O’Connor

Head of Staff, Lead Pastor

Head of Staff, Lead Pastor

First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica

Reverend Patrick H. O’Connor is the Lead Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, a multicultural congregation in New York City. He has served this congregation since 1992. He is the architect and chief visionary of many of First Church’s holistic ministries.

Most notable is the “Tree of Life,” a $74 million dollar affordable, mixed-income housing development in partnership with the Bluestone Organization. The highlight of the building is that it contains 174 rental housing units, 9.500 square feet of community facility space, a 15,000 square foot Federally Qualified Health Center run by the Community Health Care Center, a Citibank branch, and offices for Cornell University Cooperative Extension Program. 

Reverend O’Connor received his formal education from the University of the West Indies, the United Theological College of the West Indies, and Yale University. Rev. O’Connor is also a graduate of the Columbia Business School, Institute for Not-for-Profit Management, Executive Level program, and the Beeson Institute for Advanced Church Leadership.

He is a Director of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Chairman of First Jamaica Community and Urban Development Corporation, and a Board member of the Industrial Areas Foundation. He is a Clergy Liaison for the New York City Police Department, 103rd Precinct, and was a fellow at the Aspen Institute in 2017.

Rev. George Hardy

Rev. George Hardy

Pastor

Pastor

Mt. Zion AME Church of Oakland Park, FL

Rev. George Alen Hardy is a father, husband, pastor, episcopal leader, business owner, and, most importantly, a man of God. Pastor Hardy is an advocate for the homeless, elderly, and those who were incarcerated in addition to education. He has worked tirelessly to help provide funding, locations, and guidance for both early education childcare centers and elementary schools. In October 2006, he was assigned to Saint John A.M.E. Church of Pompano Beach, (Collier City) Florida.

In 2011, Rev. Hardy was relocated to Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in Oakland Park, Florida. Under his pastoral leadership, the church membership had grown to more than 125 active members. That growth made it necessary for the church to expand its sanctuary. In February 2011, Rev. Hardy held ground-breaking services for the new edifice.

He was officially appointed Pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church of Oakland Park in April 2011. He quickly assessed the growth potential and financial status and implemented an aggressive plan to coordinate talents of the membership. He increased the potential for finances by connecting the church with the community and local government.

Rev. Hardy has a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the Mississippi Industrial College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He also obtained a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Vision International University and a master’s degree from Trinity Theological Seminary.

Currently, Reverend George Alen Hardy serves as the 11th Episcopal District Coordinator for the Sons of Allen

Rev. Adrian Backus

Rev. Adrian Backus

Director of Church Partnerships and Community Outreach

Director of Church Partnerships and Community Outreach

PHEN

Adrian Backus JD, MDiv, has more than thirty (30) years’ experience as an executive in educational and religious institutions, international assistance programs and industry.  Rev. Backus holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law, and a Master of Divinity, from Princeton Theological Seminary.  He currently serves as Director for Partnership Development and Outreach for the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN). Additionally, he served for 15 years as Princeton Theological Seminary’s first, vice president for information technology. Prior to that, he served as Director of Institutional Research and Strategic Planning as well as Assistant Director for Student Advisement. In 2003-2005, during his vice presidency, Adrian also served as, Interim pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church in Montclair, New Jersey with a focused ministry on congregational care and ministerial outreach.  In 2013 and 2015, for the CME Church Ninth Episcopal District Mid- Winter Councils, Mr. Backus lectured and led workshops on estate planning and church giving.  From 2014-2016, Mr. Backus served as Assistant Dean for the Rutgers University higher education prison degree granting program in 9 prisons throughout New Jersey.

Adrian’s other experiences include serving as general counsel for an information technology company and as a U.S. Department of State diplomatic escort officer and country director in Rwanda and Senegal Africa, for Africare. Adrian is married to Abiola. Their children and grandchildren include his daughter, Sikira, husband Sidiki; two grandsons, Cody and Maddox, and one granddaughter, Jocelyn Eliana; his son, Joel, and grandson Jeremiah, and his daughter, Adria Joi.

Mr. Clinton Burnside, MPH

Mr. Clinton Burnside, MPH

Senior Outreach Coordinator & "Men Take Ten" Program Manager

Senior Outreach Coordinator & "Men Take Ten" Program Manager

Howard University Cancer Center

A native of Newberry (SC), Clinton earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fayetteville State University (NC). He also earned a master’s degree in public health from Howard University in Washington, DC. During his time in NC, Clinton was a research assistant and was introduced to the study of prostate cancer and barriers to screening for black men. He also gained experience as a behavioral specialist within the Department of Corrections, witnessing controlled and uncontrolled mental illness, all while learning ways to effectively communicate with incarcerated men, regardless of their background.

After getting married and relocating to the Washington DC area, Mr. Burnside supported several Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) by conducting clinical trials in the Rockville and Baltimore, MD areas. During which time, Clinton successfully executed Phase I, II, III, and IV clinical trials, playing a role in the FDA approval of several prescription and over the counter medications.

Returning to academia in 2010, Clinton joined the Howard University Cancer Center (HUCC) where he helps to provide cancer education throughout the community, in addition to helping recruit participates into various clinical research trials. Today, his primary interests include helping men learn more about their health and making informed decisions to improve their health. He has a specific research interest in prostate cancer among men of color. Clinton’s overall objective is to improve health equity for all men by addressing, health literacy, barriers to screening, informed decision-making, and clinical trial participation. As a Senior Outreach Coordinator, Clinton spends time establishing and building relationships with faith-based, community-based, academic, and commercial partners leading to strong collaborations that expand the reach and impact on the overall health of men. In addition, Clinton also manages the “Men Take Ten” men’s health program. This program is an education, early detection, and support program, which help men understand and make informed decisions about their health, while connecting with other men for support.

As a man of God, Mr. Burnside is celebrating more than 21 years of marriage to his wife, Angela, and their three adult children DeLayfette, Dalasia, and Darius. Through it all, Clinton remains committed to his faith, his family, and his passion to address and eliminate health disparities, especially among Black men.

Rev. Willie Bodrick, II

Rev. Willie Bodrick, II

Senior Pastor

Senior Pastor

Twelfth Baptist Church

Rev. Willie Bodrick, II, J.D., M. Div., is the Senior Pastor of the Historic Twelfth Baptist Church in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA. He became the 14th Senior Pastor in 2021.

Prior to this role, Rev. Bodrick served on the ministerial staff for eight years as a Youth and Young Adult Minister, a Young Adult and College Minister, and, eventually, an Associate Pastor.

Previously, he served as the Director of the Afterschool Program and Summer Enrichment Program for two years, successfully managing both programs and maintaining student and family engagement. Rev. Bodrick has also served as the Vice President of the SAMH Corporation for the past three years, overseeing the church’s housing ministry, thrift shop, youth ministry, and after-school and summer enrichment programs.

Pastor Bodrick led the congregation through the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which required various operational and fiscal implementations and a manifold of executive decisions that enabled the church to fully function on online platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Zoom, Tithe.ly, and PayPal.

They were able to increase their viewership and engagement to more than 1,000 weekly viewers from across the country and the world. During this difficult time, Pastor Bodrick played an instrumental role in garnering donations and partnerships with corporations, which allowed TBC to give upward of $250,000 to their community during the pandemic.

Rev. Willie Bodrick II was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the eldest son of Rev. Willie Bodrick and Anna Bodrick. Pastor Bodrick matriculated to Georgetown University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in English and Sociology in 2010. Pastor Bodrick continued his studies and graduated in 2014 with a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School. Most recently, Rev. Bodrick graduated in May 2020 with his Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law and is a practicing lawyer at a Boston law firm.

Rev. Bodrick has served on the Transition Team Steering Committee for Suffolk County District Attorney Racheal Rollins, as the Outreach Coordinator in the Community Engagement Division of the Massachusetts Office of the former Attorney General Maura Healey, and as the Senior Advisor for the Ed Markey Campaign for the United States Senate in 2020.

Rev. Bodrick also has extensive experience working in the community, including advocating for public education, public safety, and economic justice while serving as President and Chairperson of the Boston Network for Black Student Achievement (BNBSA) and as a member of the Boston Public Schools Opportunity and Achievement Gap Taskforce.

Rev. Bodrick currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Roxbury YMCA, the Ward 12 Democratic Committee, Boston Bar Association (BBA) Taskforce on Police Accountability, and the MA Attorney General Racial Justice and Equity Council. He is also the Co-Founder of Sustained In the Shutdown Boston.

Rev. Bodrick has also received numerous awards including the 2019 Fletcher “Flash” Wiley Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association Legacy Scholarship Award, the 2019 Citizens for Public Schools Champion for Education Justice Award, the 2020 Eta Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Inc. Citizen of the Year Award, the 2020 First District of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and the Inc. Citizen of the Year Award.

He was also named one of The Boston Foundations’ 20 Leaders of the 2020s. Pastor Bodrick is also a member of the Boston Branch of the NAACP, the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Rev. Bodrick is happily married to Dr. Devin Cromartie Bodrick and is the father of their son Willie Bodrick III. The Bodricks are proud residents of the Roxbury community of Boston.

Mr. Thomas A. Farrington

Mr. Thomas A. Farrington

President and Founder

President and Founder

PHEN

Thomas Farrington founded the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) in 2003 after receiving treatment for prostate cancer in 2000 and publishing his first book Battling The Killer Within in 2001. Under Mr. Farrington’s leadership, PHEN is recognized as the leading prostate cancer education and advocacy organization with national programs and initiatives focused on the needs of African Americans.

A key foundation for PHEN’s success is its national network of prostate cancer survivors and their loved ones who support the organization’s efforts within their communities. PHEN partners with hundreds of churches across the nation to bring education and awareness programs into their communities and recruit local prostate cancer medical specialists as educators for these events.

PHEN also makes extensive use of online programming to reach and support individual educational needs. Mr. Farrington’s background is in Information Technology.  Farrington currently serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s (NCCN) Prostate Cancer Treatment Guidelines Panel and the NCCN Prostate Cancer Early Detection Guidelines Panel. He serves as a trustee of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and as an advisor to a number of other healthcare organizations and programs. Mr. Farrington received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1966.