Dr. David T. Miller, President
Rev. Dr. David T. Miller was born and raised in Catawba County, NC. In 1995, while attending Clinton Junior College, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior, and in 1998, he accepted his calling into the ministry at the age of twenty-four. Pastor Miller graduated from Clinton Jr College, received his B.A. from Livingstone College, and received a Master of Divinity Degree from Hood Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary.
Rev. Miller is happily married to Marie Miller (Rochester, NY), and they have two sons, Ellis and Emerson. Rev. Miller has received many spiritual gifts, including service, humor, healing, listening, discernment, peacemaking, and negotiation. His ultimate desire for ministry is to be where God has called him to be and use his gifts and talents to glorify God. His favorite scripture passage is Genesis 18:14: “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”
Rev. J. Martin Bouler, Vice-President
Rev J. Martin Bouler, Sr. was born in Fort Mill, SC, and still resides in his hometown. He is a pastor in the Rock Hill District, South Carolina Conference, part of the South Atlantic Episcopal District. He has served as pastor of China Grove in the Rock Hill District, South Carolina Conference; David Stand in the Lancaster District, Pee Dee Conference; and Pleasant View in the Spartanburg District, Palmetto Conference. He is the Pastor of the Red Oak AME Zion Church in Rock Hill District, South Carolina Conference. He earned an Associate’s degree in religious studies from Clinton College and a diploma in Christian ministry from Hood Theological Seminary. He has worked on several conferences and local boards in the AME Zion church. Rev. Bouler has served on the Finance Committee, the Holy Orders Committee, and as the Home Missions board chair for the Pee Dee Conference.
Additionally, he has served as the Budget & Finance chair for the Lancaster District of the Pee Dee Conference. He has also worked on several civic advisory boards, such as The Springs Close Foundation, First Citizen’s Bank, and School Improvement Councils. Rev. Bouler has been employed with Comporium Communications for 36 years. He is married to Chantay Forney-Bouler, the Recording Secretary for the WHOMS. They have been married for 38 years and have three children and one granddaughter.
Connie Bell-Wright, 2nd Vice-President
I am dedicated, creative, and ambitious, with excellent organizational and time management skills. Positions at the local, district, conference, and connectional levels have led me to pursue other opportunities within the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
Carlous Tyrance, Secretary
Carlos Elaine Tyrance was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Mr. Dewey Henry and Mrs. Christer Belle Pollard Tyrance. She was educated in the Onslow County, North Carolina School system, graduating from Georgetown High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Upon graduation, Ms. Tyrance enlisted into the United States Army, receiving her basic training from Fort McClellan, Alabama, and Advanced Individual Training in Communications at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
While on active duty, Ms. Tyrance was recognized and awarded for many distinguished achievements, including the Bronze Star, the Military Service Medal, six Army Achievement Awards, seven Good Conduct Medals, and a Gold Recruiting Badge. Additional military and civilian education opportunities included Mobile Subscriber Equipment School, a Technical Community Course in Bad Tolz, Germany, and an Advanced Non-Commission Officer’s Course at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Ms. Tyrance retired from active duty on December 31, 1994.
Since completing her honorable service, Ms. Tyrance has called Charlotte, North Carolina, her home. She is an active African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church member, with membership at Marvin AME Zion Church in Waxhaw, NC. In addition, she serves the AME Zion Church as a member of the Board of Directors of the Dorothy Walls Conference and Retreat Center, member of the West Central North Carolina Conference Finance Committee, the Piedmont Episcopal District’s Finance Committee, Secretary, Department of Supply of the Women’s Home & Overseas Missionary Society, member of the National Council of Negro Women and the NAACP. She is also an “official hugger” for the Special Olympics.
Marie Denise Niles, Assistant Secetary
Denise is a native New Yorker—she was born and raised in Brooklyn. She attended private elementary and secondary schools and matriculated at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, where she majored in Sociology and urban studies.
For 32 years, she was employed as an Executive Assistant to the Pastor and Church Administrator at the historic Varick Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Brooklyn, New York, under the pastorate of The Rev. Dr. Calvin B. Marshall, III (now retired). For the past 8 years, she has been an active member of Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Harlem, NY. She serves as Financial Secretary of the Board of Trustees, a member of the Deaconess Board, Missionary Society, Lay Council, and a member of the Music Ministry. On the District Level, Denise has served as Financial Secretary of the New York City District for the past 16 years and also serves on the New York Annual Conference Finance Committee. She has served as an Alternate Delegate to 2 General Conferences and volunteers on the staff of the Convention Manager, The Rev. George McKain, II.
In July 2007, she decided to begin a second career in real estate and joined forces with Crossings Realty in Queens, NY. She has established herself as a competent sales agent and property manager. Denise became active in the International Ministers and Lay Association in the mid-90s and worked closely with the Membership Committee under Ms. Joyce Zimmerman. In 2009, she was elected 2nd Vice President and served two terms. In 2017, she was elected Secretary of the Association and looks forward to working with our new Leadership Team to lift the Association to higher heights.
Rev. Edwin M. Ferguson, Treasurer
Reverend Edwin M. Ferguson is from St. Louis, MO. He currently serves as the pastor of the St. John A.M.E. Zion Church in Wilson, NC. He previously pastored the following congregations: Trinity (nicknamed the ‘three-in-one’) A.M.E. Zion Church in Blacksburg, SC, the Mt. Vernon (nicknamed the ‘MtV’ Church) A.M.E. Zion Church in Fort Lawn, SC, the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church in Elizabethtown, NC, and the Invitation A.M.E. Zion Church in Snow Hill, NC. He serves as the Cape Fear Conference and the immediate former Eastern North Carolina Episcopal Director of Evangelism/ Church Growth. He was elected Treasurer of the International Minister’s & Lay Association of the A.M.E. Zion Church. In addition, Rev. Ferguson serves as the first black Campus Chaplain at North Carolina Wesleyan University in Rocky Mount, NC.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Concordia University in Seward, NE, and a Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, NC. Reverend Ferguson is the first (of now 25-plus) Eagle Scout in the history of Troop 147 in St. Louis, MO. He is also one of the first two Prueshner scholars at Hood Theological Seminary, a WHOMS (Women’s Home and Overseas Missionary Society) scholarship recipient, and a Livingstone College Alumni Association (St. Louis chapter) scholarship recipient. Rev. Ferguson received the following awards while attending Hood Seminary: Faculty Award, Systematic Theology Award, History of Christianity Award, A.M.E. Zion Scholar Award, and the Bishop Walker Preaching Award. He also received the late Bishop Clarence Carr Award for pastoral excellence and for helping to establish a legacy of Eagle Scouts in Troop 147.
Reverend Ferguson is married to the former Norketa Hill, also of St. Louis, MO. They have two daughters, Norkesia Augustus and his ‘boss lady’ Eryn Ferguson. Please pray for him as he seeks God’s will for his life.
Rev. Dr. Kelcy G.L. Steele, Financial Secretary
Dr. Kelcy G.L. Steele is a distinguished pastor, leader, and community advocate with a passion for ministry, education, and social justice. He currently serves as the Pastor of Varick Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in New Haven, Connecticut, where he has been a transformative leader, empowering congregants and the community at large.
Dr. Steele’s commitment to faith and education has been evident from an early age. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religion & Psychology from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina. Pursuing his theological calling, he obtained a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Demonstrating his dedication to leadership and strategic planning, Dr. Steele achieved a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
With a dynamic preaching style and a deep commitment to spiritual growth, Dr. Steele has pastored several churches, bringing a fresh vision and innovative strategies to engage the faith community. His ministry extends beyond the pulpit into civic and social leadership, advocating for housing, education, and economic empowerment. He was elected in 2025 to the Executive Board of the International Ministers and Lay Association of the A.M.E. Zion Church, where he serves as the Financial Secretary. At Varick Memorial AME Zion Church, Dr. Steele has spearheaded initiatives that have strengthened the church’s outreach, including community feeding programs, housing advocacy, and youth mentorship projects. His ability to blend faith with action has made him a sought-after speaker, mentor, and consultant.
Willie Landrum, Chaplain
Mr. Willie Landrum has served in various capacities in the A.M.E. Zion and A.M.E. church and has served ecumenically with many other denominations and organizations. Mr. Landrum has been a member of Metropolitan A.M.E Zion Church, Birmingham, AL, North Alabama Conference since 1993. He joined while then Pastor, now Bishop Darren B. Starnes, was the Pastor. Under Bishop Starnes’ leadership, Mr. Landrum served on the Stewart Board, was a Co-Class Leader in the Sons of Varick, and was a Local Lay Council member. He served as Conference and Episcopal photographer under the late Bishop Richard K. Thompson and Missionary Supervisor Georgia McNair Thompson. He serves under the current pastor, Rev. Joshua Johnson.
While living in San Francisco, Mr. Landrum found his passion for photography and has used that gift in many ways to document church, civic, and community events. He describes this work as the Ministry of Documentation. Crediting Bishop Thompson with giving him his first photography job in the A.M.E. Zion Church, Mr. Landrum has worked with many Episcopal leaders and other auxiliaries of this denomination. This connection also allowed him to work with the Star of Zion, where he has fond memories of working with the late Mr. Mike Lisby and his widow, the current Editor of the Star, Mrs. Adie Lisby. He is the Alabama/Florida Episcopal District Photographer.
Mr. Landrum proudly serves as the Regional Vice President for the Alabama/Florida Episcopal District, where he works closely and cheerfully with his Presiding Elder, Rev. Dr. Sondra Coleman, and Presiding Prelate, Bishop Seth O. Lartey, and Missionary Supervisor Jacqueline Williams-Lartey. He is married to Mrs. Mireille Landrum and has two step-children.
Rev. Dorothy Patterson, Executive Director
Rev. Patterson is a vehicle of change, understanding that all great transformations must start and end with self. Hence, she is intentional about self-examination.
Rev. Patterson is an ordained Elder in the AME Zion Church and the Pastor of Wallace Temple AME Zion Church in Bayonne, NJ. In addition, she is the president of WTCARES, a non-profit organization, and a community relations specialist for the City of Bayonne. A Past President of the Bayonne Rotary Club, Vice President of the Bayonne Chapter of NAACP, Coordinator for the Bayonne Interfaith Clergy, Spiritual Liaison for the Jersey City District Ushers, NJ Conference Studies Instructor, Jersey City District Treasure, VP of Hudson County Black Pastors Association and a Paterson Alumni Leader of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative (Outreach Ministry).
She is the mother of one son, Harrison, the godmother of Thadtishia, Janelle, and Abijah, and the grandmother of Genesis.
Rev. Patterson is an unapologetic spokesperson for justice. Justice and only justice shall you pursue. (Deuteronomy 16:20)
She advocates for children and has taught in the Paterson Public School System and directed two Abbott Preschool Programs. She is an educator by profession and holds a BS. Degree in Child Development/Early Childhood Education from SC State University in Orangeburg, SC. P-3 certification from Mount Claire State University in New Jersey. Master of Divinity from Drew University Theological Seminary, Madison, NJ, where she credits for stretching and molding her beyond her comfort zone. She is currently a Police Chaplain seeking Chaplaincy Board Certification. (CPSP)
One of her favorite individuals is Mother Theresa, who epitomizes the ministry of missions. Rev. Patterson loves mission work as she has been to Israel, South America, and Africa several times, spending from three weeks to three months at a time. She is currently the assistant to the presiding Elder of the Guyana annual conference.
Most importantly, she is a woman seeking God’s vision for her life. She is persuaded that the Word of God must be lived and proclaimed.