Updated: The Rev. Dr. Staccato Powell, who was elected bishop in 2016, was removed from the office of bishop of the AME Zion Church following a trial in July 2021.
Born: Oct. 30, 1959, Hallsboro, N.C.
Current position: Pastor of Grace AME Zion Church in Raleigh, N.C.; Chief Executive Officer of Grace in the City Community Development Corp.
Career: Chair and Coordinator of the Great Gathering of the historic African American Methodist communions; President and Chief Executive Officer of Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC) of America; Deputy General Secretary of the National Council of Churches; pastor in Wilson, N.C., and St. Louis, Mo.
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Master of Divinity degree from Duke University; Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree from North Carolina Central University.
Personal: Two children, Staccato Kiethan, 26, a senior at Shaw University’s divinity school and Susan Elizabeth Nicole, 20, a senior at Spelman College.
