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Our Pastor & Leading Lady Since 1997, Rev. Dr. Donald L. Perryman has served as Senior Pastor of The Center of Hope Community Church in Toledo, Ohio. Due greatly to his ability to wed Gospel Ministry with Social Ministry, the church has become a center for change in Toledo, Ohio that reconnects holistic ministry in contemporary social, economic, and political life to our spiritual and cultural foundations. Pastor Perryman’s objective is to bring the light of the gospel to bear upon the issue of diversity, liberation, inclusiveness, empowerment and social justice. Dr. Perryman is also a founder of Center of Hope Family Services, Inc., a highly acclaimed 501c3 whose mission is to improve the life outcomes of individuals and families living in urban settings. The nonprofit operates three 21stCentury Learning Centers and Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School in partnership with Toledo Public Schools and several other core initiatives under Positive Youth Development and Adult and Family Support.
Perryman earned his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Payne Theological Seminary in 2023. In August 2019, he received his Ph.D. from the Antioch University Graduate School of Leadership and Change. He also earned his Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio in 2007 with a focus in Social Justice Ministry and Political Activism. He received both a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in corporate finance from the Univeristy of Toledo and a Master of Arts (M.A.) from Antioch University Graduate School of Leadership and Change.
In October, 2018, Dr. Perryman successfully defended his dissertation, earning his PhD from the Antioch University’s Graduate School of Leadership & Change in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His dissertation, “Leading Through The Crisis At Hand: The Role of the Black Church in Addressing the Collateral Damage of Mass Incarceration,” synthesizes the myriad of practical interventions that churches can utilize to impact communities, individuals, families, current and formerly incarcerated persons, as well as systems, policy makers and others directly or indirectly affected by mass incarceration. Dr. Perryman’s research is an extension of his decades of advocacy related to criminal justice policy and systems reform.
In 2008, Dr. Perryman founded United Pastors for Social Empowerment (UPSE), a coalition of faith leaders working in collaboration with institutional representatives and other communities of practice to challenge the disparities affecting the poor, marginalized, and communities of color through public policy, community development and political empowerment. He is also a member of the Board of Managers for the Ohio Poverty Law Center and the Aspire Cradle to Career Network and is a board member of the Neighborhood Health Association and the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County.
Perryman is married to the former Willetta Marie Jamison. They are parents of three adult children: Marlon Perryman, Dr. Tracee Perryman, and Dr. Staci Perryman-Clark, and the proud grandparents of Jamison Inez Perryman-Clark. |
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