The Rev. William Smith Jr., a native of Marion, South Carolina, was the pastor of Historic "Mother Emanuel" African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina; he was also an adjunct professor at Allen University (Columbia, South Carolina) and interns supervisor for Erskine Theological Seminary (Due West, South Carolina). Dr. Smith received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Allen University; the Master of Divinity from Turner Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia; the Master of Theology from Princeton Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey; Th.D., Jamison Theological Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the Doctorate of Divinity from Monrovia College, Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa); and completed the residential requirements for the Ph.D. at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey.

Dr. Smith was ordained an itinerant elder by the late Bishop Carey A. Gibbs in 1963 and has served as a pastor in the AME Church forty-two years. He was elected a delegate to seven General Conferences: 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000.

In view of Dr. Smith’s experiences and accomplishments, he is sought connectionally and ecumenically as a lecturer, workshop presenter, preacher, and evangelist. Because of his training and present work in our Zion, he has visited or has been a workshop presenter or preacher in several Episcopal Districts: first through thirteenth, overseas fifteenth, sixteenth, and nineteenth.

As a former commissioner of Human Affairs, Housing Authority board member and member of several religious, civic, governmental, community, and fraternal boards, committees and organizations; Dr. Smith’s philosophy of ministry is holistic.

As a member of the Seventh Episcopal District, he serves as a member of the Ministerial Board of Examiners and Planning Committee of the Annual Leadership Development Congress. In the South Carolina Conference, he serves as chairperson of the Ministerial Board of Examiners, chairperson of the committee on presiding elders' salary and work, Dean of the Conference Institute and secretary of the Finance Committee and chairperson of the Committee on Ministerial Orders. He is also a member of the AME Ministerial Alliance of Charleston and Vicinity.

He is a member of the NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference; National Committee of Black Church Persons; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; Outstanding Personalities of the South; Society of Religion Ethicists; Connectional Council, AMEC and former member of the General Conference to be held in 2004 and candidate for Episcopal service in 2004.

Dr. Smith is married to the former Angela Yvonne Hawthorne of Columbia, South Carolina. They have two children: Jemal and Rebecca, and two grandchildren: Janeil and Jakeysa.