SPEAKERS & GUESTS

Conference Musical Guest

Jeffery Thomas II

Jeffery Thomas II, known as J Thomas, is a dynamic music producer, performer, and community leader from Indianapolis. He is the founder of “The Release: A Soulful Worship Encounter,” an innovative worship experience that transcends traditional denominational lines, celebrating the rich tapestry of Black culture, music, and spirituality.

Leading the group Thomas & The Situation, J Thomas blends influences from gospel giants and soul legends to inspire and uplift audiences with their soulful, groovy sound. He has earned accolades including a BMI Trailblazers Award and a Dove award nomination for his extensive work in music production and songwriting.

J Thomas is also committed to community service, serving as the first Youth Pastor of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Indianapolis and leading community initiatives to tackle food scarcity. Currently, he is advancing his studies at Wesley Seminary and leading as the pastor of The Bridge at Charity Cares, focusing on urban community support and development.

Conference Musical Guest

Dr. Tasha Page-Lockhart

Dr. Tasha Page-Lockhart is an American Christian R&B and urban contemporary gospel artist and musician. She won the gospel singing competition, Sunday Best, in season six on BET. She started her music career in 2014 with the release of Here Right Now by RCA Records and Fo Yo Soul Recordings. Her first studio album, Here Right Now, charted at number 87 on The Billboard 200 and Top Gospel Albums.

Conference Speaker

Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson

Described as a Transformational Preacher, Dynamic Leader and Ministry Trailblazer, Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson is an inspiring example of what God can do with a life committed to the call. She currently serves as the beloved Senior Pastor of The Allen Temple Baptist Church in her native Oakland, California. Her 2019 election made history nationwide as the first woman called to serve as Senior Pastor of this historic African American Baptist Church founded in 1919. Before being called in this capacity, Dr. Thompson served as the Assistant Pastor at Allen Temple and as Youth Minister at Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., the first woman to serve in both capacities.

Committed to excellence in scholarship, Dr. Thompson received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Economics from the University of California, Berkeley; the Master of Divinity from Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C. While at Howard, she received the Nannie Helen Burroughs Award for Academic Excellence and the Henry G. Maynard Award for Excellence in Preaching and Ministry. Believing in the importance of both orthodoxy and orthopraxy, Dr. Thomson continued her studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California where she was awarded the Doctor of Ministry degree in African American Church Leadership.

She is a member of the NAACP and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Her activism and leadership have been recognized by various chapters honoring her with Community Excellenceand Leadership Awards and Distinguished Woman of the Year.Among other honors, Dr. Thompson has been inducted into the distinguished Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers.

Dr. Thompson is a gifted preacher, administrator and published author traveling and ministering extensively nationally and internationally often in arenas previously unchartered by women. In addition, she has been called upon by local and national print and electronic media as an opinion leader to offer perspective and hope amidst the pressing issues of the day. She is currently on the teaching staff of the Berkeley School of Theology in the area of Public Theology and Preaching.

In August of 2022, history was made once again as the members of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. -the denominational home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., voted to elect her 2nd Vice-President of the national body. Her mission is to see transformation in the lives of others and is humbled by every opportunity to serve.

Conference Speaker

Bishop Derek Triplett

Bishop Derek T. Triplett is the founding pastor of Hope Fellowship Church in Daytona Beach, Florida. He has spent over 20 years in pastoral ministry and over 25 years preaching the Gospel in a powerful and profound manner. He also provides spiritual leadership to several churches, ministries, and ministers across the country. A native of East St. Louis, Illinois, Bishop Triplett graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. While attending Bradley University, he served as a member of the nationally recognized forensics team. He also studied at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida.

He was consecrated as Bishop by the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship in 1998, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., International Presiding Bishop. He is a frequent guest speaker in churches and conferences across the United States along with Daytona Beach area schools, colleges, and universities. He has been featured on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN), TBN The Holy Land Experience, Gospel Today, Upscale, and Florida Trend magazines.

Bishop Triplett is not only a gifted speaker, preacher and teacher, God has blessed him to be an extraordinary songwriter. He began composing during his early teen years, but it was not until his young adult years that he started taking his writing seriously and after much prodding start exposing his music to his congregation, community choirs, and ultimately to gospel music lovers at large.

Along with the Word Network, he has been featured on TBN Praise the Lord and the Impact Network. He is an executive board member of the Gospel Heritage Foundation, Dr. Teresa Hairston founder and chair. He also serves the Daytona Beach community in numerous civic capacities. He presently is a member of the Daytona Beach Rotary Club, The Civic League of the Halifax Area, Daytona Beach Black Clergy Alliance (past president), and was the recipient of the 2008 Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce Marvin Samuels Service award.

He is the proud father of Destanni and Donovan Triplett.