THE GAC COLLEGE MINISTRY
THE GAC COLLEGE MINISTRY
Minister Stephanie Grigg, Ministry Leader & Minister Donald Garner, Asst. Ministry Leader
MISSION
Support the multifaceted growth, especially from a spiritual lens of college students in the borough of Queens and beyond.
TARGET POPULATION
Local community college and colleges/universities in the borough of Queens and Long Island (e.g. Queens College, St. John’s University, York College, Adelphi University, Hofstra University, Queensborough Community College); GAC members who attend colleges/universities across the country.
For further information
Please call the College Ministry at (718) 206-4600 or you may filll out the form below and someone will respond.
COLLEGE MINISTRY
MINISTRY LEADERS
Minister Stephanie Joy Camille Grigg, a native of Queens, NY, is passionate about encouraging and cultivating the character of the next generation of young ladies. In 2009, after completing high school in only three years, Minister Stephanie graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. She then continued her studies abroad at the Royal Holloway, University of London in England. Minister Stephanie returned to the states close to a year later and in the spring of 2013 earned a Master’s Degree in Science Education (MSEd.) in Counseling from St. Johns University, New York. In addition to her scholastic endeavors, Minister Stephanie founded The True Beauty In You, Incorporated in March 2015. The True Beauty In You was designed to empower young ladies to live to their fullest potential.
Under the leadership of the Reverend Doctors Floyd and Elaine Flake, Minister Stephanie serves as a Youth Minister at the Shekinah Youth Chapel of the Greater Allen Cathedral of New York. While serving at Shekinah, she is pursuing her second Master’s Degree in Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. Minister Stephanie is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Donald Garner a native of Houston, Texas by way of Ocala, Florida serves as the Co-Ministry Leader of the 20s and 30s Ministry.
Donald is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Clark & Garner, LLC- a comprehensive educational consultant firm that develops education programming and curriculum for schools, nonprofits and corporations as well as provide staffing development for public schools in the area of teacher recruitment and retention.
Donald has over a decade of education policy and program experience serving as a Teacher Recruitment Manager with the New York City Department of Education. In this capacity, he recruited traditionally certified candidates to teach in NYC public schools and assisted with staffing South Bronx public schools. For close to five years, he served as an Educational Consultant with the Florida Department of Education's Office of Dropout Prevention. In this role, he provided strategic planning to low-performing schools in South Florida and co-developed a Dropout Prevention Taskforce that influenced policy and program recommendations related to student retention.
He is a PhD candidate and Adjunct Professor in Social Work at Fordham University. His primary research interests deal with how former prisoners rebuild family relationships when returning home from prison and the impact of parental incarceration on child development outcomes. Additionally, he is currently seeking a Master's of Divinity at Yale Divinity School as well with interests in the role of spirituality formation during adolescent development, the current and future of Black Church and millennial engagement & leadership in Black Church denominations. Donald also holds Master’s Degrees in Public Administration (MPA) and Social Work (MSW) from Florida State University.
Garner is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated through the Iota Delta Chapter at Florida State University. He is currently on the Board of Young Life-Southeast Queens, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. For nearly five years, he held junior board memberships with the Children of Promise, NYC, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that serves children of incarcerated parents and Pentorship which designs customized products and services to facilitate quality learning experiences for returning citizens to compete in current labor markets. He also holds membership with the Apollo Young Patrons.
Donald enjoys reading, writing, running, mentoring, spending time with family and friends, and singing.
KEY PROGRAMS
Providing comprehensive approaches that offer unique spiritual support and discipline for students, with emphasis on collegiate environment and atmosphere and for the ultimate goal of strengthening personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Creating opportunities for today’s college student to integrate their talents, skills, and abilities and relationship with Christ in secular society.
Fostering relevant relationships with key stakeholders in efforts to highlight the importance and significance of strengthening the value of offering spiritual support in college/university-based settings.