2025 Hope and Health Conference Speakers

Gloria White-Hammond

Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D. is Co-Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Boston, MA, and the Swartz Resident Practitioner in Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School (HDS).

Dr. White-Hammond served as a pediatrician at the South End Community Health Center from 1981-2008. From 2001 through 2003, Dr. White-Hammond traveled to war-torn South Sudan to participate in an elaborate “underground railroad” to facilitate the freedom of more than 10,000 people enslaved in northern Sudan during the civil war. The experience prompted her and five other women to co-found My Sister’s Keeper, a humanitarian and human rights organization that champions social justice for women and girls in conflict zones.

Rev. Gloria White-Hammond serves alongside her husband, Rev. Ray A. Hammond, M.D., to pastor Bethel’s 500-member congregation. Her innovative ministries include Shatter the Silence, which addresses sexual victimization of women and men in predominantly African American communities and Planning Ahead, which encourages church members to begin conversations and complete their advance directives regarding their wishes for end-of-life care.

Dr. White-Hammond was appointed Swartz Resident Practitioner in Ministry Studies in 2015 where she develops learning opportunities for students to explore the intersection of the practice of medicine, spiritual care, and public health. She co-directs the Harvard Medical School and HDS course, “Spirituality and Healing in Medicine.”

Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, MD is a graduate of Boston University (AB, 1972), Tufts University School of Medicine (MD, 1976) and Harvard Divinity School (MDiv, 1997). She is a recipient of numerous honorary degrees and community service awards. She is a trustee emeritus of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) Board of Trustees; member of BWH Executive Advisory Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; trustee emeritus of Tufts University; trustee of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; a member of the Boston Public Health Commission COVID-19 Community Partners; and a member of the board of directors of the Roxbury Presbyterian Church Social Impact Center.

Rev. Dr. Michael David Bailey

Rev. Dr. Michael David Bailey is the Co-Pastor of The First Cathedral and shares leadership with his father, Archbishop LeRoy Bailey, Jr., Senior Pastor. He is a creative leader and a critical and strategic thinker. He also is a prolific preacher and a cultural trendsetter for this generation. 

Doctor Bailey has sensed the call of ministry in his life since his youth. He began in ministry as a teenager. He accepted his calling to the ministry and preached his initial sermon at the age of 17 in April of 2002. Then he was ordained at the age of 19 after successfully completing an ordination hearing and council. In 2011, he became the Youth Pastor and Youth Director and served that ministry faithfully for over 5 years before becoming the Co-Pastor. As he served in capacity of Youth Pastor and Youth Director, the ministry grew tremendously through his effectiveness at reaching the next generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2016, he was installed as Co-Pastor of The First Cathedral and charged to carry the mantle of his father and predecessors.

Pastor Bailey not only has a high regard for the ministry, but also a commitment to education. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Upon graduation with a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, it was acknowledged that he is the youngest African American and the third youngest ever to complete the program.

Pastor Bailey is also a philanthropist. He believes in contributing to the external community and the city at large he serves. For his philanthropic work, he has received city citations and proclamations being recognized in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He has also received many awards including Manchester Community College’s Black History Community Award and 100 Men of Color recognizing the contribution of men of color in business, education, entrepreneurship, government, service, and the impact they have made in the lives of people throughout the State of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts communities. In 2020, he received the “Brother of the Year Award” from the Delta Pi Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. In 2021, he received the “Outstanding Community Leadership in a Pandemic” award from the Greater Hartford Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and the Town of Bloomfield “Outstanding Community Partner Award” as he led the charge with food distribution during the pandemic. He also is the recipient of the 2021 Young Alumni Award from Gordon College in Wenham, MA.

Recently, he has served on the executive board of the Greater Hartford Branch of the NAACP. He has served as an executive board member of the Greater Hartford Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, He also has served as a board member for High School, Inc. He also chartered along with 5 other men and women, the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Currently, this program has shifted to the Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes Scholarship Steering Committee which serves the purpose of providing 70% to 100% tuition to students of color who are interested in furthering their theological education. Dr. Haynes was a close colleague of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Currently, Dr. Bailey serves as Chaplain for the Hartford Police Department, executive board member for Vision New England formerly known as New England Evangelistic Association, committee member of the alumni advisory committee which assists and advises the President of Gordon College, Dr. Michael D. Hammond. He also serves on the board of trustees for The Master’s School, The Urban League of Greater Hartford, Urban Alliance and the American Baptist Churches of CT.

He is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, whose objectives are instituted to effectively embody “Culture For Service and Service For Humanity” and promote brotherhood, scholarship and service. Currently, he serves as the President of the Delta Pi Sigma Chapter, Hartford Alumni Chapter. He also serves as the New England State Chaplain for the Eastern Region. He also is a founding and chartering member for the nonprofit organization, Culture For Service, Incorporated which he also serves on the board of trustees.

He has been featured on National News Programs inclusive of PBS NewsHour and NBC News in reference to Communities of Faith and the Pandemic. Also, was featured in the Boston Globe post-election of the 44th President of the United States, Barack H. Obama. In addition, he has been featured on Local News Programming in Connecticut inclusive of Fox News, CBS News and NBC News in reference to COVID-19 Testing, Vaccine Clinics, Food Security and the entirety of the COVID Pandemic. He was also featured on NBC in collaboration with Hartford Healthcare media with the effects of maternal medicine, child loss and the birth of his child Bailey and eldest daughter, Ava Joy Bailey with his wife Lady Sonya. He also co-authored The Priority of Making Disciples: The Messiah and Our Mission in Matthew 28:16-20 with General Editor Danny D. Clymer.

But he mostly takes pride in his family. He is the proud husband to Lady Sonya Bailey and the proud father to two daughters, Ava Joy and Shiloh Grace.