About Garland R. Hunt, Esq.
Bishop * Attorney * Prison Minister edit
CURRENT Garland Hunt, Esq. is the former president of Prison Fellowship (2011-2012).
Prison Fellowship is a national Christian outreach ministry to prisoners, former prisoners and their families. The Ministry is the nation’s largest outreach to prisoners and seeks to equip inmates with a Christian foundation and vital life skills. Since its inception, Prison Fellowship has served more than one million prisoners. The organization uses a biblical approach of radical transformation through in-prison programming and outreach events such as its OSL yard events.
Angel Tree is Prison Fellowship’s hallmark program, and touches the lives of thousands of prisoners’ children each Christmas with a Gospel message and a gift.
In more than 28 years of executive leadership with the Fellowship of International Churches, Wellington Boone Ministries and New Generation Campus Ministries, Hunt managed a multi-church collaboration consisting of 40 international and domestic congregations, and developed and implemented several community-based initiatives for college and high school students training and discipling students on 35 college campuses.
MINISTRY
Prior to joining Prison Fellowship, Hunt served as the executive pastor of The Father’s House and vice-president of a community ministry organization. Both ministries are based in Atlanta.
Before moving to Atlanta, he was founder and senior pastor at Raleigh International Church, a congregation committed to racial reconciliation, from 1993 to 1999. Under his leadership, the church grew from 25 to 250 in five years. The church’s primary mission was to nurture a body of believers into a strong and influential ministry committed to racial reconciliation that influenced the Raleigh metropolitan area through (1) leadership development, training, and supervision of pastoral staff; (2) pastoral counseling; and (3) preaching and teaching.
While serving in this capacity, Hunt hosted or co-hosted media programming including Reconciling Raleigh (radio programming) and co-hosted The Gospel in Black and White (television programming). He also oversaw the effective and efficient management of the Raleigh International Church.
Since 1997, Hunt has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Fellowship of International Churches in Norcross, Georgia. In this role, he oversees the efficient and effective management of a fellowship consisting of 40 international and domestic congregations including strategic planning, leadership development, and conference planning.
EDUCATION Hunt was born August 9, 1958 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hunt attended Atlanta public schools and received his high school diploma from Frederick Douglas High School in 1976.
Upon finishing high school, Hunt matriculated to Howard University in Washington, D.C. There he majored in Political Science and completed his undergraduate work in 1980. He was elected President of the Howard Undergraduate Student Assembly. Hunt then earned a law degree from the Howard University School of Law in 1983. While at the Law School, he served as Executive Articles Editor of the Howard Law Journal.
Following completion of his law degree, Hunt studied for and passed the Georgia Bar in 1983. He then worked as Judicial Law Clerk and Staff Attorney for the United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. During a two-year stint in this role, Hunt was responsible for providing advice to the Judge of problem areas, complex legal issues, and recommending outcomes of individual issues and disposition of appeals.
He also drafted per curium opinions, orders, and memoranda under the direction of the Judge, and assisted the Judge in reviewing proposed opinions from other Judges on a panel.
Hunt’s next role was National Director of New Generation Campus Ministries (NGM). He served in this role from 1983 to 1994. During this time, he identified, trained and nurtured college students on 35 campuses into godly leaders through leadership development and training; supervision of student leadership teams and staff; and executing local, regional, and national conferences.
He also collaborated with university administrators to create and sustain NGM chapters, and oversaw the effective and efficient management of NGM.
PRISON MINISTRY In addition to Hunt’s wealth of pastoral experience, he has a deep passion for prison ministry and has been involved in corrections issues for many years. He was appointed by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, a position he held from May 2010 to January 2011.
Prior to his role as Juvenile Justice Commissioner, Hunt served as a member of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles from 2004 to 2010. He was appointed to that role by Governor Sonny Perdue. He was Chairman of the Board from 2006-2008; Vice-Chairman of the Board 2004-2006 and; Board Member from 2004 to 2010. During his leadership, Hunt managed an annual operating budget of $50 million, and carried authority to grant paroles, pardons, reprieves, remissions, commutations, and to restore civil and political rights for persons incarcerated by the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Hunt also oversaw implementation of the recently enacted Parole Decision Guidelines grid that changed the manner in which Board evaluates offenders for cases considered after January 1, 2008. He also oversaw the implementation of the CLEMENCY ONLINE NAVIGATION SYSTEM (CONS) which converted paper-driven business processes into electronic data and images using a work flow management system, which will allow multiple users access to the data.
An additional achievement under Hunt’s leadership was the creation of a statewide faith-based initiative providing community support for the reentry of ex-offenders.
Hunt also is a former vice president of the Association of Paroling Authorities International.
He and his wife Eileen are parents to three adult children: Garland, Jr., Christa and Jeremy.
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATONS
• Member, Georgia Bar Association • Member, Bar of Supreme Court of Georgia • Member, Bar of Court of Appeals of Georgia • Member, Bar of United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit • Member, Bar of United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia • Recipient, The Ben Baer Award, Association of Paroling Authorities International (2009) • Recipient, The Association of Paroling Authorities International President’s Award (2008) • Vice-President, Association of Paroling Authorities International (2008 - 2010). • Governor’s Appointee, Commission on Family Violence (2004 -2010) • Inductee, Who's Who in Black Atlanta (2007) • Alumnus, Leadership Georgia (2006) • Class President, Coverdell Leadership Institute (2004)
Select Appearances in Television and Radio
• Co-host of Reconciling Raleigh, a radio show based in Raleigh, N.C.
• Co-host of The Gospel in Black and White, a television show in Raleigh, N.C.
• The 700 Club
• Trinity Broadcasting Network
• ABC Television Network
• Radio One
• Salem Radio Network
Select Citations in Newspapers & Magazines • Reuters • Bloomberg News • The Guardian • Atlanta Journal-Constitution • The Christian Post • Charisma • Bloomberg News • The Guardian • Atlanta Journal-Constitution • The Christian Post • Charisma
Topics of Expertise • Crime/Criminal Justice • Prisoner Re-Entry • Over-incarceration of Blacks in America • Faith-Based Prisoner Rehabilitation • Breaking the Cycle of Crime in the Urban Community • Challenges of Prisoners' Children • Grassroots Mobilization • Crime/Criminal Justice • Prisoner Re-Entry • Faith-Based Prisoner Rehabilitation • Breaking the Cycle of Crime in the Urban Community • Challenges of Prisoners' Children • Grassroots Mobilization
Sources www.prisonfellowship.org
http://www.demossnewspond.com/pf/press_kit/president_garland_hunt_biography
www.thefathershouse.cc