Rev. Kendrick E. Curry, PhD
Managing Partner
The Reverend Doctor Kendrick E. Curry advances the cause of Jesus Christ within the church and community. During his 22-year tenure as the Senior Pastor of the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (PABC), the congregation has developed a Kingdom-focused ministry that continues to thrive and be renewed. The church has intentional ministries and activities designed to meet the needs of seniors, women, men, young adults, and youth. The church also partners with civic, social, and professional groups, including AARP and Ward 7 & 8 Prevention Center, to help bring about communal transformation. Specifically, through partnering with a mental-health day treatment program for DC residents, producing cultural arts events, and convening family-oriented workshops, the church becomes aware of the relevant issues impacting the wider community. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Curry has championed a food distribution partnership that reached over 4,000 people monthly, and he helped develop and hold the first COVID-19 vaccination clinic in a church in the District of Columbia. Also, under Pastor Curry’s leadership, PABC was the first church to become a regular COVID-19 vaccination clinic in DC.
Dr. Curry has been academically prepared for life and ministry. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, TX; an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI; and an M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA. He has completed advanced studies at Northern Seminary near Chicago and is currently a Doctor of Ministry Student in Social Impact at Drew Seminary in NJ.
Due to his passion for the church's work and denominational life, Dr. Curry serves as the Interim General Secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Dr. Curry also serves as a board member for the District of Columbia Baptist Foundation.
Dr. Curry is a prophetic voice in the public square who brings faith-based solutions to racial and social injustices in the DC metropolitan region. He proudly chairs the Board of Directors for the Leadership Council for Health Communities. He has partnered with Georgetown and George Washington Universities to mitigate health inequities by developing community health webinars and outreach programs with the Rodham Institute, the Ron and Joy Paul Kidney Institute, and the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Curry has served on the opioid abuse prevention Community Advisory Board for the Howard University College of Medicine’s School of Psychiatry. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of DC Appleseed and is a former co-host of the exciting and thought-provoking Just A Cup of Coffee podcast.
Dr. Curry advocates for seniors’ rights at the local and national levels through his former position on the Executive Committee for the DC State office of AARP and his former service on the board of the Stoddard Baptist Nursing Home. Having cared for both parents until their recent deaths, Dr. Curry is passionate about caregiving for the sick and elderly, and he also helps those 50-plus years of age to age in place well, obtain affordable prescriptions, and never live in isolation. To reduce isolation and foster fellowship among DC residents 50+, Dr. Curry has partnered with the Department of Aging and Community Living to start a Senior Fellowship Café at the church for those 60+, and he is excited about launching one of two new Senior Villages in Ward 7 at PABC.
Because of his passion for equity in education, Dr. Curry founded ElectED DC and ElectED DC Action—non-profit 501 (c) (4) and 501 (c) (3) organizations—that seek to build political power to empower Ward 7 & 8 communities East of the Anacostia River. He is a former member and Chair of the Board of Directors for Education Forward DC—a philanthropic organization seeking to enhance the DC education landscape. Dr. Curry has also served on the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia, and he also frequently consults for engineering firms, academic institutions, and community organizing groups.
Dr. Curry is happily married to the Reverend Karen Whitney Curry and is the proud father of two amazing young adults: Keyona and Kendrick II.