Andrew Wilkes

Rev. Andrew Wilkes is the Principal of Wilkes Advocacy Group. Rev. Wilkes has built his career on a dual commitment to economic development and economic justice. In 2015, he began his post as Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute (DMI), an organization founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which carries forward the social change legacy of Dr. King by promoting economic justice, dismantling structural racism, and advancing civil rights. In that capacity, he initiated a racial justice consultancy, relaunched the nationally-renowned Marketplace of Ideas series, and oversaw public affairs events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. As a Senior Grants Manager at The American Red Cross, Wilkes oversaw a $45 million budget for Sandy recovery in New York state & Connecticut. Before that, Wilkes engaged 140 faith communities as the Faith & Community Relations Associate at Habitat for Humanity NYC. A doctoral candidate in political science at the Graduate Center in the City University of New York, Rev. Wilkes currently serves as an Associate Pastor of Social Justice & Young Adults at The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York. Rev. Wilkes is the 2015 recipient of the New York Theological Seminary's Micah Institute Courage Award, 2013 recipient of both Rev. Jesse Jackson¹s Rainbow Push Advocacy Award, and the 2013 Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute Next Leader of the Future Award. A graduate of The CORO Public Affairs Fellowship, Princeton Theological Seminary, & Hampton University; Wilkes also writes for outlets such as The Huffington Post, The Guardian, and others. Follow Him @andrewjwilkes.