Bishop Tracy S. Malone has been appointed the resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church. She was serving as the District Superintendent of the Chicago Southern Region of Northern Illinois and was Dean of the Cabinet when she was elected to the Episcopacy on July 13.
Prior to her appointment as superintendent, she served as the senior pastor of Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton, Illinois, where she was the first woman and first African American to lead the predominantly white, 1,000-member congregation.
She is the daughter of the late Rev. Willie and the late April Smith. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She matriculated through the Chicago Public School system and graduated from Lindblom Technical High School in 1986.
Bishop Malone continued her education at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and graduated in June of 1990 with a B.A. in Religious Studies and Sociology and a minor in Computer Science. While in college she was the recipient of the Outstanding Major in Religious Studies award and received the following honors: George M. Pullman Scholar, Clarence Stein Ministerial Scholar, United Methodist Bicentennial Scholar.
Bishop Malone received her call to ministry at the early age of 13. She attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (GETS) and graduated in May of 1993 with a Masters of Divinity. While at Garrett-Evangelical, Bishop Malone was selected as a Crusade Scholar, Maceo D. Pembroke Scholar and a Bishop Edsel A. Ammons Scholar.
She earned her Doctorate of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton Ohio in December, 2001. Her dissertation was entitled Evangelism: Reestablishing a Historical Understanding of Mission and Developing a Ministry that Partners Witness and Social Action.
Bishop Malone has pastored several churches in the Northern Illinois Conference. She was senior pastor of Wesley UMC in Aurora (2001-2007), pastor of Southlawn UMC in Chicago (1996-2001), associate pastor of First UMC in Lombard (1993-1996), and assistant pastor of St. Mark UMC (1991-1993). In addition to serving other United Methodist churches since 1989, she has been an adjunct professor at Aurora University and at Northern Baptist Seminary in Lombard, published articles, blogs and book reviews, and written chapters for several books.
Bishop Malone has received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Chicago Black Methodists for Church Renewal, and been the recipient of the North Central College’s 2013 Outstanding Alumni Award.
Bishop Malone was elected as a delegate to General/Jurisdictional Conferences in 2016, 2012, 2008, and 2004. She served as chairperson of the Agenda and Calendar Committee in 2016, and was chairperson of the Northern Illinois Conference delegation in 2012.
She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the General Commission on Religion and Race, as a member of the Board of Trustees at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (GETS), and as chairperson of the Board of Visitors for the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at GETS.
Her past leadership includes: Board of Directors for General Board of Church and Society, where she was chairperson of the Peace with Justice/United Nations and International Affairs Committee; member of the NIC Episcopal Committee; member of NIC Board of Ordained Ministry, on which she was chairperson of Conference Relations; president of Chicago Black Methodists for Church Renewal; chairperson of Order of Elders; member of Community Renewal Society, and more.
Bishop Malone is married to Derrick Malone and they have two daughters, Alexis and Ashley.
EAST OHIO NEWS 