Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed Bronx native, the Rev. Dominique C. Atchison, M.Div., as executive director of the Mayor’s Center for Faith and Community Partnerships.
In this role, the mayor said Rev. Atchison will work closely with the Mayor’s Clergy Advisory Council (CAC) to maintain strong relationships between faith leaders and city government.
“I am humbled and grateful to Mayor de Blasio for granting me the opportunity to work with New York City’s diverse faith communities,” Rev. Atchison said. “Growing up in the church, we always looked to the pastor for information and direction concerning civic matters.
“Therefore, I understand the importance in cultivating strong partnerships between city government and faith leaders,” she added. “My overarching goal as executive director is to give the center longevity and establish it as a model for faith based civic engagement.”
De Blasio said Rev. Atchison will work alongside senior program manager Theresa Doherty and the center’s staff “to engage and maintain the partnerships between faith leaders and city government.”
He said Rev. Atchison’s priority will be to further strengthen CAC, “with the goal of developing relationships between the Mayor’s Office and a wider diversity of faith communities.”
CAC represents a diverse cross-section of well-respected faith leaders from all five boroughs of New York City.
“Members of the CAC serve as a conduit between city government and the wider faith community,” de Blasio said.
Rev. Atchison graduated from Oberlin College and Union Theological Seminary.
She was raised at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, under the pastoral leadership of the Rev. Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor and the Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III.
Rev. Atchison said it was at Abyssinian that she answered the call to ministry as a Seminary Intern for Youth Ministries.
She has ministered at, among other places, Judson Memorial Church, under the mentorship of the Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, and Brown Memorial Baptist Church, under the mentorship of the Rev. Clinton Miller.
In addition to ministry, Rev. Atchison has a background in school administration, most recently at Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy.
Rev. Atchison was ordained to Christian Ministry by the Metro Association of the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC).
