Rev. Lisa Williamson is an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She is the current pastor of Calvary Fellowship A.M.E. Church in Brooklyn, NY, becoming its first female pastor in the church’s 87-year history.
Dr. Williamson was a solo practicing pediatrician for 18 years, serving the Southeast Queens, NY community where she grew up. As a pediatrician, Dr. Williamson specialized in the healthcare of children in NYC’s foster care system and teenage mothers with infants. She worked closely with the Administration for Children’s Services, advocating for the rights of disenfranchised children and teenagers. Dr. Williamson is a Program Manager for the Women’s Opportunity Rehabilitation Center, which is an alternative to incarceration program for women and young people who are justice and detention involved. She conducts weekly Interactive Journaling sessions at the Nassau County Correctional Facility for women with alcohol and substance use histories. She is a certified trauma informed care instructor. Dr. Williamson is a proficient grant writer having obtained over 6 million dollars in grant funding to support various not-for-profit organizations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Williamson became a supervisor for the NYC Contact Tracing Initiative and is currently serving on the International Health Commission of the AME Church’s COVID-19 task force. She conducts virtual/onsite presentations updating vulnerable communities about healthcare and health access
Dr. Williamson served 12 years as the New York Annual Conference Health Commissioner, emphasizing, and highlighting the self-care of God’s servants and leaders. Currently, she serves as the Health Commissioner of the First Episcopal District of the AME Church. She is the Self Care instructor at the NY Conference AME Ministerial Institute. She serves the church on the Ministerial Efficiency Committee, Board of Examiners, and the Ministerial Alliance of NY and Vicinity.
Dr. Williamson obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Cornell University, a Master of Public Health from New York University, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a Master of Divinity Degree from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and a Master of Sacred Theology from Drew University.
Dr. Williamson is a mother of two children. Dr. Williamson is first and foremost a woman called of God to teach and preach the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her ministry is guided by the words of Luke, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”
