Meet Garry M. Spotts, M.Div.,
Speaker, Minister, Author, Consultant, Educator and Coach!
Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky Garry Spotts is the son of the Late Viola Spotts-Dawson and the Late Rev. George M. Spotts. He grew up in Louisville's West End and was educated in the public schools of Jefferson County. He continued his education beyond high school, graduating from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Editorial Journalism from the Grehan School of Journalism in 1982 and with a Master of Divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1987
Ministry and Marriage
Garry was compelled to ministry at age 15 and was licensed to ministry on March 28, 1976. His commitment to service in ministry at this young age was evidenced by the fact that he audited evening courses at Simmons Bible College while completing his junior and senior years of high school.
In 1980 Garry met his college sweetheart and late wife, Dr. Annette J. Carlisle-Spotts, who passed from life to life in January 2024. They are happy to call Jessica Carlisle, Shukura Spotts, and the late Gyasi M. Spotts, their children. They are fortunate to be the grandparents of four amazing grandchildren.
Youth and Influences
As a youth, Garry benefited greatly from the mentorship of the late John "Uncle Sonny" Rice who served for over a decade as his martial arts teacher and mentor.
Professional Life
In January 1985 Garry became the Academic Dean of Simmons Bible College (now Simmons College of Kentucky) under the presidency of Dr. W.J. Hodge and remained at that post until Fall of 1988 when he accepted a position to Miami University of Ohio.as an academic adviser to First Year Students and Assistant Pastor of The Pilgrim Baptist Church of Hamilton, OH, under The Late Dr. Norman Townsel Sr.
Shortly after his return to Louisville in 1990 Garry served at The St. Stephen Baptist Church as Executive Director of the Family Life Center and Minister of Church Development after which Garry joined the Jefferson County Board of Education Teaching staff and a Cultural Diversity Resource Teacher creating the first Afrocentric Infusion/Rites of Passage modeled class at Zachary Taylor Elementary School.
From 1993 to 2001, Garry created a consulting practice (Spotts and Associates - New Paradigms Consulting) serving the Jefferson County Family Resource and Youth Service Centers:
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as a program development consultant for students and parents
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a professional development trainer for classified and certified staff
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also serving as a member of the Professional Development Cadre of the Kentucky Association of School Administrators.
During the same period, in 1998 Garry served Zion Baptist Church of Louisville, KY as the Minister of Education and Staff Development until 2005.
Garry served as the Senior Pastor of the Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church of Louisville, KY from 2010 to 2017. In 2003 Garry's consulting practice turned its focus to working with small to medium sized businesses, non-profits and churches as a business and organizational development consultant.
His company Weboniqs Media, LLC d/b/a Garry M. Spotts Consulting currently works with clients across the U.S. in Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, California and Kentucky working to enhance each business or organization through creative services and empowering clients as a Life and professional coach and mentor and a keynote speaker.
In addition to teaching and speaking, in 2021, Garry began serving as the editor-in-chief of the American Baptist News, one of America's oldest continually published periodicals.
Garry is the author of Six (6) books:
