Ellison appointed director of community engagement for Virginia lieutenant governor Sears

Rev. Joe Ellison, a longtime community advocate in Henrico County and the Metro Richmond region, is joining the office of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears as director of community engagement.

Ellison has earned regional and national praise for his efforts to serve at-risk populations, beginning with his service as a youth pastor, outreach director and associate pastor in the late 1980s and early 1990s, followed more than a decade at Essex Village Ministries, which he founded in 1996 in Northern Henrico’s Essex Village. (The affordable housing community, located across from Richmond Raceway, is now known as St. Luke Apartments.)

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome Rev. Joe Ellison to our team,” Sears said in a statement. “From day one, our office has been sitting down with Virginians and finding solutions to issues that matter most to them. Our administration has had the opportunity to assist with flood victims, business development, veterans, law enforcement, youth and gang intervention, faith-based initiatives, family and fatherhood initiatives, HBCUs, prisoner re-entry, housing, and education. Rev. Ellison will be an asset in these efforts.”

Ellis’s career has also included time as head of chaplaincy for the Richmond City Jail, time with the Virginia Christian Alliance and as vice president for the Family Restoration Network, as well as appointments to a variety of state, regional and national faith-based and political organizations. He also has served as a pro chaplain with the NFL, NASCAR and NCAA, including most recently as team chaplain for Virginia Union University’s athletics program.

"I am very honored to be serving in this position with my long-time friend, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and her staff,” Ellison said. “We share the same concerns and ideas on reaching our communities and family engagement. Our goal is to continue to support the shared mission of this administration.”

Ellison, a Highland Springs High School graduate, attended St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia where he lettered in football before leaving to accept join the ministry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Carolina Theological Bible Institute and Seminary in Bowman, South Carolina, and a certificate of evangelism from the Billy Graham School of Evangelism. He was appointed by the Republican National Committee as the first state director for African American engagement in 2013.