Widely regarded as one of the most gifted, charismatic and inspirational leaders of the next generation, the Reverend Markel Hutchins, 35, embodies servant leadership.

Heeding Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s

call to make a career of humanity, Hutchins has gained a national reputation advocating for fairness and justice. Hutchins

grassroots advocacy, charisma and compelling oratory have propelled him into the midst of iconic civil rights leaders from Coretta Scott King and Dorothy Height to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. With

an uncanny ability to rally diverse people around a common cause, Hutchins has a long history of addressing contemporary social challenges, particularly those relating to minority communities and the economically disadvantaged. From

1997 until 2006, Hutchins served as National President and CEO of the Atlanta-based National Youth Connection, Inc. (NYC), then Americas only young-adult led civil rights group; as well as its research and education fund, the National Youth Challenge, Inc. Hutchins oversaw NYCs dramatic expansion from the small start-up nonprofit that he founded as a college student, to become a respected national advocacy organization that garnered the significant financial backing of nearly every major corporation headquartered in Georgia. It

was during his tenure at the helm of NYC that Rev. Hutchins solidified his place among the nations leading voices on civil and human rights matters.An ordained

Baptist minister, former AME pastor and sought-after preacher, he regularly delivers sermons to churchgoers across the nation as Chairman and CEO of Markel Hutchins Ministries. A powerful

preacher, Rev. Hutchins has ministered at some of the nations most prominent churches. A former

child prodigy, he shepherded an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church congregation as its Senior Pastor on a special, transitory appointment from the Episcopal Bishop at the tender age of 17. As a

businessman, he is Managing Principal and CEO of MRH LLC, a management and communications consulting firm that advises corporations, labor unions, small businesses and religious institutions on matters of diversity, public affairs and crisis management. Recently, Rev.

Hutchins and more than 100 Atlanta-area church pastors and 25 police chiefs, initiated the One Church One Precinct project aimed at uniting law enforcement and faith based communities in addressing crime and violence; the initiative is expected to become a national model. Since childhood,

Rev. Hutchins has been a commanding speaker, as well as, an affective and effective activist; having led dozens of marches, protests, rallies and demonstrations in various parts of the country. In the

wake of the November 2006 murder of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in a botched Atlanta drug raid and the attempted police cover-up that ensued, Hutchins led the massive outcry and took the helm of the campaign to bring forth truth regarding the now infamous, Neal Street shooting. Because of

his ability to advocate and negotiate with local, state and federal authorities, Hutchins involvement in the Johnston case led to the federal investigation of Atlanta police corruption that has since netted numerous arrests, a total revamping of the police department, the historic indictment, guilty pleas and imprisonment of the officers involved and an unprecedented settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Johnston Estate against the City of Atlanta. His successes

resulted in the United States House Judiciary Committee collaborating with Hutchins and the ACLU in holding a congressional hearing to examine the Johnston case, the use of confidential informants in our national criminal justice system and widespread police misconduct therein; federal legislation is now pending. A consistent

ally of working people, Rev. Hutchins served for two years as a senior advisor to the international United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, one of North Americas largest labor organizations. His efforts

on behalf of workers has included partnering with and serving as a spokesperson for the wake-upwalmart.com campaign, calling on Americas largest and most profitable company to embrace higher standards of treatment and better wages for their employees. On February

20, 2008, in a nationally anticipated announcement, Hutchins launched a bid for the United States House of Representatives marking his first fun for political office. His historic

candidacy had a significant impact on the 2008 Presidential election and netted thousands of votes in Atlanta with Hutchins finishing second in a three-way race, ahead of a popular, veteran state and local legislator and second only to an iconic 22-year congressional incumbent. Rev. Hutchins

has and continues to serve on a number of boards, committees and commissions for various institutions such as the DeKalb County, Georgia Board of Education; the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Pulling America's Communities Together (PACT); the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition; the national Southern Christian Leadership Conference; the EdwardsMiller Foundation for Physical Disabilities; and the Catalyst Project. In addition

to having held numerous leadership positions, Hutchins has received many honors including an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree. Born and

reared in metro-Atlanta, Georgia, he is a product of DeKalb County, Georgia public schools and a 1995 graduate of Stone Mountain High School. Demonstrating an

early penchant for history-making, he was the first minority (non-white) to serve as president of the student government/council at the ninety year-old high school located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a city internationally known for its ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Upon graduation,

Hutchins enrolled in Morehouse College to study Sociology and was immediately elected President of his class. A highly-sought public speaker, Hutchins is a frequent lecturer to religious, corporate, labor, government, and academic audiences. A spellbinding motivator, countless organizations, schools, religious institutions and special event organizers solicit his oratory to inspire their gatherings. CNN, Fox News, C-Span, New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, ABC, NBC, CBS, BET and many other media outlets have featured his work. Essence Magazine honored Hutchins along with several others including Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Virginia Congressman Bobby Scott, with the distinction of being among Americas leading Political Bachelors in 2008. Ebony Magazine has featured him as one of our nations top leaders under 30-yearsold and most recently as one of Americas Most Eligible Bachelors. He holds memberships in the National Council of Negro Women, NAACP, National Urban League, SCLC, Morehouse College Alumni Association and several other civic groups. An avid

proponent of fitness, health and wellness, Rev. Hutchins has lost more than 100 pounds and maintains a disciplined exercise regimen. ^[1]