Rev. Sheila Sholes Ross

Rev. Sheila Sholes-Ross was ordained through American Baptist Churches, USA and called as the 30th pastor of First Baptist Church of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, November 2013; historic as the church's first African-American female pastor. She is "Recognized Clergy" in the Alliance of Baptists, and a former board member.  

As the Executive Director of Communities in Schools of Orange County, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she obtained two US Education Department grants at $1.3 million each for drop-out prevention programs. 

With a 2011 request to the Alliance of Baptists, she initiated Equity for Women in the Church. An advocacy group for women's issues across cultures and ethnicities; she co-chairs this group--a nonprofit that became a reality after a 2013 conference held at Wake Forest Divinity School. Thirty people across cultures and denominations gathered at this conference and made a recommendation to create a non-profit.

She became affiliated with MBMM because of a passion to advocate on behalf of those who are marginalized and need a “hands up” approach in life.