Rev. Theresa Dear is a native of Chicago. She is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and serves as Administrative Advisor and Ministerial Liaison for several ministries at DuPage AME Church. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Loyola University of Chicago. She is currently a matriculating student at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree.

Professionally, she works as a Vice President of Human Resources. She received national recognition as Vice-President of Human Resources at SPSS Inc, by Working Woman Magazine 2000, after developing SPSS Inc. as one of the best “100 Companies to Work in America.”

Rev. Dear has been a mentor with the Big/Brothers Big/Sisters program for seven (7) years. She is a volunteer for The American Cancer Society where she works to raise awareness and funds for Breast Cancer. She is an officer with The Links Inc., where she spearheaded a project to reduce the digital divide and assisted in sending vitamins to South Africa for AIDS victims.

Rev. Dear has spoken throughout the United States on corporate, religious, racial and political topics such as “Black Success In Corporate America: Are African Americans Loosing the Race?, Black Architects of America, Best Practices for Women in Corporate America, From Entitlement to Empowerment, The Value of the Race-Profitability Potential with Ethnic Markets, Singleness-A Season for Success, and God-Centered Leadership.

Rev. Theresa Dear serves on the Board of Bridge Community, a transitional housing organization in DuPage County, IL and also the American Cancer Society’s Leadership Council. She was recently elected President of the DuPage County Branch NAACP.

Rev. Dear is a recent recipient of the “Woman of Vision” award by Prevent Blindness America and also the YWCA’s “Outstanding Leader of DuPage County award.

“Eyes have not seen, ears haven’t heard, and neither has it entered into the hearts of those, the things which God hath prepared for them who love Him.” ~I Corinthians 2:9