Kirk T. Houston

Dr. Kirk T. Houston, Sr. was appointed by the Norfolk City Council to the College Board in 2021. He serves on the Finance and Facilities Committee.

Dr. Houston, Sr. is the founder and senior pastor of the Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church located in Norfolk, VA, a ministry he has proudly led from a membership of 35 to over 2,000 members.

Having done extensive work and research in the fields of jail ministry, offender rehabilitation, and ex-offender reentry, Dr. Houston holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, as well as a Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at the historical Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA.

Although a highly respected community leader, Dr. Houston is one who truly leads by service to others. Among his many obligations, he serves as the Chaplain to the City of Norfolk’s Sheriff’s Office, chairman of the Norfolk Jail Ministry’s Board of Directors, Chairman of the Garden of Hope Community Development Corporation, and Commissioner of the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads. Additionally, he is a former Chairman of the Norfolk School Board, a US Navy Veteran (8 years), and author of “The Church’s Return Policy: Equipping the Church to Minister to Ex-offenders.”

Possessing a strong passion for issues of personal and spiritual development, Dr. Houston is a frequent lecturer in the area of “leadership and organizational development.”

Dr. Houston is a native of South Florida and now resides in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia with his wife of many years, Sharon M. Houston, who also serves as the church’s Director of Ministries and the Deputy Director of the Garden of Hope. Together, they are the proud parents of one daughter, Sharonja Green; one son, Minister Kirk T. Houston, Jr.; and the proud grandparents of one granddaughter, J’syiah, and three grandsons, Kirk III, Marc, and Max.