Mrs. Deana Young McAllister Episcopal Supervisor
Episcopal Supervisor
Supervisor Deana Elizabeth Young McAllister, a strong woman of faith, loves the Lord and boldly acknowledges Him as the true center of her life. Led by the Holy Spirit, she is
convinced that there is no greater way to love, magnify, and follow Christ than by devoted, compassionate service to humankind. She lives and models the words of Jesus Christ, found in John 13:34-35: “Now, I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Supervisor McAllister is a third generation first lady and second generation Episcopal Supervisor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church who embraced her divine calling as a pastor’s wife and now as the wife of a Bishop. For nearly thirty years, she has exercised her passion for service by partnering with her husband, Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Jr., the 144th Elected and Consecrated Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District, the State of Alabama.
His transformative ministry has enriched the lives of thousands of people by complying with Christ’s exhortation to provide for “the least of these,” and by preserving the AME Church tradition of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. For this cause, Supervisor McAllister has planned and implemented programs that provided essential items for hundreds of homeless shelter residents and has organized and coordinated shopping sprees for children of all ages from challenging backgrounds. Her penchant for service can be observed through her exceptional work as a member of the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) of the AME Church. Her dedication to emulating Christ’s love and compassion for others, through the WMS, over the course of thirty-five years, was no doubt inspired by her grandmother, Mrs. Lois Young, who served for many years as a first lady in the Sixth Episcopal District (Georgia) and her mother, Dr. Dorothy Jackson Young, Retired Episcopal Supervisor, whom she observed faithfully discharging the society’s mission to “continue the ministry of Jesus Christ by service and witness to the world.”
Supervisor McAllister’s involvement with the WMS is notable. She has served as the Second-Vice President of the Women’s Missionary Society for the Eleventh Episcopal District. Additionally, she served as the Connectional Committee Chair for the Education and Scholarship Commission, appointed by International President Deborah Taylor King. Church. Her dedication to emulating Christ’s love and compassion for others, through the WMS, over the course of thirty-five years, was no doubt inspired by her grandmother, Mrs. Lois Young, who served for many years as a first lady in the Sixth Episcopal District (Georgia) and her mother, Dr. Dorothy Jackson Young, Retired Episcopal Supervisor, whom she observed faithfully discharging the society’s mission to “continue the ministry of Jesus Christ by service and witness to the world.”
Supervisor McAllister’s deep affection for young people led her to pursue a career in the education profession for thirty years. Prior to her appointed position as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Labor and Employee Relations, and Chief Negotiator for Leon County Schools, Tallahassee, FL, she earned distinction as a teacher, a curriculum specialist, and an administrator.
Over the years, her active membership in community service organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc., has provided further opportunities for her to bear witness as one of God’s disciples.
She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and was certified to teach. She received her Master’s degree in educational leadership/school administration from National-Louis University in Wheeling, Illinois.
Supervisor McAllister is the second of four daughters born to the late Senior Bishop McKinley Young and retired Supervisor of Missions Dr. Dorothy Jackson Young of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She is also the proud mother of three sons (Julius III, Colin McKinley, and Dylan David Jeremiah).