Our Founders and Leaders
Reverend J. Alfred Smith, Sr., Ph.D.
Dr. Smith is Pastor Emeritus of Allen Temple Baptist Church and Co-Founder of the Allen Temple AIDS Ministry. Currently, he is a professor of Preaching and Church Ministries at American Baptist Seminary of the West and leads his own ministry which focuses on prophetic and social justice. He has served as past president of the American Baptist Churches of the West and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Dr. Smith has authored over fifteen books including On the Jericho Road and Speak Until Justice Wakes: Prophetic Reflections. He is nationally known as one of leading Baptist pastors which responded to the social challenges and the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Reverend J. Alfred Smith, Jr., Ph.D.
Dr. Smith is the residing Senior Pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church. Prior to being called as Senior Pastor, he served as the Senior Pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church in San Jose, California. He is the Founder of J. Alfred Smith Jr. Ministries, which provides consulting services in the area of social justice. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Education and Publication for Progressive National Baptist Churches Incorporated. From 1985 - 2001, Pastor Smith served under the leadership of his father as Co-Pastor of Allen Temple. In addition, he has lectured at San Francisco State University teaching courses in Black Religion and Philosophy and also, the doctoral program at San Francisco Theological Seminary and the University of California Berkeley Extension. In his father's legacy, Pastor Smith continues to respond to the social challenges and the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Mrs. Gloria Cox Crowell
Mrs. Crowell is Co-Chair of the Allen Temple Baptist Church AIDS Ministry and she leads the Ministry's East Oakland Collaborative Program. She has worked in the field of HIV/AIDS for over 17 years as a Program Manager at the Alameda County Public Health Department and also, she has served as Co-Chair for the Black Coalition on AIDS. Currently, Mrs. Crowell is the Founder and Principal of Crowell & Associates, a non-profit which consults with organizations, foundations, churches and community leaders on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention education programs. In addition, she is Board Chair for the East Bay AIDS Advocacy Foundation and is the Board President of East Bay AIDS Walk®. As a caring activist, Mrs. Crowell is passionate about community outreach to youth/young adults and ending the stigmatism suffered by people living with HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Robert C. Scott
Dr. Scott was the longtime Co-Chair of the Allen Temple Baptist Church AIDS Ministry and he led the Ministry's Zimbabwe, Africa Programs. He was nationally recognized as a leading HIV/AIDS physician and had the largest private practice of HIV patients in Oakland, California. Dr. Scott co-founded and was Board Member Emeritus of the AIDS Project of East Bay. Dr. Scott also served on the Board of Directors of the Allen Temple Housing and Economic Development Corporation. As an advocate for HIV/AIDS treatment and research, dedicated medical practitioner, Dr. Scott administered treatment for his patients living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Zimbabwe, Africa. Dr. Scott was a humanitarian and dedicated his life to serving the needs of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
