Rev. Dr. Byram Dante McKinzie, Sr., brings contagious energy to the pulpit and classroom. With more than 18 years of experience as a pastor, a parallel career in education as both a professor and a school teacher, and a deep commitment to family and community, Dr. McKinzie brings a unique blend of scholarship, practical ministry, and compassionate mentorship to every role he undertakes.

A Brookhaven, MS, native, he earned a B.S. degree in General Agriculture (2001) and an M.S. degree in Secondary Education (2003) from Alcorn State University. He was licensed to ministry in the AME Church in 2003 and ordained deacon in 2006 and elder in 2007. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity with honors from Turner Theological Seminary in 2007, where he also received the Bishop Donald Kenneth George Ming Award for excellence. Dr. McKinzie later received his Doctor of Ministry from Payne Theological Seminary in 2023 and was inducted into the Turner Theological Seminary Hall of Fame in 2025. He and first lady Latoya McKinzie were married in 2010. Together they have five children and two grandchildren.

He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Prince Hall Masons & Shriners. With boundless energy and a heart for transformation, Dr. McKinzie continues to inspire faith, education, and community growth. Now in the 6th Episcopal District, shepherding Greater St. James AME Church in Savannah, Georgia, Rev. Dr. McKinzie recharges through reading, writing, creating art, cooking, and fishing.