A.R. Bernard is this year’s speaker for the Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9, 2009. He will also receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. Commencement will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Westchester County Center located at 198 Central Ave. in White Plains, NY.

Appointed president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York, Bernard earned a Master of Professional Studies in Urban Studies (2006) and a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. He is the founder and CEO of Christian Cultural Center (CCC), a 30,000-member church located on an 11.5 -acre campus in Brooklyn, NY.

In 1993, Bernard founded Brooklyn Preparatory School, a premiere institution of early childhood education. In addition to CCC’s many outreach programs, including the Food Pantry, Prison Ministry, Domestic Violence, and Family Life Center, Pastor Bernard established a rapidly growing mentoring program with 1,000 men.

Bernard is a member of the New York City Economic Development Corporation Board and the New York City School Chancellor’s Advisory Cabinet. He was a part of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Transition Team in 2001.

He was recognized as the most influential New York Clergyman (NewYork Daily News, February 2008); most influential African American New Yorker (New York Post, February 2008); and one of New York’s Most Influential People (New York Magazine, 2006).  In 2007, the Consulate General of Israel in New York, Jewish Community Relations Council, and Jewish National Fund honored him with a lifetime achievement award.

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