New Jersey State ACT-SO Chairperson

Meet Rev. Sonya Redd

Rev. Sonya Redd is the initiator and architect of the NJ State ACT-SO Program.  Rev. Redd began the development of the State Program in late 1988 and 1989 and served as its chairperson through 1995. Because of the increasing demand of her ministerial responsibilities, she resigned as NJ ACT-SO Chairperson.  However; she remained connected to the program by serving as a judge in the area of Oratory and Dramatics during local competitions.  Also, in 1996 she began serving on the National ACT-SO Core Team and continues to service in that capacity.  She returned to serving as the NJ ACT-SO Chairperson in 2016.

Rev. Redd is a life member of the NAACP having joined the New Brunswick Area Branch of the NAACP in 1984 and currently serves on its Executive Committee and also as the Membership Chairperson.   She formerly served as the New Brunswick NAACP Branch President, the NJ NAACP State 3rd Vice President and many other positions within the organization.

Rev. Redd formerly served for 23 years as Associate Minister, Youth Pastor, then Assistant Pastor of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Newark through February of 2019.  In addition, while at Galilee she served as, Director of Christian Education, Overseer of the Evangelism Ministries and Overseer of the Women’s Ministry.   She has recently transitioned her membership back to First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset, NJ.

During her corporate career, she worked 20 years in the Mortgage Banking Industry in various levels of management and 20 years in the Chemical Industry in the area of Account Management/Customer Service.  Rev. Redd is currently a member of the Somerset County Democratic Black Caucus.  She also formerly served on the Educational Committee of BIC (Black Issues Convention).

Her Educational background includes New Brunswick Theological Seminary, where she pursued her Masters of Divinity, Bloomfield College for Women, Business Administration and Glassboro State College. God has blessed her to be the mother of two children and the grandmother of five.

Rev. Redd says part of her ministry will always involve working to positively affect youth and young adults. She believes God has given everyone gift(s) and talents. It is the responsibility of adults to motivate, encourage, and support our youth in helping them to discover and enhance their gifts/talents and realize their full potential.