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Rev. Dr. Sammie J. Dow is the Senior Pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. At "The Grove," as it is affectionately known, Dr. Dow leads a growing and vibrant 2,000-member congregation in their vision of transforming lives. His ministry focuses on empowering people to reach their maximum potential in life, family and work. You can learn more about The Grove here.
Dr. Dow was licensed and ordained for Gospel ministry by Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under the leadership of Dr. William H. Curtis. He served as Minister to Youth and College Students at Morning Star Baptist Church, in Baltimore, Maryland, under the leadership of Bishop Dwayne C. Debnam and as Director of Ministries at The Luke Church, in Humble, Texas, under the leadership of Dr. Timothy W. Sloan. He previously served as the National Director of the NAACP Youth and College Division. The Division remains the nation’s largest organized group of youth activists with more than 20,000 members under the age of 25. During his tenure, the Division experienced a significant percent membership increase and engaged more than 8.5 million young people, across the country, on issues of police reform, racial profiling, and gun violence. |
Dr. Dow served as the Georgia Faith and African American Vote Director for Biden for President. In this role, he organized faith leaders, congregations, and African Americans, across the state of Georgia, to elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He also served as African American Vote Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Coordinated Campaign during the January 2021 U.S. Senate runoff election. His efforts supported increased Black voter turnout resulting in the historic election of Sens. Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Additionally, Dr. Dow serves as Principal and CEO of The SJD Group, a comprehensive small business and nonprofit consulting firm focused on building capacity among national and local advocacy institutions, churches, public health organizations, and grassroots movements. They develop strategies that promote efficiency, provide strategic technical assistance in solving organizational challenges, and connect faith-based constituents with organizations that maximize their community presence and impact. He also serves as a Senior Consultant with Values Partnerships, the nation’s largest black-owned social impact firm, based in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Dow is a Professor of Religious Studies at Beulah Heights University and a Doctor of Ministry cohort mentor at Payne Theological Seminary. His first book, Protect Your Peace: Tools for Managing Your Mind and Emotions, was released in November 2020.
Dr. Dow is a subscribing silver life member of the NAACP and has served on the Executive Committee of the Georgia NAACP. He also serves as an at-large chaplain with the Cobb County Police Department and is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
A proud native of High Point, North Carolina, Dr. Dow earned a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, and an Executive Certificate from the Morehouse School of Medicine. He also holds a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and an earned Doctor of Ministry from Payne Theological Seminary.
He is extremely fortunate to share life with his wife and best friend, Dr. Jacqueline Dow, a public health research scientist and Chief Executive Officer of J. Dow Fitness, LLC. You can learn more about Dr. Jacqueline here.
