Gerald Britt

Rev. Gerald Britt – Bio Rev. Gerald Britt Gerald Britt came to CitySquare in September, 2004. He serves as Vice President of Public Policy and Community Program Development. Since coming to CitySquare, Rev. Britt has worked to develop living wage job strategies which focus on training for jobs in construction, environmental remediation, culinary arts and technology based soft skills training. In Rev. Britt’s role at CitySquare he supervises its service programs, including its Permanent Supportive Housing program, its public interest law firm, after school programs, the Roseland Home Community Center, its San Antonio program Urban Connection San Antonio (UC-SA) and is responsible for developing the organization’s public policy agenda. In the area of Public Policy Rev. Britt leads in crafting CitySquare’s advocacy agenda based on the organizations values and the implications learned from its service programs. Britt has led the CitySquare in forming coalitions and initiatives resulting in increased compensation for the wrongfully convicted, public awareness campaigns concerning the potential pitfalls of for-profit colleges, sensible immigration reform and led to local ordinances and state legislation to regulate the predatory loan industry. Prior to 2004, he served as pastor of the New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Dallas, for 22 years. Rev. Britt led New Mount Moriah in a commitment to organizational growth and community engagement in the areas of education, housing, and neighborhood redevelopment, health care. Under Rev. Britt’s leadership New Mount Moriah became a force for change in the Ideal Neighborhood and throughout the city, resulting in the first new housing in the neighborhood in more than 50 years, local campus school reform, job training, and political engagement. He continues to be on the forefront of redevelopment efforts in South Dallas, leading organizations that resulted in the development of South Dallas Action Plan, a comprehensive strategic plan for renewal of the South Dallas economic infrastructure, created by a coalition of neighborhood, non-profit, church and business leaders from the South Dallas community. Rev. Britt is author of the blog Change the Wind (www.changethewind.org) and writes a monthly column for the Dallas Morning News. Rev. Britt is a highly sought after preacher and keynote speaker, panelist for various seminars, workshops and institutes for churches, non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, government agencies, concerned with neighborhood redevelopment, leadership and faith-based economic development throughout the country. He has been a television and radio guest on several local and state television and radio stations. He has also been called on to testify before the Congressional Black Caucus in areas of employment training and economic development. Rev. Britt is a founding member of the African-American Pastors Coalition, Baptist Ministers Conference and a Former Vice-President, Board of Directors, Greater Dallas Community of Churches (Chairperson of its Crossroads Program); He is a former two-term member of City of Dallas Urban Rehabilitation and Standards Board (1985-1989) as well as the General Secretary, Oak Cliff Baptist Ministers Union. Other positions have included: Chairman, Oak Cliff Baptist Ministers’ Union City Wide Revival Institute; True Fellowship District Association’s General Secretary and President, Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress; Former Secretary, Ministers Conference National Missionary Baptist Convention. Rev. Britt has received many awards and honors. Among them are: Dallas Historical Society Humanities Award (2010) Bank of America Community Hero Award (2010) Honorary Doctorate from Rialto Bible College (2000) Selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Summer Leadership Institute for Church based economic Development programs at Harvard University (1998) Selection as guest faculty for Housing and Urban Development Fellowship for administrators, Yale University (1997) Awarded the Mickey Leland Human and Civil Rights Award by the Texas State Teachers Association (1997) KKDA Radio & Coca-Cola African-American Hero Award (1996)