REVEREND DOCTOR MARILYN AKLIN

Reverend Doctor Marilyn Aklin (pronounced “ac’ lynn”) is the founder and pastor of Micah African Methodist Episcopal Mission Church located in Baltimore, Maryland. MICAH strives to nurture disciples of Jesus Christ to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God.

Her pastoral ministry focuses on spiritual growth, educational excellence, economic empowerment, entrepreneur development, and community development.

Before founding MICAH, Reverend Aklin served at Mount Calvary African Methodist Episcopal Church (Towson, MD), under the leadership of the Reverend Doctor Ann Lightner-Fuller. While at Mount Calvary, Reverend Aklin served as the new members class instructor for stewardship, a trustee, and the chair of the Family Life Center building committee and the project’s project manager, which resulted in the construction of a $4 million, 20,000 square feet, state-of-the art multipurpose facility serving thousands of persons annually.

Reverend Aklin, a native South Carolinian, received her early education in Georgetown County public schools. She earned the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and the Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of South Carolina; the Doctor of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore; and the Master of Theological Studies from the Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. While at Wesley, she was a Presidential Scholar.

Presently, Reverend Aklin serves as the Director of Development for the nationally recognized Center for Urban Families located in Baltimore, MD.  Previously, she served 13 years as the Director of Development for Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC), an award winning nonprofit real estate developer of affordable housing supported by resident programs. 

From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, Reverend Aklin served as the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Title I/Chapter 1 Parents in Washington, DC. She went on to serve as the Executive Director of Payne Memorial Outreach (PMO) under the leadership of Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie from 1996 to 2001. She led PMO to join the welfare-reform effort, helping more than 700 welfare recipients enter-and stay in-the workforce.

She also guided the renovation of PMO’s five-story 32,000 square feet NIMROD Center at a cost of $2 million. The NIMROD Economic Development Center included a senior adult daycare center, computer technology center, commercial office space, adult basic education classes and job training services. Following her service at PMO, she worked with World Relief, the National Association for Evangelicals’ international relief organization.
 

Marilyn is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Women of Color in Community Development, a fellow of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference’s Micah Institute and Excellence Fund, and a 2022 graduate of The Leadership.
 

Reverend Aklin thanks God for saving her and showering her with his grace and mercy every day of her life. She believes that it is a tremendous responsibility and privilege to be called by God to serve his people.