Dr. Ruth Travis

Email: drruthtravis@gmail.com

Dr. Travis is a product of the Baltimore City Public School System. She is a graduate of Edmondson Senior High School. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Morgan State College; Masters Degree of Education from West Chest University; Masters Degree in Theology from St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland. In May 1992, Dr. Travis received her Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Bishop John Hurst Adams gave Dr. Travis her first pastoral appointment to the Chesapeake City Circuit which included Bethel and Ebenezer A.M.E. Churches in Cecil County Maryland) Dr. Travis served these two congregations driving 122 miles for six years. In July 1991, the late Bishop H. Hartford Brookins appointed her, the first female pastor to Evergreen A.M.E. Church. Under her leadership, the congregation purchased a new building which is located next door to the old church. 

In April 2012 at the Baltimore Annual Conference, Bishop Adam J. Richardson appointed Dr. Travis as the first female pastor of Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore Maryland. Under her leadership, the church received a $100,000.00 grant in order to renovate the front of this 182 year old historical building.

Recognized for her “unusual” gift of organization, Dr. Travis has served as a workshop leader at various retreats, conferences, and seminars in the areas of leadership, discipleship, and evangelism. She has toured the Caribbean, Haiti, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Trinidad, and Guyana doing evangelistic work. In 1983, Dr. Travis traveled with Operation Crossroads to the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, and Lesotho, where she helped to build a one-room school. In February 2005, she preached and taught a leadership workshop in Ghana, West Africa.  Besides her extraordinary leadership in the educational arena, Dr. Travis is a visionary leader. This woman of God with so many gifts and talents has a shepherd’s heart and passion for people.

Dr. Travis was employed as a Physical Education Teacher, Coach, and Athletic Director in the Baltimore City Public School System. After 30 years of service, she retired in 1999 from Lake Clifton Eastern High School, one of the largest high schools in the country. At the 201st Session of the Baltimore Annual Conference (The African Methodist Episcopal Church), Dr. Travis retired from the Pastoral Ministry in order to pursue a new Ministry – “Ruth’s Pink House (a place for rest, relaxation and restoration for African American breast cancer survivors). 

Dr. Travis has received numerous awards and recognition:

· Speaker of the Year – American Business Women’s Association

· Teacher of the Year – Baltimore City Public School System

· Certificate of Meritorious Recognition – Student teachers from Coppin, Morgan State University and Towson colleges.

· Breast Cancer Wellness Magazine “Community Leader of the Year”

· Co-Host 186thSession of the Baltimore Annual Conference

· Advisory Committee International Black Women in Ministry Conference  (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and Los Angeles, California

· Coordinator for AME Women in Ministry- Baltimore Conference

· Panelist, Women in Ministry (Hampton Ministers’ Conference

· Featured story in Pot Likker Stories for Teachers and Learners authored by Dr. Larry Grant Coleman

· Sermon noted in Those Preaching Women – Volume 4 authored by Ella Pearson Mitchell

· Preached at the 189th Baltimore Annual Conference in March- (3rd woman to preach at this Conference)

Dr. Travis is a member of:

· Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

· AME Women in Ministry (Baltimore Conference and 2nd Episcopal District)

· Founding member of TJC (The Journey Continues) - Support group for African American women breast cancer survivors.

· Breast Cancer Survivor Advocate

· American Cancer Society

· University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board

Honors and Awards 

N.A.A.C.P 2007 Rosa Parks Salute to Women in the Pulpit

Advisory Board – STAR (Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc)

Delta Lamba Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Award

Preachers Hall of Fame

Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Service Award – Ministry to African American Breast Cancer Survivors