Faith and Society lecture by Dee Stokes will focus on sports Jan. 24
**UPDATE: This event has been postponed due to illness. Stay tuned as a new date will be announced soon.**
ASHLAND, Ohio – Dee Stokes, an entrepreneurial minister, educator, author, consultant, podcaster and former NCAA Div. I college basketball coach, will present the latest edition of Ashland University’s Faith and Society lecture series next Thursday, Jan. 24. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the College of Education’s Ronk Auditorium at 7 p.m., with a reception at 6:30 p.m.
Stokes’s presentation, “From Faith and Sports to Faith in Sports,” will examine sports figures and their powerful place in American society. She will speak on the influence of sport, provide examples of iconic athletes and engage the audience with the topic of how we as faithful people and leaders can help athletes to utilize their platform to share their faith in God more often.
According to her website, Stokes focuses on innovative ministry, purposeful leadership and religious education in an effort to “build influential people who change the world and live out the gospel practically.”
Stokes spent more than 25 years in higher education as a basketball coach, professor and administrator. She served as head women’s basketball coach at East Carolina University, Winston-Salem State University and Southeastern University. After many seasons in various coaching roles, her passion turned to full-time ministry.
Today, Stokes serves as the president/CEO of Dee Stokes Ministries, Inc., and project director of Luther Seminary’s Faith and Lead initiative, as well as director of Davidson-Davie Community College’s Small Business Center and adjunct professor for Belhaven University’s online sports administration and leadership programs.
Stokes earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, majoring in sociology, and also holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership degree from Liberty University.
The ongoing Faith and Society lecture series is designed to give Ashland students and the Ashland community the opportunity to hear experts discuss critical topics of faith and its implications in contemporary society. It is sponsored by the Hilda E. Bretzlaff Foundation. For more information, contact Dennis Monokroussos at dmonokro@ashland.edu or 419-289-5154.
Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.