BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – The lead of an agency that cultivates full participation of all people in the work, witness and life of The United Methodist Church will be the keynote speaker during West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Founders Day Convocation at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 in Wesley Chapel. The Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo is General Secretary of the General Commission on Religion and Race.

A native of Puerto Rico, Arroyo migrated to New York City as a young boy where he recognized and answered his call into ministry at Knickerbocker United Methodist Church in Brooklyn, New York. Beginning his ministry 

In the New York Annual Conference, Arroyo was one of three chaplains at Bellevue Hospital in New York City during the Sept. 11 attacks. 

Arroyo was recruited to the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church to help in a new Latino church start in 2004. Currently, he is an Elder of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference where he chairs the conference Hispanic/Latino ministries and is an advisor to the Racial Advocacy team, Call to Action Team and Intercultural Competency team. 

In 2019, Arroyo was invited to join The General Commission on Religion and Race where he is the team leader for program ministries responsible for overseeing all the programmatic initiatives and resources of the agency worldwide. Arroyo has developed training and curriculum around intercultural competence, conversations on race and institutional equity. He facilitates groups using different methodologies across the globe and relates to the ongoing development of GCORR work in the Central Conferences. Over the last eight years, Arroyo has administered 80 projects as the agency grant administrator for the CORR Action Fund. 

Arroyo holds a Master’s of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary, Master of Science in Management from the University of Maryland, Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health from the University of the Cumberlands, Doctor of Ministry on Transformational Leadership in the Wesleyan Perspective from Wesley Theological Seminary in partnership with Cambridge University: Methodist House of Studies in Cambridge, United Kingdom and a Pastoral Care Skills certificate from Blanton-Peale Graduate Institute of Mental Health and Religion.

Founders Day Convocation is part of Homecoming Weekend. For the full schedule, visit www.wvwc.edu/homecoming 

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts and sciences college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A tradition of excellence for more than 130 years, West Virginia Wesleyan is home to 14 Fulbright Scholars. The Princeton Review ranked Wesleyan as one of its 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeastern Region of the United States. U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best College Rankings designated Wesleyan seventh in Best Value – Regional Universities (South). WVWC offers students nearly 60 majors and 40 minors; graduate programs in athletic training, business administration, creative writing, nursing and clinical mental health counseling; 20 NCAA Division II athletic programs; multiple performing arts groups; and more than 50 organizations. Founded in 1890, the College is closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church and abides by the Wesley doctrine that emphasizes service to others. For more information, visit wvwc.edu.