Elder Carolyn Lucas is Senior Pastor/Equipper and Trustee Board Member of the Heaven’s Gate Ministries International, Inc. She is also Executive Director of the Women of Excellence Fellowship, Incorporated, located in Huntsville, AL. She is former Minister of Evangelism at the Union Hill Primitive Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL. She is an ordained Elder in the Southeastern Ambassadors International Fellowship and is the lead Coordinator of the Huntsville/Madison County Community Collaborative. She has traveled internationally preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the masses in India. She goes into the hedges and the highways and is actively involved in many evangelistic efforts, particularly activities that relate to the previously incarcerated, women and youth. She is a member of the US Justice Department Reentry Council for the Northern District of Alabama and was appointed by the President to the US Selective Service System Board for Alabama. She is the recipient of many awards and honors including a Letter of Commendation from the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States; the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and Commendation; the Commander’s Award for Exemplary Civilian Service; Army Outstanding Service Award; City of Huntsville Honorary Resolution and Proclamation of Carolyn Lucas Day; Letters of Appreciation from Honorable Congressman Parker Griffith Senator Richard Shelby and Governor Bob Riley, State of Alabama; Excellence Award for Religious Service; the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award; the Community Leadership Award for Religion; the Federal Women’s Program Outstanding Career Achievement Award; and many other awards and recognitions. She has a Kingdom focus and is a member of the Greater Huntsville Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship of Huntsville, AL. She is a Small Business Consultant and Owner/Manager of the Seventh Heaven Conference and Retreat Center in Huntsville, AL. She is an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Recovery Counselor and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Expert. She is a graduate of New York State University – Regents College (1991) with a B.S. in Business and a graduate of the Florida Institute of Technology (1994) with a Masters Degree in Contracting and Acquisition Management. She is also a graduate of the US Army Management Staff College and the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business. She is a former US Army civilian employee with over 38 years of service, retiring in October 2009.