Leah D. Daughtry
The Reverend Leah D. Daughtry is a nationally acclaimed organizer-activist, political strategist, author, Faith leader, and public theologian. The daughter of a long line of community organizers and activists, Leah represents the fifth consecutive generation of pastors in the Daughtry family.
A multi-faceted leader with a gift for solving highly complex problems with remarkable speed and precision, Leah has a proven capacity to manage multi-billion dollar budgets and develop internal and external communication strategies. These abilities make her an in-demand consultant with invaluable expertise to organizations seeking exponential growth. She describes her ability to create calm out of chaos as a God-given gift; and everything she has accomplished is a reflection of that gifting.
She is Principal of On These Things, LLC, which supports a broad array of businesses and organizations with strategic planning, project management, and community engagement activities. In addition to a stint on Capitol Hill, Daughtry has previously served as Chief of Staff at the US Department of Labor, Chief of Staff of the Democratic Party, as well as Chief Executive Officer of the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions, making her the only person in Democratic Party history to hold the position twice.
Currently, Bishop Daughtry serves as Presiding Prelate of The House of the Lord Churches. Standing at the intersection of Faith and politics, she works with community activists and organizations, political entities, businesses, and faith leaders and communities to assist them in building coalitions and partnerships that advance the common good. For her work with and within communities of Faith, Religion News Service named her one of the twelve most influential Democrats in the nation on faith and values politics. She has also served as Resident Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, where she focused on the role faith and values play in American politics. Daughtry is the co-author, along with Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, and Minyon Moore, of the NAACP Image Award winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics (St. Martin's Press, 2018). In it, four of the most powerful African American women in politics share the story of their friendship and how it has changed politics in America. She is a contributing author to Moved By The Spirit: Religion and the Movement for Black Lives (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023).
In 2018, Daughtry launched Power Rising, a convening of, by, and for Black women, designed to support Black women in leveraging their political, economic, and social power to ensure equity, opportunity, and representation for ourselves and our communities. This phenomenally successful gathering created an agenda that is turning power into action and using our influence for the betterment of ourselves, our communities, and our country.
n 2023, President Joseph R. Biden appointed Daughtry to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Wilson International Center for Scholars. She also serves as an Equity Advisor for Sephora, Inc., and on the Editorial Board of the Global Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society. She sits on the Boards of Directors of Wesley Theological Seminary, the National Council of Negro Women, Higher Heights for America, and the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. In addition, she is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Black Church PAC, Co-Chair of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference, and Chairman of the Spiritual Oversight Committee of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Psi Zeta Omega Chapter). An At-Large member of the Democratic National Committee, the governing body of the Democratic Party, she serves as a member of its Rules & Bylaws Committee. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Daughtry is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Wesley Theological Seminary. Beyond her remarkable career, she’s also a loving aunt, dedicated mentor, yarn addict, and renown shoe queen.