Allegheny West Conference Leadership Changes

Story by Benia Jennings

William T. Cox Sr., Allegheny West Conference (AWC) president, has accepted the call to serve as the Executive Director for the Regional Conference Retirement Plan Board. Elder Cox began his ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 41 years ago, and has served as Allegheny West Conference president since January 8, 2012.

Cox will continue his present role through July 31, 2020. In accordance with AWC regulations, the Conference Executive Committee convened and began the process of finding new leadership; Columbia Union Conference President Dave Weigley chaired these meetings, and, on Sunday, July 26, 2020, members of the committee voted Marvin C. Brown III as interim president of the AWC, serving out the remainder of this presidency term until the constituency in 2021.

“William Cox has placed Allegheny West with a strong foundation in a number of areas. He’s really focused on mission—very evangelistic,” says Weigley.

Marvin Brown has served as executive vice president and stewardship director of the Allegheny West Conference for the past seven years, where he strengthened relationships within the constituency and renewed the emphasis on stewardship throughout the territory.

“He is a good listener. He’s passionate about the mission, soul-winning and also knows the conference, as he’s worked there for decades,” says Weigley, chair of the search committee.

Brown is married to Grace, his wife of 35 years, a certified registered nurse anesthetist from Zambia. He is the father of two sons, Marvin Christopher Brown, a graduate of Yale University and a corporate attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, and Marsalis Christian Brown, a resident in orthopedic surgery at the University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.

The committee also voted Joel Johnson as the new executive vice president of the AWC. Johnson has served as the director of youth, campground superintendent, and, most recently, the pastor of The Beacon of Hope church in Columbus, Ohio. Johnson spent 19 years of his ministry at Allegheny East Conference's Pine Forge Academy (PFA), where he wore many hats as boy’s dean, chairman of the Religion Department, religion instructor, academy chaplain and founder of the PFA Creative Arts Drama Ministry. Johnson has been married to his wife, Alicia, for 41 years. They have four sons: Joel II, Auldwin, Erik and Kyel.