The Rev. Dr. Traci Blalock Phillips is an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a member of the ministerial team at Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church in Detroit, Michigan. An accomplished writer and author, her literary debut Mistakes Made…Lessons Learned chronicles her pivotal journey in Jesus. Her courage to battle life’s tragic circumstances is displayed in this powerful story of transparency for her mistakes made and the candidness of the lessons learned through God’s word. Additionally, her second book entitled, Death: A Midnight Experience is a self-help book intended to bring forth healing for mothers who have lost children to death by murder, suicide, illness, drug addiction, accidents, and natural causes. Dr. Blalock Phillips was also the host of an inspirational radio ministry “Java with Jesus,” which offered a practical, modern spin on evangelism. The show’s listening audience spanned from the Metro Detroit area, the United Kingdom, South Africa, to Australia.

Dr. Blalock Phillips is Founder/Executive Director of Chasing A Better You Ministries, Inc.; a non-profit ministry of empowerment that includes one of her greatest passions; Enduring Seasons of Incarceration (E.S.I.); a support group for individuals experiencing the incarceration of loved ones. She served as the Executive Director of the former L.I.F.T. Women’s Resource Center which provided resources to women and men in the Metro Detroit area experiencing issues with homelessness, domestic violence and drug treatment. More recently, Dr. Blalock Phillips was employed with the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries as the program manager of the Wayne County Prison Re-entry Program, a residential program designed to provide housing for recently paroled men.

Dr. Blalock Phillips’ passion for God’s people includes a focus on families experiencing incarceration as well as ministering within the prison walls. She has done extensive research regarding the effects of incarceration which includes the development of a non-denominational model to establish support group styled prison ministries. She is also the facilitator of the Oak Grove A.M.E. Prison Ministry. Dr. Blalock Phillips also conducted monthly worship services at the Wayne County Jail in Detroit, Michigan. She currently serves as the Assistant Volunteer Chaplain at the Macomb Correctional Facility in New Haven, Michigan.