Mrs. Deana Elizabeth Young McAllister, is the God-called, Spirit-led first lady of the Bethel AME Church, Tallahassee, Florida. The strength of her witness and unwavering faith in the redemptive power of Jesus Christ are strong and compelling.

A third generation first lady of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mrs. McAllister embraces her divine calling as a pastor’s wife. For twenty-seven years, she has been a pillow of support for her husband, the Reverend Dr. Julius H. McAllister, Jr., surrounding him with love and encouragement and partnering with him in his ministry as an ordained itinerate pastor in the AME Church.

Mrs. McAllister has a penchant for service. On every level of the African Methodist Episcopal Church – local, conference, and connectional – she is recognized and esteemed for her love and compassion toward others through works of mission and outreach as a member of the Women’s Missionary Society; and her commitment to the spiritual, educational, and social enhancement of youths through her dedicated work with the Young People’s Division (YPD). She has served in a variety of leadership positions in the Women’s Missionary Society, including second vice president of the Eleventh Episcopal District. Currently, she is the Commission Chair of Education and Scholarship for the Eleventh Episcopal District and vice president of the Elkins -Williams Women’s Missionary Society at Bethel AME Church.

Mrs. McAllister’s love of young people, is evidenced by her distinguished thirty-two year career in the education profession as a teacher, a curriculum specialist, and an administrator in school systems in the states of Georgia, Michigan, and Illinois. Presently, she is the Assistant Superintendent for Human Relations, Labor, and Employee Relations and Chief Negotiator for the Leon County School System in Tallahassee. Her active membership in service organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc., also bear witness to her concern for the welfare of others. Mrs. McAllister is a graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and was certified to teach. She received a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership/School Administration from the National-Louis University in Wheeling, Illinois.

Mrs. McAllister’s greatest role is providing a loving, peaceful, and safe home for her husband, and their three sons: Julius III, Colin McKinley, and Dylan David Jeremiah. She and Reverend McAllister are adoring parents who treasure family time attending sports events, going to movies, traveling, or hanging out at home; and who prioritize and zealously support and encourage each son’s interests and pursuits.

Mrs. McAllister is the second of four daughter born to the late Senior Bishop McKinley Young and retired Supervisor of Missions Dr. Dorothy Jackson Young of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.