Presiding Elders' Council
A.M.E. Zion Church
Rev. Fondella Leigh
Second Vice President
Edenton District
Fondella A. Leigh, a native of Hertford,
North Carolina received her Bachelor of
Arts degree in Political Science from
her beloved North Carolina Central
University, Durham, North Carolina in
1988 and Masters of Theology from
Roanoke Theological Seminary, Elizabeth
City, North Carolina in June 2007.
Presiding Elder Fondella Leigh is the daughter of the late Rev. Walter L. Leigh, former Presiding Elder of the Edenton District & the late Mrs. Fannie Smith Leigh of Hertford, NC. Her only sibling, Sheila Leigh Hyman, resides in High Point, North Carolina and is married to Tony D. Hyman. Presiding Elder Leigh attributes much of her success to this nuclear family unit and to early church involvement.
In August of 1993, guided by faith, she became a Youth and Family Counselor in Raleigh, North Carolina at Wrenn House. That experience lead to a Family Service Coordinator position with the Institute for Family Centered Services, where the focus was on direct contact with the entire family unit. Her career path continued to broaden when the North Carolina Department of Public Safety: Division of Juvenile Justice hired her as the Human Services Coordinator of the Perquimans Juvenile Detention Center in Winfall, NC. This eventually led to her becoming the Director of that facility until there was a reduction in workforce by the state resulting in its closing. Her primary responsibility was overseeing the day to day operations of the 24 bed secured juvenile facility. She has served as the Chair of the Perquimans County Department of Social Services Board and the Advisory Board for the Hertford Branch of State Employee’s Credit Union. She currently serves on the Albemarle Commission Board, Perquimans County Recreational Advisory Board, Perquimans County Water Board, Economic Development Commission and the Northeastern Workforce Development Consortium. On December 1, 2014 she was sworn in as a County Commissioner on the Perquimans County Board of Commissioners. She is currently serving as the Vice-Chair to the Board after being elected to a second term.
Under the leadership of her Pastor and Presiding Elder, she received her Exhorter’s license on January 13, 2002, and her local Preacher’s license on March 15, 2003. On June 26, 2004, she was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church as a deacon. On January 13, 2007 she was ordained an Elder at the Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District Convocation. She served as Pastor of the Stevens Chapel, Good Hope and Pitts Chapel A.M.E. Zion Churches. She was also the Mission Education Coordinator for the Missionary Department of the Elizabeth City District. She served as the Elizabeth City District Treasurer and currently serves as Treasurer of the Albemarle Conference. Currently, she serves on the Holy Orders Committee, Budget Committee and she is a Conference Trustee. Additionally, she served as Chair of the Credentials Committee and Chair of the Conference Finance Committee. Presiding Elder Leigh has been elected to three consecutive General Conferences as a clergy delegate and was leader of the delegation twice. On March 2, 2013 she was appointed Prayer Coordinator for the Albemarle Annual Conference.
During the 106th Session of the Albemarle Annual Conference, on June 19, 2016, Rev. Fondella became the first female Presiding Elder of that Conference. She was appointed to serve as Presiding Elder of the Edenton District by Bishop Darryl Starnes and as Pastor of the Porter’s Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church. At the February 2021 Winter Meeting of the International Presiding Elders’ Council, Presiding Elder Leigh was installed as the 2nd VicePresident.
Presiding Elder Leigh continues
to serve her community through
involvement in various organizations.
She served as a volunteer in the
Guardian ad Litem Program for the 1st
and 10th judicial districts from 1990
until 1995. She also served as the Youth
Advisor for the Perquimans County NAACP
Youth Council. Under her tutelage,
members from the council were recognized
as State Youth of the Year in 2000 and
2001. In 2001, the group was recognized
as Youth Council of the Year. In January
2001, the North Carolina NAACP
recognized her as Youth Advisor of the
Year 2000-2001 and that same month she
was the first recipient of the
Perquimans County NAACP’s Martin Luther
King, Jr. Legacy award. In 2017 she was
selected as a J. W. Hood Consistory
Honoree. The Perquimans County Chamber
of Commerce nominated her for a Women of
Excellence Award in 2021. Although
Presiding Elder Fondella A. Leigh is
involved in many things, her
relationship with Christ is most
important, for you see Presiding Elder
Leigh, like Langston Hughes:
“Dreams a world where man No
other will scorn Where love will bless
the earth” And peace its path adorn.
Presiding Elder Fondella Leigh is the daughter of the late Rev. Walter L. Leigh, former Presiding Elder of the Edenton District & the late Mrs. Fannie Smith Leigh of Hertford, NC. Her only sibling, Sheila Leigh Hyman, resides in High Point, North Carolina and is married to Tony D. Hyman. Presiding Elder Leigh attributes much of her success to this nuclear family unit and to early church involvement.
In August of 1993, guided by faith, she became a Youth and Family Counselor in Raleigh, North Carolina at Wrenn House. That experience lead to a Family Service Coordinator position with the Institute for Family Centered Services, where the focus was on direct contact with the entire family unit. Her career path continued to broaden when the North Carolina Department of Public Safety: Division of Juvenile Justice hired her as the Human Services Coordinator of the Perquimans Juvenile Detention Center in Winfall, NC. This eventually led to her becoming the Director of that facility until there was a reduction in workforce by the state resulting in its closing. Her primary responsibility was overseeing the day to day operations of the 24 bed secured juvenile facility. She has served as the Chair of the Perquimans County Department of Social Services Board and the Advisory Board for the Hertford Branch of State Employee’s Credit Union. She currently serves on the Albemarle Commission Board, Perquimans County Recreational Advisory Board, Perquimans County Water Board, Economic Development Commission and the Northeastern Workforce Development Consortium. On December 1, 2014 she was sworn in as a County Commissioner on the Perquimans County Board of Commissioners. She is currently serving as the Vice-Chair to the Board after being elected to a second term.
She became the first female Presiding Elder in the Cape Fear Conference in October 2019. In 2004, she was also appointed to serve as pastor of Chrysolite A.M.E. Zion Church in Lumberton, North Carolina. As an effective leader, she led the congregation within a short period of time in purchasing land - debt free, and erected a new sanctuary, and later acquired additional land for future expansion. She also organized a capital campaign to secure the most favorable mortgage and oversaw the construction of this magnificent edifice, now known as Greater Chrysolite A.M.E. Zion Church. Dr. Brown has also served many pastorates in the A.M.E. Zion Church. During her tenure as pastor, she was honored as Pastor-of-the Year by the Cape Fear Conference - three consecutive years for church growth and recipient of the George J. Leake Memorial Young Minister’s Award. She was the first female to pastor a first church in the Cape Fear Conference.
Under the leadership of her Pastor and Presiding Elder, she received her Exhorter’s license on January 13, 2002, and her local Preacher’s license on March 15, 2003. On June 26, 2004, she was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church as a deacon. On January 13, 2007 she was ordained an Elder at the Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District Convocation. She served as Pastor of the Stevens Chapel, Good Hope and Pitts Chapel A.M.E. Zion Churches. She was also the Mission Education Coordinator for the Missionary Department of the Elizabeth City District. She served as the Elizabeth City District Treasurer and currently serves as Treasurer of the Albemarle Conference. Currently, she serves on the Holy Orders Committee, Budget Committee and she is a Conference Trustee. Additionally, she served as Chair of the Credentials Committee and Chair of the Conference Finance Committee. Presiding Elder Leigh has been elected to three consecutive General Conferences as a clergy delegate and was leader of the delegation twice. On March 2, 2013 she was appointed Prayer Coordinator for the Albemarle Annual Conference.
During the 106th Session of the Albemarle Annual Conference, on June 19, 2016, Rev. Fondella became the first female Presiding Elder of that Conference. She was appointed to serve as Presiding Elder of the Edenton District by Bishop Darryl Starnes and as Pastor of the Porter’s Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church. At the February 2021 Winter Meeting of the International Presiding Elders’ Council, Presiding Elder Leigh was installed as the 2nd VicePresident.
