Champion Christian College is excited to welcome Dr. Roger Cheeks! Dr. Cheeks is joining our Champion family as the Director of Development & External Relations.
As an educator, community leader, and ministry director, Roger uses his leadership grace to influence and motivate people to achieve their dreams, especially those who are broken, rejected, and wounded by life’s circumstances. As such, Roger began his career of 28 years in higher education serving as the Assistant Director of the African American Center and Assistant Dean in Student Life at Indiana State University. He has served as the Assistant Director of Student Services, Director of Student Life, Chaplain, Director of Campus Ministries, Director of Community Life, Director of Student Activities & Leadership, and the founding Director of Athletics at Regent University. Roger Cheeks was a former city councilmember in the city of Terre Haute, Indiana, and when elected, he was the first African American in the one-hundred-twenty-seven-year history of the city to hold any elected office. Ebony magazine recognized Roger as one of “America’s 50 Young Leaders of Tomorrow.”
His message crosses racial, gender, socio-economic, and denominational lines and is intended to reach people where they live. He has encouraged many people across the globe from various faith communities and denominations, such as the National Baptist Convention USA, the Catholic Church, Church of God in Christ, Progressive National Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church, Missionary Baptist, Apostolic, Freewill Baptist, Assembly of God, Church of the Nazarene, Southern Baptist and many nondenominational churches, as well as ministries and churches in Israel, India, Africa, Jamaica, Iran, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. He is the founder and president of Dominion Center International, which is a faith-based community development ministry. He also serves as Senior Director of Outreach for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. He has been a guest speaker in education institutions such as Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Fisk University, Savannah State University, Vincennes University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Regent University, Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary, Grace College & Theological Seminary, Oklahoma Baptist University, Canada Christian College, Oral Roberts University, and Champion Christian College.
In addition, Dr. Cheeks has a robust history of ministry experience. He was the senior pastor of Miracle Church for five years, and he was founder and senior pastor of New Dominion Fellowship in Chesapeake, VA, for ten years. He is a dynamic worship minister and singer/songwriter whose ministry from the beginning has lifted, encouraged, and given hope to the world. He has been a host of Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise the Lord program in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Indianapolis, Indiana. He has been a special guest singer for the Buffalo Bills, the National Evangelical Association, the Hampton Roads YMCA Annual Prayer Breakfast, the National STAND organization, and the annual Hampton Roads Martin Luther King, Jr., breakfast.
Reflecting on his new position at Champion, Dr. Cheeks says, “Being a member of the staff at Champion is being able to serve the next generation of leaders as they develop their talents and skills to champion their communities for Christ.” We couldn’t agree more! We are so excited to welcome Dr. Cheeks, and we can’t wait to see how the Lord will use him in the lives of our students!