In September 2018, Denise Watts-Wilson was honored by being named one of Oldham County's Living Treasures.
LA GRANGE, KY, January 31, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Denise Watts-Wilson with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Ms. Watts-Wilson celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having accrued more than 45 years of experience as a teacher, minister, and pastor, Ms. Watts-Wilson has dedicated herself to the singular pursuit of serving others in her community. Knowing from an early age that she wished to become a teacher, she likewise responded to her call to ministry in her later teens . She attended Hunter College of the City University of New York, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Elementary Education, and earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from the Southern Baptist Seminary of Louisville in 1978. In concluding her academic efforts, Ms. Watts-Wilson returned to the Southern Baptist Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity in Religious Education in 1982.
From 1978 until 1980, Ms. Watts-Wilson served as the first Director of Christian Education at Bethany Baptist Church in New York. She began her teaching career as a substitute teacher with Louisville's Jefferson County Board of Education between 1980 and 1983, and served as the youth choir director for Zion Baptist Church of Louisville from 1980 to 1983. From 1983 until 1984, she served as Minister of Education and Youth for the South Park Baptist Church in Houston. After briefly operating a home-based business, Denise joined the Houston Independent School District as an Elementary teacher from 1985 to 1988. During this time, Ms. Watts-Wilson was licensed for ministry by Brentwood Baptist Church, Houston and sent to Greenspoint Baptist Church to serve in 1986. In 1988 Ms. Watts-Wilson transferred to Spring Independent School District in Spring, TX, where she taught middle school history through 1993. In 1988 Ms. Watts-Wilson was ordained for ministry and joined the Texas Army National Guard as its first female chaplain in 1989.
In 1993, Ms. Watts-Wilson was called as the assistant pastor of Saint Stephen Baptist Church in Louisville. In 1995, she began teaching middle school in Jefferson County Schools. Before retirement in 2010, Ms. Watts-Wilson would teach history, computer technology, and math. She would also serve as program coordinator for the district's Rites of Passage academy. She also operated a small retail business during this time, Gifts from Home. Ms. Watts-Wilson was founding pastor of LIGHThouse Christian Fellowship in LaGrange KY from 1997 to 2006.
Since 2002, Ms. Watts-Wilson has distinguished herself as the Executive Director of the LIGHT Center for Family Enrichment. Developing their summer lunch program which served 1,100 lunches each summer resulting in her election to the LaGrange City Council, as its first African-American female member, in 2004, being awarded the Center for Nonprofit Excellence's Art of Leadership Award in 2005, and selection as one of the 2005 WLKY Bell Award winners.
In 2007, Ms. Watts-Wilson became Minister of Music at Clayvillage Baptist Church, departing in 2017 to serve Scott United Methodist Church of Maysville as pastor for two years. In 2019, she served as the interim pastor at the New Life in Christ Christian Church, a women's prison congregation in Louisville.
Becoming a founding member of the John Maxwell Team in 2011, led to Ms. Watts-Wilson participating as an international transformation trainer in Guatemala, Paraguay, and Costa Rica. She was awarded the 2019 John Maxwell Team Culture Award for Adding Value and Valuing Others. As a member of the Rotary Club of LaGrange, KY since 2012, Ms. Watts-Wilson has participated in local and international service, including serving as the club's first African American president for the 2018-2019 Rotary year. In September 2018, Ms. Watts-Wilson was honored by being named one of Oldham County's Living Treasures. Her oral history is archived in Frankfort, KY.
Ms. Watts-Wilson enjoys writing, co-authoring "Nuggets of Gold: Reflections on Right Relationship With God," in 2019, and "The Power of Our Relationships: Better Friends Make Better Friends," released in 2014. A gospel singer since age 5, Ms. Watts-Wilson has recorded several gospel music CDs.
Her greatest accomplishments are being mother to Greg A. Wilson and grandmother to Grason.
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