Corey D. B. Walker

Corey D. B. Walker is the Dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities, and Inaugural Director of the Program in African American Studies. His career includes leadership roles at Virginia Union University, Winston-Salem State University, Brown University, and the University of Virginia. A theologian and scholar, his work interrogates the moral foundations of American democracy through interdisciplinary lenses. He holds degrees from Norfolk State University (BS), Virginia Union University (MDiv), Harvard University (MTS), The College of William and Mary (PhD), and Brown University (MA ad eundem).

Education: BS in Finance (Norfolk State University), MDiv (Virginia Union University), MTS (Harvard University), PhD in American Studies (William and Mary), MA ad eundem (Brown University).

Research interests include religious freedom, Black intellectual traditions, democracy’s ethical frameworks, and critical pedagogy. His scholarship bridges religion, race, and politics. He has authored multiple books and over 70 articles, emphasizing transformative thought and social justice. Notable works include A Noble Fight: African American Freemasonry and the Struggle for Democracy in America and forthcoming Disciple of Nonviolence: Wyatt Tee Walker and the Struggle for the Soul of Democracy.

Awards include the 2023-2024 Phi Beta Kappa Frank M. Updike Memorial Scholar distinction. He has served as Book Review Editor and Associate Editor of The Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Current roles include board memberships at Lincoln University, Habitat for Humanity, and the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project.

Advising/grants: While no formal advisees are listed, his leadership roles involve mentorship across institutions. Grants include Ford Foundation support for the Center for the Study of Local Knowledge.

Labs/teams: Directed the Ford Foundation-supported Center for the Study of Local Knowledge (UVA) and led interdisciplinary initiatives at multiple universities. His work centers collaborative research on race, democracy, and religion.