News
“Tennessee Tech gave me a chance.” Nashville native community, faith leader reflects on college years
Rev. Dr. W. Antoni Sinkfield accepts the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Tennessee
Tech University on Nov. 4, 2023. The award is the university’s highest alumni honor.
Rev. W. Antoni Sinkfield, Ph.D., today serves students as Associate Dean for Community
Life at the Washington, D.C.-based Wesley Theological Seminary. But before that, the
Tennessee Tech University graduate and longtime African Methodist Episcopal (AME)
faith leader made his home – and his impact – in middle Tennessee.
Sinkfield previously pastored St. John AME Church, Payne Chapel AME Church, and Greater
Bethel AME Church in Nashville, as well as Mt. Olive AME Church in Lebanon.
For his decades of community leadership, Sinkfield was honored last fall with Tech’s
Distinguished Alumnus Award, the university’s highest alumni honor. Sinkfield joined
the latest episode of Tech’s “College Town Talk” podcast to discuss what the award meant to him and
share memories of his years in Tennessee’s College Town.
“The moment that I was notified that I had won the Distinguished Alumnus Award it
was, for lack of a better term, surreal,” said Sinkfield. “It was just an awesome
feeling, and I could not help but have extreme gratitude for how Tech and Cookeville
were pivotal in shaping my career and my life’s journey.”
Sinkfield was recruited to play football at Tech, something he said helped him learn
“how to be in community,” and graduated in 1988 with a marketing degree.
Rev. Dr. W. Antoni Sinkfield (center) and his wife, Kristy (fourth from right) are
pictured alongside family and friends at Tennessee Tech’s “Evening of Excellence”
alumni awards banquet on Nov. 4, 2023.
“The thing that I love about Tennessee Tech is that Tennessee Tech gave me a chance,”
Sinkfield explained. “It gave me an opportunity to pursue my dream.”
“When I came to Tech, I remember I was a little overwhelmed,” he recalled. “I had
grown up in a smaller community, very tight-knit. My community was predominantly African
American, so Tech was a different world demographically. But it was a campus that
was brimming with energy, all kinds of ideas and opportunities to grow.”
Prior to his service at Wesley Theological Seminary, Sinkfield served as Dean of Students
for Allen University, a historically Black university in Columbia, South Carolina.
He also served on various faith-based advisory boards for the Biden administration.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sinkfield hosted virtual events in middle Tennessee
to combat vaccine hesitancy and narrated a public service announcement for Made to
Save, an education and grassroots campaign to increase trust in vaccines, that was
amplified by the likes of former President Barack Obama.
Reflecting on his legacy – one that is still being written – Sinkfield said he finds
the greatest fulfillment in opportunities “to serve people and to uplift diverse communities.”
“My legacy, I hope, will be defined by the lives I’ve had opportunities to touch,
the bridges I’ve built across communities and the message of love and inclusivity
that I have striven to spread,” said Sinkfield.
Another part of Sinkfield’s legacy: his role as a founding member of Nashville Organized
for Action and Hope (NOAH), an interfaith nonprofit organization advocating for the
underserved.
Sinkfield says the name is no accident. Even in trying times, he sees reason to be
hopeful.
“What gives me hope is both the resilience and the compassion I see in people all
around me,” said Sinkfield. “What I would say to anyone who is seeking hope and encouragement
– I’d say look for the small victories. Look for the acts of kindness around you.
I’d say remember every challenge is an opportunity to grow. Stay connected with your
community. Never underestimate the power of a hopeful heart."
As Sinkfield looks ahead to his continued ministry and community work, he says he
is grateful for the foundation that Tech provided.
“I have been impacted by Tech with ... an education that was the springboard for everything
else I’ve done in my life,” he concluded.
College Town Talk is the university’s weekly podcast produced in partnership with
the Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts,
Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and other platforms. Learn more at tntech.edu/collegetowntalk.
