Most Interesting People 2017: The Rev. Melvin Motley

Why He’s Interesting: The Air Force veteran and ordained minister is working to engage community churches in local outreach efforts. As the chairman of religious affairs for Lake County’s NAACP, he’s educating the community on the justice system and alleviating racial tensions with a series of panel discussions involving county prosecutors, community leaders and law enforcement.

Paper Boy: At 13, Motley was a carrier for The Plain Dealer and won a company contest by submitting an essay on John F. Kennedy. The prize? Sitting on the bench at the Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Redskins game. Motley was given a football signed by Art Modell and the team. “I learned that the sky is the limit, and if you’re willing to work for it, you can get it.”

Working Man: After high school, four years in the Air Force and supervisor positions at Ford Motor Co., Ohio Rubber and First Energy, Motley had the skills of an electrician, plumber and construction worker — inspiring him to run his own home repair and construction business. “If you have a skill and you learn how to do something, you will never starve.”

Turning Point: A divorce with his first wife left Motley shaken. But the evening the divorce was final he had an epiphany. “God talks to me in dreams and visions. You can be asleep or you can wake up in the middle of the night, and you can hear his voice.” Motley knew he had to go back to school, so he signed up for online classes and obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in theology and a doctorate in divinity.

Look Who’s Talking: Engaging churches in outreach programs and convening conversations around race and policing is Motley’s attempt to create a proactive culture. “We’re trying to nip stuff before it happens. We’re breaking down the walls between the officials and the community.”

Live Long: Motley hopes to lead his own congregation. Currently, he teaches Sunday school and the occasional sermon at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Painesville. “I have to be productive until I take that last breath. There are other things that God has for me.”