Theressa Hoover (1925-2013), a native of Fayetteville and a member of historic St. James Methodist Church, attained the highest executive position ever held by a Black woman in any mainline denomination in the country when she became CEO of the Woman's Division of the Methodist Church in 1968.

From that position at the helm of the largest Protestant women's organization in the world, she worked to overturn racial and gender discrimination in both church and society. She championed the goals of the women's liberation movement within the Methodist Church, getting it to end many traditional discriminatory practices, and used her seats on organizations' national boards to push them to adopt feminist stances as well.

She and her staff, from their headquarters in New York City, encouraged Methodist women to create networks in their local communities in support of the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and other goals of second-wave feminism.

Learn more about Theressa Hoover.