Julius Walls Jr. is ordained minister, non-profit executive, businessman, and real estate developer. Rev. Walls elected in 2021 to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the A.M.E. Zion Church.
Rev. Walls has worked in business, real estate development, academia, and ministry. In business, Walls has served as CEO of Greyston Bakery, a $7 million social enterprise, as Senior Vice President of Greyston Foundation, a $13 million social services and real estate development and management company. He has also served as Vice President of Operations for a $23 million chocolate manufacturing company. In academia, Walls has served as an adjunct professor at the business graduate schools at New York University, Bainbridge Graduate Institute, and Eastern University. He is also a published author and serves on several local and national non-profit and government boards.
In ministry, Walls has served as Chief of Staff of Greater Centennial Church, a 6000-member church; pastored Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Yonkers, doubling their attendance and tripling their budget, and as of June 2018, Rev. Walls was appointed to serve as pastor of Greater Hood A.M.E. Zion Church, the church that has continuously served in Harlem, where membership and budget have tripled during his tenure. Finally, Walls has served as the president of Greater Centennial Community Development Corp. (GCCDC). The role of president oversees the strategic and operational direction the 501(c)3, non-profit organization located in the city of Mt. Vernon. GCCDC has developed and sold 16 2-family homes for 1st time homebuyers. Under Walls, GCCDC completed the gut rehabilitation of 4 contiguous buildings containing 7 apartments each for which Walls secured significant government funding.
Rev. Walls has taught, spoken and preached extensively throughout the country on the topics of Social Enterprise, Social Purpose Businesses, Social Justice and Business, Spirituality in the Workplace, and Business Development in the Inner City. Rev. Walls has built businesses and consulted for others, coached executives, mentored students, and inspired thousands of people to be the best they can be. He has developed life skills programs, affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, performed strategic planning that has lifted organizations higher. In his various roles he has met with Presidents (Clinton and Obama) and spoken at multiple universities including Ivy League.
Walls has co-authored MISSION, INC., The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise, 2008. Walls served as an invited participant in the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Session on Transforming Cities through Civic Entrepreneurs at Harvard University for 2008/2009. In 2009, Walls was named the first Social Entrepreneur in Residence at NYU. In 2009 and again in 2012, Rev. Walls was named one of the Ten Most Influential Blacks in Westchester by African-American Chamber of Commerce.
Core ingredients in Walls’ life and his career are his spiritual practice, family, and service, which seeds were sown by his parents in his native Brooklyn, NY. Rev. Walls has been married to his college sweetheart for over 30 years. They have three children. He encourages people to actively engage their whole self in all aspects of their life, including their cultural and spiritual selves. His seminal sermon, “Are You Christian on Monday?” challenges everyone, Christians and Non-Christians, to carry their values into their everyday lives.