Talladega College will hold its annual Baccalaureate Service for its class of 2025 on May 2. The baccalaureate address will be delivered by City of Tuscaloosa Municipal Court judge Ricky J. McKinney who is also well-known as Rev. Ricky J. McKinney, pastor of Weeping Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa.
“We are very much looking forward to being both inspired and taught by Rev. McKinney," says Talladega College provost, Dr. Edward Hill. "Rev. McKinney is a true Degan. Not only does he lead a community as a voice of public service, but he also guides people on their faith walks--perhaps the most critical walk that many of us have in our lives."
Born in Talladega, McKinney graduated from the College in 1980. He later earned his Master of Public Policy and Administration from Mississippi State University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama. He began practicing law in 1986. In 1996, McKinney became a partner with Burr & Forman, LLP in Birmingham. In 2010, McKinney, along with Jim Fleenor and Wilson Green, co-founded Fleenor, Green & McKinney, LLP. A year later, Governor Robert Bentley appointed McKinney director of indigent defense services for the State of Alabama. He was sworn in as Tuscaloosa Municipal Court Judge in 2015.
The Tuscaloosa community also knows McKinney for his journey of faith. Baptized at Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Talladega, he was ordained as a deacon at Weeping Mary in 1994. McKinney later served as associate minister at Greater Ebenezer before becoming the pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church in Munford from 1999 to 2012. On February 5, 2012, McKinney became the pastor of Weeping Mary.
The Baccalaureate Service will be held at 10 a.m. in historical DeForest Chapel.
