Following a well-established model from academic and non-profit sectors, the Fred Gray Institute Fellows are a national group of outstanding individuals with distinguished backgrounds and great competencies. The 2026 – 2028 cohort of Fred Gray Institute Fellows were appointed by Attorney Fred Gray, who witnessed the announcement of their appointment at the National Symposium on March 13, 2026.
The Fred Gray Institute Fellows Program supports innovative interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship, especially as an outgrowth of Attorney Gray’s life work through law, medical ethics, history, political science, voting rights, and human and civil rights and the region in and surrounding Tuskegee, Alabama.
Institute Fellows are called to address the most important issues of our day, enabling the convening work of the Gray Institute to be sui generis. The Institute Fellows are actively engaged in establishing high quality reputation of the Institute.
Their work has been and remains a critical component to the early development and depth of the Institute’s programming.
Dr. David Fleer coordinates the Institute Fellows Program which began in March 2024.
David Fleer
David Fleer is a distinguished scholar, minister, and advocate whose life’s work brings together preaching, leadership, and a deep commitment to racial healing. Across four decades of service in universities and churches, he has consistently united intellectual rigor with pastoral wisdom and public engagement.
From 2007 to 2023, Fleer served as tenured Professor of Bible and Communication at Lipscomb University, where he was known for shaping generations of students in homiletics—the art and theology of preaching. He also served as Special Assistant to President Randy Lowry (2007–2021) and as Executive Director of the Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars’ Conference (2005–2023), strengthening its role as a premier gathering for Christian scholars.
He has also taught at Abilene Christian University and Rochester Christian University, equipping ministers and leaders for faithful, thoughtful proclamation. As co-editor of the acclaimed eleven-volume Rochester Series on Preaching (Chalice Press and ACU Press, 2001–2011), Fleer helped shape contemporary conversations about preaching in both scholarly and congregational contexts.
A defining chapter of Fleer’s vocation is his close work with legendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray. Gray, who represented figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and played a pivotal role in landmark civil rights cases, has long stood at the forefront of the struggle for justice in America. Fleer now serves as Director of Advancement for the Fred D. Gray Institute for Human and Civil Rights, helping extend the power of Gray’s legacy for future generations.
This partnership is the natural outgrowth of Fleer’s sustained commitment to racial reconciliation. Since 2013, he has led 26 “Pilgrimage to Justice” journeys through key cities of the American South, immersing participants in the history of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement. These pilgrimages create transformative spaces for learning, lament, and hope—forming leaders who are better equipped to engage the moral challenges of our time. His work with Gray places him in direct continuity with the living history of the Civil Rights Movement and positions him to help steward its ongoing impact.
Earlier in his ministry, Fleer served from 1981 to 1991 as Senior Minister of the Andresen Road Church of Christ in Vancouver, Washington, and in recent years has provided wise interim leadership to congregations across the country.
His academic credentials include an M.Div. from Abilene Christian University (1981), a D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary, an M.S. in Speech from Portland State University, and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Washington (1995).
Above all, David treasures his family. He and his wife, Mae, recently celebrated fifty years of marriage. They are grateful parents of three sons—Josh, Luke, and Nate—and delighted grandparents of six cherished grandchildren.
Through his scholarship, ministry, and especially his work alongside Fred Gray, David Fleer continues to invest in a future shaped by a faithful commitment to “doing justice” and “loving your neighbor as yourself.”
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