Message From The President

Rev. Thomas O. Staten

President of NAACP Sumner County Branch

Message from our President

My name is Thomas Staten and I am a native of Sumner County, TN.  After graduation from high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving two tours in Vietnam having earned the Bronze Star Medal.  

After returning home, I continued my education and went on to earn my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management and Human Relations from Trevecca University.  From there, I earned a Bachelor of Theology, graduating first in my class, with the distinction of  Summa Cum Laude from the American Baptist College.  I was inducted into the Theta Alpha Epsilon Honor Society of American Baptist College and the Delta Epsilon Chi Honor Society of the Association for Biblical Higher Education.

As a resident in the Sumner County community, I have had the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for The Good Neighbor Mission, mentored as part of TN Promise, served as Chairperson of the Supervisory Committee, US Community Credit Union, and I am a member of the Freemont Masonic Lodge, #270, Gallatin, TN.  In 2019, I was elected as Moderator of the East Fork District Association of Middle TN and currently serve as President of the Sumner County Branch of the NAACP.

Having had those experiences and opportunities, it has allowed me to bring a lot of the skills and lessons learned into my leadership of the Sumner County Branch.  Even through the recent pandemic, our Executive Committee was able to meet virtually. We endeavored to continue to be the voice against injustice in our community.

Prior to the pandemic, we collaborated with various Black Greek Organizations to conduct voter registration drives and with churches to conduct voter outreach opportunities. 

Since the pandemic, during this past election season, we’ve had a virtual town hall with the Sumner County Election Commission.  We also partnered with a local non-profit to help distribute a semi-trailer truckload of food.  For February’s 2021 Black History Month, the Sumner County NAACP Branch sponsored a Black History display at the City Hall in Gallatin.  The Branch has also established a presence on FaceBook and is currently in the process of developing this website to better serve our Sumner County residents. 

I have been married to Beverly Rice Staten for 45 years.  We are the proud parents of Juan Lamont and Tamika Nicole.  I am known as “Papa” to my grandchildren Amaryel and Avery.

After having served in various capacities as a member of the Sumner County Branch of the NAACP, I am proud, and humbled to serve as its 7th President.

We would be glad to have you join us!

                                                                      President, Rev. Thomas Staten