Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy
International Youth Department Chairlady
Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy is a CONNECTOR and BUILDER. Evidenced through individuals and organizations, she is gifted to empower others to reach maximum effectiveness.
Her multifaceted identity is manifested through her experience as a LEADERSHIP STRATEGIST, AUTHOR, PUBLIC SPEAKER, FAITH LEADER, MUSICIAN and EDUCATOR. In these roles she has impacted hundreds of thousands of people as well as organizations in varying industries. Having a passion for youth, she worked as an Educator and Administrator within the New York City Department of Education for over 18 years, as well as the first Youth Pastor of her childhood church. Her work as a youth advocate in the non-profit sector has spanned over three decades and continues to touch many.
Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy
International Chairlady
A proven transformative leader, Vandalyn is a change agent with quantifiable growth. As a result of her experience and expertise in leadership and strategic development, she founded Bridging The Gap Inc., a solutions firm helping individuals and organizations maximize potential and strategize for best practices and growth. Under the umbrella of BTG, “The Academy” curates digital and in person events, classes and empowerment sessions, while “On Purpose Leadership Training” provides leadership development, coaching and consulting to individuals and teams. This arm of BTG also provides targeted leadership trainings for youth leaders and youth groups in both secular and sacred spaces.
Vandalyn graduated from high school at the age of sixteen, went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree then Master’s degree in Education from Sarah Lawrence College, and a second Master’s degree in Music/Music Education from Columbia University. She also obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary with a Focus on Leadership and Preaching, and completed Princeton Theological Seminary’s Black Theology and Leadership Institute Certificate program. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Leadership, and works as an Adjunct Professor in the NY City area. Vandalyn currently works for LEAD NYC, a NY based organization that exists to empower and equip leaders. There she serves as Team Lead of The Emerging Leaders and Youth Leader fellowship, tasked with raising and discipling the next generation of leaders in marketplace, civic and faith arenas.
Musically, Vandalyn worked as a choir director, vocal trainer, and Gospel concert producer in both sacred and secular spaces. Her work as a music educator spans from elementary grade levels to several colleges. Vandalyn has also served in numerous Minister of Music positions within the Church of God in Christ, previously serving as Dean of Education for the International Music Department (COGIC Worldwide), and Coordinator of the International Youth Choir.
As a faith leader, Vandalyn travels extensively nationally and internationally as an itinerant minister speaking into the lives of thousands of people. She is an ordained minister who speaks Spanish, and has ministered in Panama, El Salvador, Dominican Republic and Spain. She has also been blessed to be the keynote speaker several times for COGIC’s summer convention (AIM) as well as the annual Holy Convocation, and was selected as one of the Church of God in Christ’s 150 most influential women. Vandalyn was blessed to be a keynote speaker on the main stage during the 2019 Hampton Ministers’ Conference, and has been featured in The New York Times as a “Women in the Pulpit” to watch. She currently serves as the Chairlady of the International Youth Department of the six million member Church of God in Christ organization.
