Rev. Dr. Gerald D Austin Sr. CFCP
Chief Executive Officer
Our Team
A legacy carried forward, together.
Meet the people connecting MEGA’s founding vision with the next generation.
Rev. Dr. Gerald D Austin Sr. CFCP
Chief Executive Officer
Engineer. Minister. Educator. Community builder.
Vision + Passion + Provision = Legacy.
OUR TEAM
Dr. Sylvia A Hollins, PhD
Chief Educational-Research Consultant
Abraham Xiong, CCM
Chief Operating Officer
Program team
Bridgette Dixon Callaway
Education Director
Pamela Faith Jackson
Class Facilitator
Melisa Fox
Class Facilitator
Sandra Lewis-Glass
Social Media Facilitator
Marilyn J Evans (Miss M)
Parent Liaison Facilitator
A letter from our founder
Greetings,
I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, one of nine children raised by an amazing mother with a passionate commitment to faith, values, education and public life. I trained as an electronic engineer, and I have spent nearly five decades as both an engineer and a minister.
I have spent my life pursuing the betterment of individuals and communities in need, and everything I have built rests on one conviction: people of any good faith should be people of good will.
Read more excerpts from Dr. Austin’s letter
In 1985 I began the work that became The Center for Urban Missions, and in 1986 we incorporated it as a charitable nonprofit in the State of Alabama. We started with families in Metropolitan Gardens, a public housing community in downtown Birmingham. I believed then what I believe now: you don’t have to move to have a better neighborhood. You get involved.
In 2023 we re-established the work as the MEGA INTL Legacy Foundation, formerly The Center for Urban Missions, to carry that legacy forward for urban and rural communities. MEGA is not just a name. It is how I try to live: Motivate, Educate, Grow, Advocate. Through motivational seminars, educational enlightenment, growth strategies and business coaching, and advocacy for marginalized and underserved people, we work toward a more just and equitable society, one where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, reach their full potential, and create opportunities for others to do the same.
Today the clearest expression of those four words is Pathways to Peace, a 12-week program approved as a pilot in five DeKalb County schools, where students practice conflict resolution, empathy and accountability. Pathways to Peace carries forty years of this work into the classroom, so here is how it works and how you can help.
Dr. Austin
Founder, CEO, MEGA INTL Legacy Foundation
“You don’t have to move to have a better neighborhood. You get involved.”
Dr. Austin
From Birmingham to the next generation
The work that became The Center for Urban Missions began in 1985 and was incorporated in 1986. In 2023, Dr. Austin re-established MEGA INTL Legacy Foundation to carry the work forward through education, leadership and advocacy.
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