Allen Hunt

Early life

Hunt was born in Los Angeles, California, but raised in Brevard, North Carolina. Later, his family moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Hunt graduated from high school. He has one brother, James. In 1988, he married Anita Griffin, and they have two daughters, SarahAnn and Griffin Elizabeth.

Education

Hunt graduated from Lakeland High School. He earned undergraduate degrees in Finance and History from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and later completed a Master of Divinity degree at Emory University's Candler School of Theology. In 1994, Hunt completed his Ph.D. in New Testament and Ancient Christian Origins at Yale University.

Professional life

Hunt's professional background has spanned several fields. After college, with experience in real estate development, brokerage, and investment, he worked for Kurt Salmon Associates, an international management consulting firm. Most of his work there focused on strategic planning and marketing assistance for textile and apparel companies as well as some work in mergers and acquisitions.

Hunt then returned to school to pursue full-time ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. As a pastor, Hunt served in three local churches: in Carrollton, Georgia; Rome, Georgia; and Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. His ministry included time as the leader of a small, rural church, a new church start, and a leading megachurch with a membership over 8000.

In 2005, Hunt became a part of a new ministry venture, which evolved into The Allen Hunt Show on WSB. As the show grew, it became clear that he could not serve both as a full-time pastor and as a talk radio host and speaker, so he stepped down from his pastoral role in 2007 and launched into full-time talk radio. The Allen Hunt Show grew from a small weekend presence in Atlanta into a nationally syndicated weekend show by Cox Radio on Saturday and Sunday nights in markets all over the United States.

In February, 2009, Allen was named to the prestigious Talkers Magazine's 100 heavy hitters in talk radio, receiving a ranking unprecedented for a newcomer in the industry.

Annual luncheons

Hunt and his team have hosted charity luncheons benefiting Murphy-Harpst Children's Home in Cedartown, GA. Both events were held in Atlanta, GA. The 1st Annual Allen Hunt Show Luncheon was hosted at the Cobb Galleria and featured keynote speaker Vince Dooley. The 2nd Annual Allen Hunt Show Luncheon was moved to the Cobb Energy Centre and featured keynote speaker University of Georgia Head Football Coach Mark Richt.

Conversion

In January 2008 Hunt severed his formal ties with the United Methodist Church and announced his conversion to Catholicism. He now partners with Matthew Kelly at the Dynamic Catholic Institute.