Gerald Poe

Rev. Gerald Frederick Poe, Jr. (born 1969) is the first African-American to be elected and serve as Worshipful Master of an Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masonic Lodge in the United States of America. He was installed on January 1, 2012 as Worshipful Master of Patuxent Lodge No. 218 of Maryland, under the Authority of the Grand Lodge of Maryland.

He is an Ordained Minister, and head Pastor of Defender of the Faith Ministries, www.1defender.org, which is a Non-Denominational Christian-based motivational ministry and missionary organization. He was in the group of 8 which were the first responding missionary and medical relief team to arrive in Leogane, Haiti, with Evangel Assembly of God Missionary team (www.eagcs.org), Habitat for Humanity, and the AF&AMs of Maryland (http://www.mdmasons.org), Knights Templar and Scottish Rite Organizations of Maryland. Gerald is also the associate pastor of Upon this Rock Ministries (http://utrministeries.wordpress.com/).

Gerald is Lead Executive Partner of Advanced Technology Integrators, which he owns with his wife and father Gerald F. Poe, Sr., a former B-52 Pilot during the Vietnam war. He also serves as VP and Chief Technology Officer for GothamJungle, LLC (http:www.gothamjungle.com) with Kenyatta Galbreth (former A&R, Jive Records, former A&R-Sony Records), and is also a consultant for team building and stress management for professionals in the telecommunications, broadcast & recording industries. He has been a Sr. Director of international network engineering and operations for several telco companies, to include Masergy Communications, and Teligent, where he was a President's Circle Award Winner. He oversaw over 50 Million in corporate spending and was part of the team that took Teligent Communications to over $100 a share on the stock exchange. Gerald's knowledge and expertise were used as a technology consultant for The Million Man March [co-designed/engineered Satellite, video/audio in conjunction with International Telecommunications Consortium (Dr. Mabel Phifer)], NOI Savior’s Day, the NAACP National Convention, National Black Baptist Convention, The African-American Leadership Summit, and Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly’s DC Statehood Concert Extravaganza.

Gerald is also a musician/producer, and also has musical/production works with Polygram, Jive, Polydor and Island Records. In the 90's, he wrote and produced song "The Moment" on the album "Moments" by musical group LaDae (Polydor Records, 1994), as well as the "Froggy Style" Remix for group Nuttin' Nyce (Jive Records). Gerald has/had other business ventures with Atlanta, GA Based company Executive Decision Entertainment with Domonique Mitchell-President and CEO, Maynes Entertainment (James Maynes), Rush Communications, Def Jam, and Universal Records.

He was a championship discus (1987)/shotput (1986) record holder in Maryland and North Carolina.

He is a two time honorably discharged veteran (Army Airborne)/Navy(SERE).