Rev. Dr. Michelle Estelle Lewis

Rev. Dr. Michelle Estelle Lewis is an activist, ordained minister, environmental justice advocate, and public speaker whose work focuses on the intersection of faith, food systems, and community transformation. Lewis has held roles as a park ranger, law enforcement officer, filmmaker, reverend, and activist, connecting these experiences through faith, justice, and environmental stewardship. Her career began with the National Park Service as a teenager, serving as an education and interpretation ranger throughout college, and later as a law enforcement officer for 15 years.

A meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Site led Lewis to Yale's joint degree program in Religion and Ecology, where she became the first Black woman to complete the program. Her research centered on connecting underserved populations to the environment through faith systems. Lewis later completed her doctoral work at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, focusing on the use of gardens to create sacred spaces, the effects of greenspace on hospital patient outcomes, and the influence of the natural world on theologies of Black coastal communities.

Lewis is the founder and executive director of the Peace Garden Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental justice, food justice, and the intersectionality of justice issues. Based in New Rochelle, New York, the organization works to build healthy communities by growing food and supporting congregations in creating gardens that address food insecurity and educate communities about barriers to justice. The Peace Garden Project has distributed tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce to families in North Carolina and partnered with the USDA's Farmers to Families program to expand its reach.

Lewis has served as pastor of the United Methodist Church in East Berlin and as a multifaith chaplain at Hartford Hospital, where she contributed to research on greenspace, spirituality, and patient outcomes. She participated in a delegation to Saudi Arabia focused on Muslim-Christian relations and worked at the United Nations as an advisor to the Federated States of Micronesia. Lewis is also a former certified unaffiliated candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. As a filmmaker, she founded the Outer Banks Environmental Film Festival and received the Communicator Award of Distinction for her work on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Lewis joined the Ormond Center as Agent of Thriving, Climate & Environmental Justice, leading initiatives in environmental justice, climate care, and food insecurity, and serving as ecumenical portfolio coach for Pathways Towards Impact, a project supporting churches in community engagement through schools, free stores, farming, and gardens. Her podcast, "Unpacking Faith," is available on iTunes. Lewis is recognized for her expertise in civil rights, environmental stewardship, and community engagement, drawing on a combination of practical experience and academic research.