Rotarian Allan Eickelmann is Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he is serving in his nineteenth year on the faculty.  His responsibilities include guiding students through their capstone research, and teaching courses in comparative religion and the sociology of religion.  While at USM, he has developed over a half dozen courses for the curriculum, hosted a radio program on WUSM, served as lead editor of the book, Justice and Violence, published by Sage in 2005, chaired two major lecture series and presented at numerous academic conferences.  The University nominated him to be included in the Leadership Gulf Coast program of which he is a proud alumnus.

Before joining the USM faculty, Eickelmann served as pastor to several congregations of The United Church of Christ. His last parish was in Bloomfield Hills Michigan where he served as senior minister of a church that included many of the leading business figures of Detroit.  While in Bloomfield Hills, he developed a public TV show titled, “What’s Faith Got to Do With it,” served as a guest columnist for the Oakland Press, was a member of the Detroit Economic Club and served of the board of directors of several not for profit organizations.

Eickelmann has had a long time involvement in Rotary.  He joined the Ottawa Illinois Club in 1980 and has been a member of five different clubs in four different states.  He is past member of the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Birmingham Michigan and past president of the Gulf Port/Orange Grove Rotary Club. He currently serves on both the speakers committee and the membership committee for the Rotary Club of New Orleans.

Originally from Chicago, Eickelmann holds the BA degree from Northern Illinois University, the M.Div. from Bethany Theological Seminary, the M.A. from the University of Chicago, the M.S. from George Williams College and the D.Min. from McCormick Theological Seminary.  Currently he is co-hosting the YOUTUBE program “Scholars in a Bar,” with fellow Rotarian Mike Ainsworth.  His loves include, first and foremost, his wife Margene Minor, their four cats and all things New Orleans but especially traditional jazz and the New Orleans Saints.