About Anna Marie Wilson Goff

Mrs. Goff was born in Dayton, Ohio to Clifton E. Wilson Sr. and Anna Mac McGill Wilson. She was educated in the public schools of Dayton, Ohio where she was the only female high school track-runner and trained with Olympian Wilma Rudolph. She matriculated at Morris Brown College (Atlanta, GA) where she met and later married the love of her life Reverend Dr. Norvel Goff, Sr.; and graduated from Kent State University (Kent, OH) with a B.S. in Education and Psychology. She was a financial supporter of Allen University and encouraged people to attend, especially since they are in the 7th District AME Church Community.

She held both teaching and administrative positions in the public/private school systems in Ohio, New York City, and Connecticut. She also served as the Monroe County (Rochester, New York) Deputy Director for Head Start. In the private sector, her positions included Human Resource Director and Group Insurance Underwriter for Fortune 500 companies.

Mrs. Goff began her Christian journey very early in life, serving as the young Assistant Sunday School teacher at the age of seven. Her favorite bible verse was Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” She believed her faith was a conviction based on assurance and anticipation, where the beginning point is believing in God’s character, that He is who He says He is; and the ending point is in believing in God’s promises, He will do what He says He will do! She feels that when we believe that God will fulfill His promises, even when we do not see it, we demonstrate true faith. Her favorite prayer was the Prayer of Serenity, a prayer her mother sent her during her junior year of college to encourage her to “go on” despite the odds: “God grant me Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”

Mrs. Goff was a life-long member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a committed Christian soldier who has consistently worked and served in many areas of the church including Director of Sunday morning Nursery School, Sunday School Teacher, Vacation Bible School Director and teacher, Director of Christian Education and Church Administrator to name a few. She has also held positions as an officer and trainer in the New England and Western New York Minister’s Spouses Alliance, the Rochester Minister’s Spouses Alliance and the Minister’s Spouses Widows, and Widowers Organization, Plus P.K.’s.

As a member of the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) for over 40 years, she has served as a delegate to the WMS Quadrennial and held many offices on the local, district, and conference levels including Local President, Area Chairperson, Chairperson of the Heath-Polk Rural Missions; Chairperson/member of the Social Relations Committee; Local Director of Promotions and Missionary Education, Health Coordinator, and consultant /trainer on the local, District and Conference levels. She also served as the newly organized Western New York Annual Conference’s first WMS Promotions and Education Director.

In addition to her commitment to the WMS, she was a committed supporter and member of the Lay Organization in Connecticut and New York. She served as both local and Western New York Conference’s Director of Lay Activities.

As an educator, Marie served as an Area Christian Education Director where she developed a curriculum for Christian Education training. As a trainer, she has conducted and facilitated workshops and seminars in the areas of Church Administration, Church History, Sunday School Growth and Development, Teacher Education, and a wide range of Christian Education subjects on all levels throughout the Connectional AME Church.

She was active in a number of organizations and served on several community boards and received awards for her work in education and community service including Board of Directors – Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, YWCA Advisory Development Committee, Connecticut School Volunteers, National School Volunteers, National Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Universal Pre-K Policy Advisory Committee, Early Childhood Development Initiative Committee, International Reading Association, The Links, Jack & Jill of America, NAACP ACT-SO, and Girl Scouts of America to name a few.

She served the following congregations as the First Lady: St. James AME Church (Danbury, Connecticut), Baber AME Church (Rochester, New York), Reid Chapel AME Church (Columbia, South Carolina), Mother Emanuel AME Church (Charleston, South Carolina -interim), St. Luke AME Church (Hollywood, South Carolina-interim), St. Mary AME Church (Johns Island, South Carolina -interim) and was the Area Supervisor for the Edisto District (South Carolina Conference AME Church).

About Morris Brown College

Morris Brown College, founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college engaged in teaching and public service with special focus in leadership, management, entrepreneurship and technology. The College is proud of its tradition of serving the educational needs of the best and brightest young minds, while simultaneously providing educational support to students who might not otherwise receive the opportunity to compete on the college level. Students fitting the latter are given the tools they need to increase their potential for earning a college degree.

About Allen University

Founded in 1870 in Cokesbury, Allen University is now celebrating its sesquicentennial. It is a comparatively small, faith-based institution that makes a huge impact not only on the lives of the students it serves, but their families, society, and the community where the university operates. The University has been doing so from its home in Columbia since 1880 where its estimated financial impact exceeds $30 million per year. The key facet of the journey for students is an education that teaches the mind to think, the hands to work, and the heart to love. What sets the University apart is that from the very outset, it has provided a quality education for students who may not have had the traditional preparation and means to afford one. From only one of three law schools among HBCUs at the turn of the 20th century, the University has graduated legions of educators, clergymen, and elected officials.