President of W. L. Bonner College

Elaine McQueen is the Mother of Elder Derrick Ricardo McQueen and the Mother-in-law of Mrs. Colleen Martin-McQueen.  Born in Blenheim, South Carolina, she is the daughter of a World War II Veteran and Mother who reared 15 children in the rural south.

Ms. McQueen is a member of Refuge Temple in Columbia, SC.  She has labored with leaders in church planting activities in Ville Platt, LA, Birmingham, AL, Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, and Dallas, TX.  Her cherished work was in Jackson, Mississippi, where she traveled with the Late President Bonner and others, to evangelize Jackson, Mississippi, prior to the Convocation of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. She continued her service to Refuge Temple Church in Jackson, Mississippi until May 1994. Since then, she has served at the Refuge Temple Church in Columbia, South Carolina, in various capacities.

In 1990, while a student at Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, Ms. McQueen traveled to the Liberacion Village in Mexico to help provide clean drinking water to the villagers there.  On the same mission, she went to the Molina Village to assist the coordinators in building huts. She, with the support of the College, published a journal on the mission.

In 1994, Ms. McQueen was appointed by the Late Apostle (Dr.) William L. Bonner, as a member of the Task Force Committee for W. L. Bonner College. Developing the mission infrastructure, the College admitted its first cohort of students Fall 1995.

In 2000, while a student at Columbia International University, Ms. McQueen served as Coordinator on a missions’ trip to Grand Bahamas, supervising evangelism, Vacation Bible School, construction, and community service teams. The appointment served as the internship for her Master of Divinity in Missions.

In 2015, Ms. McQueen initiated the official publication for the College, The Legacy Publication. The first is dedicated to the life and legacy of Founding President, Dr. William L. Bonner (1921-2015). The document is created to publicize the mission of the college, and ongoing achievements, including those of alumni and students. Expansion and further development of the magazine will include relevant articles and topics among faculty and other educational leaders and advocates.

Ms. McQueen studied at Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence, SC,  Coker College in Hartsville, SC, and Francis Marion College in Florence, SC.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Belhaven College in Jackson, MS (1994), her Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Benedict College in Columbia, SC (1995), and her Master of Divinity in Missions from Columbia International University in Columbia, SC (2000).  She began her doctoral Studied in Higher Education Administration, focusing her dissertation and research interest in domestic and interpersonal violence and its impact on interpersonal and spiritual growth and development. She  earned the Ed. S. from Columbia International University (2012).

Ms. McQueen is currently employed with W. L. Bonner College in Columbia, SC. As a member of the Task Force Committee in establishing WLBC (1995), she was the first Director of Student Affairs and Admissions. She was appointed College Dean-CEO by the late President William L. Bonner, Founding President of W. L. Bonner College. In August 2013, she became College Interim President. With the transition of the Founding President from labor to reward, Ms. McQueen became the College’s second President. From 2013-2021, she has led the College in creating diverse streams of revenue, thus generating supporters from among various demographics.

CIVIC AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Ms. McQueen created and formulated various auxiliary ministries that allow hands-on opportunities for students in relevant settings. As an advocate for children, youth, and families, her goal is to connect with people throughout the world, transcending denominations, and social strata, to effect change in the lives of those who are wounded, down-trodden, and destitute.

Ms. McQueen has taught and served in 32 states throughout the United States.  She has labored in Grand Bahamas and Trinidad, Tobago, West Indies. Her aim and goal in laboring with children and youth are to develop those inborn gifts and talents and to instill positive attitudes. Through the Office of Student Services, she has engaged women and youth to make and provide hand-made quilts to families living in shelters. She, along with the students and employees of WLBC, launched drives to purchase uniforms for children at Hyatt Park Elementary School, where she served as a member of the School Improvement Council (SIC).  She established an after-school care service, focusing on “Tutoring and Life Skills Training as Preventative Action against Domestic Violence and Youth Incarceration.”  She later began the MASP Summer Enrichment Program, a ministry which operates nine weeks each summer. In 2002, she started a prison ministry at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, serving youth, adult men, and women. She links with Richland County Sheriff Department, Department of Social Services, Sister Care, Inc., and other social and educational institutions, to raise the awareness of social ills that destroys families and communities.

Ms. McQueen, in August 2013, launched several initiatives to connect WLBC with other partners in the community, which also provided institutional stability and expansion for the college (Celebrity games with former Harlem Globetrotters; Hall of Fame Inductions; Gospel Fest & Seafood Fest, Benefit Fellowship, Annual Presidential Golf Tournament, and other events that connect the College to additional partners and supporters).

As College President, Ms. McQueen has currently initiated the construction of the W L Bonner Memorial Walk Way. The aim of the project is to (a) glorify the Lord for His bountiful blessings (b) honor the Legendary Visionary Servant leader–the Late President William L. Bonner (c) pay tribute to others for their unique sacrifices and contributions, and (d) preserve the Legacy of W. L. Bonner College through an institutional endowment.

In August 2020, President McQueen launched a Virtual Prayer and Ministry Formation Conference, with a registration of 778. A major focus of the Conference was prayer and intercession for families, congregations, and communities, during these unprecedented times. The College will continue, bi-annually, with the next one to be held February 2021.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Ms. McQueen was the first African American May Queen at Florence Darlington Technical College (1974). She graduated from Benedict College in 1995 (Magna cum Laude).  She was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award by Eau Claire community. Ms. McQueen’s favorite song is “Higher Ground.”  She strives daily to reach higher heights and deeper depths in the Lord, and counsels others to do the same.