Ernest Duplessis Sr.

Pastor Ernest Duplessis grew up in the inner city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and subsequently graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in neighboring Willingboro, New Jersey.  Upon graduation, Pastor Ernest enlisted in the United States Navy and served honorably for twenty-one years, retiring at the rank of Navy Commander.  

Upon departing the military in 2004, Pastor Ernest relocated to Chicago, Illinois to pursue a career in corporate America working as an executive for several Chicago-based companies including:  W.W. Grainger, Kraft Foods, and Mondelez International.  In 2014 while serving as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Government Affairs for Mondelez, he transitioned into a full-time professors role at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.  Currently, Pastor Ernest is recognized as the Theodore R. and Annie Sills Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications at NU where he teaches at the Medill School of Integrated Marketing Communications.

Pastor Ernest and his wife of 37 years, Gwendolyn Duplessis, have served together in ministry for 35 years.  They were ordained in 2009, and answered the call to shepherd in 2014 when he and his wife founded S.T.U.D.Y.S. Ministries, LLC.

Pastor Ernest holds the following academic credentials: BS Mathematics, MS Integrated Marketing Communications, MBA, MA Divinity.  He also holds a doctorate degree in Pastoral Ministry.