Kaiya Jennings is from Suffolk, Virginia. On June 10, 2012, she was licensed in ministry and ordained on December 30, 2018. She is a 2011 graduate from Virginia State University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and is a graduate of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, where she earned her Master of Divinity degree. She is also a graduate of Boston University where she obtained her second master’s degree in religion, culture, and personality in Spring 2016.
In 2022, Jennings graduated with her Doctor of Ministry from Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC, where her research focus was on Black Clergywomen and Congregational Leadership. She has spent several years working in the nonprofit and government sectors, helping communities get access to a variety of resources. Currently in higher education, she is passionate about curating spaces of inclusion and belonging for students, faculty, and staff.