Dr. DeForest B. Soaries: Author, Public Speaker, and Corporate Director
Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. is an author and public speaker, with an outstanding background in social activism and religion. This foundation has led him to become the President and CEO of Corporate Community Connections, Inc., which encourages the expression of social responsibility and community impact for numerous companies. On episode 55 of our Catch The Moment podcast, Dr. DeForest shares how his family values, collaboration with community leaders, and responses to social issues, have shaped him into the knowledgable man he is today.
Dr. DeForest and I connected over our humble beginnings in Montclair, NJ. He appreciated the strong presence of community and deeply rooted history of civil rights and education. Furthermore, with his life focused on school, community, and church, he recognized he was inevitably “saturated with purpose [and] with a sense of destiny…” A heartfelt experience with his grandmother is what motivated Dr. DeForest to act on this profound destiny and discover how he wanted to shape his life to positively influence society.
Moving forward, the passing of his father sparked Dr. DeForest’s desire to grow spiritually. While pursuing religion and social change simultaneously, he learned, “You can have a social movement that has a spiritual sound, or you can have a spiritual movement that has social relevance,” in which the latter is what he is in pursuit of. In fact, Dr. DeForest has lived by this statement through his previous success in various roles; these including Secretary of State in NJ and Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens.
Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. continues to base his actions around the values of spiritual growth, educational excellence, and economic empowerment. His books and podcast are only the beginning of what is yet to come regarding his recent plethora of achievements. You do not want to miss this episode with Dr. DeForest, which covers his full story and updates on what he has in store for the future.