The Reverend Doctor Leo Whitaker is a native of Newport News, Virginia, where he was born the eighth of nine children to the late Perry David and Realer Whitaker.  As a young boy, he became a member of the First Church of Newport News (Baptist), where the late Dr. Fred J. Boddie, Jr., was his pastor.  He graduated with honors from high school and onto Howard University earning a Bachelor of Arts, Virginia Union University, School Theology earning a Master of Divinity, Union Theological Seminary earning a Master of Arts in Christian Education, and to earning the Doctor of Ministry degree from Virginia Union University, School of Theology. Dr. Whitaker began serving at his home church and delivered his initial sermon and was licensed to preach on July 1, 1979 and ordained into the Gospel of Ministry on December 7, 1986 by his home church as well.  While in seminary, Dr. Whitaker worked with First Baptist Church, Dr. Dwight C. Jones, Senior Pastor.  After seminary, Dr. Whitaker began working at the Baptist General Convention of Virginia as its first full-time Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.  While serving at BGC as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for over five (5) years, the BGC Youth retreats grew by record numbers of over 1,000 senior high students, over 700 junior high students, as many of 2,500 of King’s Dominion BGC Day, and a couple of hundred young people at BGC’s Annual Sessions.  For many young people, Dr. Whitaker became “their” youth minister and led many BGC churches in training youth ministers, pastors, and youth workers to serve BGC congregations.  Dr. and Mrs. Whitaker’s home church during his BGC years was at the Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. John W. Kinney is the senior pastor. 

Dr. Whitaker went on to serve at Third Baptist Church and Pastor Joe B. Fleming as their first Youth Minister.  While at Third Baptist, Dr. Whitaker continued winning young souls to Christ revitalizing their after-school program, organizing lock-ins, leading large numbers of youth to the Lott Cary Foreign Missions conferences and conventions, annual youth revivals, annual summer camps that kept outgrowing itself.  

While at Third Baptist, Dr. Whitaker was called into the pastoral ministry serving as a Methodist pastor in the Charlotte, NC area and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Hood Theological Seminary.  Returning back to the Tidewater area, Dr. Whitaker served as the first Assistant Pastor at First Baptist Church, Bute Street where Dr. Robert G. Murray is the senior pastor.  Soon thereafter, Dr. Whitaker was called to Mount Hermon Baptist Temple as its senior pastor and served faithfully for twelve (12) years.  While there, he ordained male and for the first time ever female deacons, constructed and built the Irving S. Waters Educational Building, and purchased land for an additional parking lot. 

Dr. Whitaker broadened his professional scope and training by completing a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program with Sentara Hospital and began serving as a full-time chaplain at Sentara Obici Hospital, Suffolk, Virginia, where he most recently served for over six (6) stellar years.  At Obici, he trained and expanded the Chaplaincy Program to associate and volunteer chaplains.  

At the 118th Annual Session of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia in June, 2017, unanimously invited Dr. Leo Whitaker to serve as its third Executive Minister, and as of January 1, 2018, Dr. Leo Whitaker has returned to BGC as he believes the BGC is the place to be!  At BGC, he leads over 1,075 Baptist churches, 29 associations, and BGC office staff to greater ministry.  

Dr. Leo Whitaker has been married to Mrs. Cathy W. Whitaker, a public-school counselor, since December 5, 1987, and together they have two sons, Yohance David and Adom Leo, both are honor graduates of Norfolk Academy and college graduates of the College of William and Mary.  

Dr. Whitaker firmly asserts that the Baptist General Convention of Virginia is the place to be and encourages its member churches and others to continue to love and support OUR convention!