On August 28, 2024, at the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Harry L. Seawright received the Episcopal assignment as Presiding Prelate of the Thirteenth Episcopal District, (the states of Kentucky and Tennessee). For this quadrennial, he is the Chair of the AME Commission on Christian Education.

Bishop Seawright’s election in July 2016, during at the 50th Quadrennial Session of the AME Church marked only the second time in AME history that a bishop was elected on the first voting ballot. The Reverend Doctor Harry L. Seawright became the denomination’s 133rd Elected and Consecrated Bishop. From 2016 until 2024, he served as Presiding Prelate of the Ninth Episcopal District (the State of Alabama).

This fourth-generation AME is the youngest of seven children of the late Joe Nathan and Mary L. Seawright. Bishop Seawright’s faith was nurtured at Prodigal AME Church in Swansea, SC.

Bishop Seawright earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Benedict College, Columbia, SC. In 1981, he earned a Master of Divinity at Howard University, Washington, DC and received an award for the “The Student Most Likely to Excel in Pastoral Ministry”. In 1995, Bishop Seawright graduated from Howard again, this time with his Doctor of Ministry degree and was awarded the Doctor of Ministry “Student of the Year Award” for his outstanding D. Min project. A recipient of numerous other awards, he also participated in the University of Oxford Roundtable in Oxford, England.

In Bishop Seawright’s journey through ministry, the late Bishop Frank Madison Reid, II admitted him to the Central Annual Conference of the Seventh Episcopal District and allowed him to serve as Interim Pastor at St. Stephen AME Church, St. Matthews, SC. The late Bishop Henry Wendell Murph ordained him an Itinerant Deacon. The late Bishop John Hurst Adams ordained him an Itinerant Elder. For 35 years he received pastoral appointments to Payne Memorial AME Church, Jessup, MD; Hemingway Temple AME Church, Washington, DC; and Union Bethel AME Church, Brandywine and Temple Hills, MD.

Bishop Seawright authored the following books: More Than Bricks and Mortar: Building a Church Without Losing Your Mind and Don’t Faint: Help for Hurting Pastors and Their Families. The practical and transparent writings continue to provide help to many persons.

Bishop Seawright serves or served the church and community in several capacities. Among these are: AME International Commission on Economic Development; AME International Health Commission; Second Vice President of the Trustee Board at Turner Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center; Church Mutual Insurance African American Leaders Advisory Committee; and AstraZeneca US Health Equity Advisory Council. From June 2019 until June 2020, he served as the President of our Zion’s Council of Bishops. In 2018 he was inducted into Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Bishop Seawright is the founder and owner of WeKleen, Inc. (a commercial cleaning service), HLS Consulting, Trinity Group, and Prestigious Property Management. He continues to use his business acumen to make positive changes in society.

Bishop Seawright is married to the former Sherita Gayle Moon. They are the parents of Shari Nicole and The Reverend Harry Matthew and the grandparents of Cameron Isaiah Seawright.