Leonard c. mckinnis, phd

Leonard C. McKinnis,  II is Assistant Professor of Religion and Black Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a scholar of African American Religions.  His research sits at the intersection of Black Religions,  New Religious Movements, Black Theology, Race and Religion, and Ethnographic approaches to the study of Religion. Dr. McKinnis teaches and advises undergraduate and graduate students.  His current book project, The Black Coptic Church: Race, Religion, and Imagination among Black Coptic Believers, is at press with NYU (New York University)  Press and will be released in 2023. 

 Dr. McKinnis'  research has been supported by the Louisville Institute, the American Academy of Religion, and Mellon Funding.  He has also been the recipient of various internal awards at University of Illinois and Saint Louis University. 

Dr. McKinnis is an active member in the Society for the Study of Black Religion (SSBR) and the American Academy of Religion (AAR). Within the SSBR, Dr. McKinnis serves on the Executive Committe as the registrar. His service to the AAR includes Co-Chairman of the Theology of Martin Luther King Jr. Unit,  steering committee member in the Body and Religion Unit, and a member of the Status for Racial and Ethnic Minorities committee.  

Aside from his academic work, Dr.  McKinnis has extensive experience in public service, having worked as a White House Intern, a Chicago Mayoral Policy  Fellow, a Department of Labor Fellow, and a Director of National Policy for a think tank and non-profit in Chicago. 

Professor McKinnis is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.