Dr. Cleve V. Tinsley IV is a public theologian, scholar, and strategist working at the intersection of faith, justice, and Black intellectual life. He serves as Assistant Professor of History and Political Science at Virginia Union University and formerly led the university’s Center for African American History and Culture as its inaugural Executive Director, where he helped shape its mission to preserve and elevate Black life, history, and culture.

An ordained elder in both the Black Baptist and Pentecostal traditions, Dr. Tinsley is Principal of Imaginoir Equity Group, a consultancy advancing equity, justice, and liberative leadership in Black communities. He is also the founder of CVT4, a platform for faith-rooted public engagement and theological reflection.

His interdisciplinary research explores the religious and cultural dimensions of African American life and Black freedom struggles, blending humanistic theory with social scientific method. He is co-author of Embodiment and Black Religion and is completing his first monograph, Black Soul Struggles: Religion and Race in the Ongoing Fight for African-American Identity.

Recognized for his leadership in both scholarship and activism—including induction into the MLK Jr. Collegium of Scholars—Dr. Tinsley brings a prophetic and strategic voice to every space he inhabits. Whether in the classroom, the pulpit, or the public square, he remains committed to cultivating liberative spaces through rigorous inquiry, faithful ministry, and transformative justice.