None of us were created to live a life defined by failures and mistakes—a reality that Jermaine Wilson knows firsthand. During the years when teens should be having the time of their lives, Jermaine was sitting behind bars. Carrying the destructive cycle he felt there was no escape from, Jermaine quickly found himself put back into prison after only a short experience of freedom. But it was spending his most formative years behind bars that gave him the time and perspective needed to build a relationship with God. A relationship that would completely transform his life and take him to the most unexpected places—all the way to city hall.

Guest Bio:

Jermaine Wilson is the Mission Ambassador for Prison Fellowship and former two-time mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas. As a servant leader, his passion for helping others stems from his humble beginnings and troubled childhood. Jermaine spent seven years behind bars—four of them as a juvenile. 

While incarcerated as an adult, Jermaine participated in biblically based programs through Prison Fellowship and experienced the life-transforming power of God’s Word. With renewed purpose and vision, he no longer saw himself as a failure and a mistake. After his release from prison, Jermaine created a nonprofit organization, Unity in the Community, to establish trust between citizens and law enforcement. When his criminal record was expunged, he increased his political and civic involvement. In 2017, he was elected city commissioner for Leavenworth, Kansas, and Mayor in 2019. In 2020, he became the first formerly incarcerated person to serve on the Kansas Sentencing Committee. 

Jermaine is an ordained minister, husband, and father of five children.

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