March 31, 2018
Reverend Rita Mishoe Paige
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in Dover, Delaware, Rev. Paige is the youngest of her 3 siblings. Rev. Paige has been serving as Pastor of Star Hill AME Church in Dover, Delaware since March 13, 2005. She earned her Master of Divinity degree in May 2009 from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and her Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Howard University in 1981.
Rev. Paige was the first African-American female to be employed in an administrative capacity for the City of Milford 1983-85 serving first as the Assistant Administrator for the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program then being promoted to the CDBG Administrator. While doing her broadcast internship at WGMD, FM 92 in Angola, DE during the summer of 1981, Rev. Paige was promoted to Interim News Director for the entire summer.
In the Evenings that same summer, Rev. Paige was employed as the first African-American radio personality, host of the late night Quiet Storm at the then all new 0C 104 radio station in Maryland. As a former radio personality from August 1998-2012 on Heaven 1600 AM which was Dover’s 24 hour Gospel radio station, Reverend Paige hosted the Rita Paige Show and co-hosted Melodies from Heaven with Ms. Sonja Lewis and Reverend Jean Sudler.
Rev. Paige is a member of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Dover (IMA). She chaired the IMA’s MLK Committee which was successful in getting 3 streets renamed in Dover to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. She currently serves as the IMA Social Action Chair. She was also instrumental in speaking out and writing letters in favor of repealing the death penalty, restoring voting rights to ex-felons (SB242) and extending the City of Dover property tax extension due date to August 31, 2016. Rev. Rita is a member of the Star Hill Ministerial Alliance organized in July 2016.
She serves as Voter Registration Coordinator for the Star Hill AME Social Action Voter Reg. Comm. with a team of 46 registrars representing 19 churches and a local Mosque, they have registered over 300 new voters since March 2016.
Rev. Paige is an on call volunteer Chaplain at Bay Health Hospital in Dover, is the Chaplain for the Department of Public Safety at Delaware State University, is a member of the state of Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families Child Advocacy Advisory Board, president of the Dover Education and Community Center Board of Directors, and was the Dover Rotary Club president (2011-12).
Some of her numerous awards include: 2016 Central Delaware Branch NAACP Community Service Faith & Leadership Award, 2015 Delaware State University President’s First Faith Partner Award, 2014 Outstanding Community Service Award from St. James Union AME Church, the 2002 Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award, NAACP Central Delaware Branch for outstanding community leadership in October 2001, the Village Merit Award from the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families Office of Prevention in 1996, Awards of Excellence from DSHA in 1995 and 1997, and Outstanding Contributions to the Delaware State Police Kent County Community Policing Unit June 2001.
Thank you Reverend Rita Mishoe Paige for all that you have done and continue to do. You are truly a phenomenal woman and role model.
