The Provincial Council announces the appointment of Funmi Ojetayo, Esq as Assistant Provincial Prosecutor in the ecclesiastical proceedings concerning Archbishop Stephen D. Wood.

Mr. Ojetayo will assist Provincial Prosecutor Beth Medley in the preparation and presentation of the Province’s case throughout the adjudicative process. His responsibilities will include legal research and analysis, review of evidence and submissions, preparation of pleadings and procedural filings, witness preparation, and support during hearings and other proceedings.

Mr. Ojetayo brings substantial legal and litigation experience to this appointment. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 2008 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2012, where he served as a Dean’s Leadership Scholar and International Judicial Fellow. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Dikgang Moseneke, Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa, at the Constitutional Court of South Africa in Johannesburg.

His professional experience includes senior legal positions with Florida A&M University, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Department of Management Services. As Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Management Services, he led the agency’s litigation function and provided counsel on significant legal matters. He currently serves as a Partner at Allen, Norton & Blue, P.A., in Tallahassee, Florida, where his practice focuses on labor and employment litigation and appellate advocacy.

In addition to his legal training, Mr. Ojetayo holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He completed his pastoral residency at Incarnation Anglican Church in Tallahassee in 2022 and currently serves as Discipleship Pastor at Four Oaks Church East.

While under consideration for the appointment, Mr. Ojetayo disclosed that he has a brother who serves as a rector within Bishop Julian Dobbs’ diocese. As Mr. Ojetayo has no personal involvement in the matters under review, and his appointment is based on his professional qualifications and experience, the province deemed this not to be a conflict of interest.  

All prosecutorial decisions will be made in accordance with the applicable canons, procedures, and ethical obligations governing these proceedings. While the two provincial prosecutors represent the interests of the province in this case, a number of safeguards are regularly maintained to ensure prosecutorial independence to preserve the integrity of the process.