Reverend Dr. Tyrone Hicks was born the fourth of nine children to Mr. And Mrs. Johnnie Hicks, Sr. in Memphis, Tennessee.  At the age of nine, he moved to Mobile, Alabama where he completed elementary and junior high school.  The family moved six years later to Sacramento, California where he completed high school in 1969.

After serving in the United States Air Force for four years, Reverend Hicks was honorably discharged in 1973.  Upon completion of military service he followed in the path of his father as a civil servant and retired after 26 years at McClennan A.F.B. in Sacramento, California as an Occupational Safety and Health Manager.

Education always a priority, Reverend Hicks completed his education at Highlands High School, American River College, California State University Sacramento, Sacramento Theological Seminary, Simpson University, Redding California and completed a Senior Fellows program with the American Leadership Forum, Mountain Valley Chapter. 

Pastor Hicks was ordained as an Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1981.  He is wonderfully married to Reverend Phyllis Hicks for 30 years and they have two adult daughters, Latoya and Tiffany.

As the founder and former pastor of Murph-Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Highlands, California, which he served from 1987 until November 7, 2004, Reverend Hicks was instrumental in it's growth and development, increasing membership from four founding members to well over 200.  Pastor Hicks serves as the pastor of Parks Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Oakland, California where he continues to teach and inspire it's members.

Reverend Hicks  served as the Senior Advisor to Sacramento Valley Organizing Community (SVOC), a broad based community organizing group in Solano, Yolo, and Sacramento counties.  Reverend Hicks has also served in numerous other capacities in the community, including but not limited to:  School Board Trustee for Center Unified School District, Treasurer for Sacramento Regional African American Coalition, Advisor to the NAACP, Restoration Advisory Board for environmental cleanup at the the former McClellan Air Force Base.

Finally, Reverend Hicks has received numerous awards including, 2001 Leadership for a Changing World (Sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Advocacy Institute, and Robert Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University) National Finalist and a 2002 Award for leadership in the community.