Kelvin J. Cochran was born and raised in Shreveport, LA. At the age of 7 he became a Christian. After watching Shreveport firefighters put out a fire across the street from where he lived, he dreamed that one day he would be a firefighter. He became a firefighter with the Shreveport Fire Department in 1981.
Working his way through the ranks he was appointed Fire Chief of the Shreveport Fire Department in 1999. In 2008 he was appointed Fire Chief for the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department under Mayor Shirley Franklin. In August 2009 he was appointed by President Barack Obama to head the United States Fire Administration in the Department of Homeland Security. In June 2010 he was recruited back to serve as Fire Chief under Mayor Kasim Reed and served until January 2015.
Kelvin made national headlines when he was suspended for 30 days without pay in late November 2014 over a self-published book he had written called, Who Told You That You Were Naked? in which Cochran deals with a Biblical view of marriage and briefly mentions homosexuality. In January, after returning from the suspension, Cochran was informed that he would have to resign or be terminated.
Kelvin is a member of the Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia where he serves as a deacon and teacher/facilitator. He has a passion for men’s ministry and leadership development. Kelvin has been married to Carolyn Marshall for more than thirty years.
"Kelvin Cochran is the real deal! Our membership was richly blessed and challenged by Kelvin’s honesty, integrity and humility. His genuine desire to be a man of God was easy to discern as he spoke of his relationship and walk with God. Your membership will be greatly blessed and encouraged through the ministry of Kelvin Cochran!" - Dr. Ernest L. Easley, Senior Pastor at Roswell Street Baptist Church, Marietta, GA
"Kelvin had every man (250) at our men’s breakfast sitting on the edge of their seats listening to him clearly teach the Word of God. The following day he preached at both services at First Baptist Church with a refreshing transparency and excellent recall of the scripture. I highly recommend Kelvin Cochran as a preacher/teacher/encourager to your men’s group or you entire congregation. Your church or group will thank you for introducing them to Kelvin." Pastor Bob Jolly, First Baptist Church, Cumming, GA
“In a day where men of character and conviction are rare it was encouraging to have Kelvin Cochran speak at Abilene Baptist Church. Kelvin is a strong, humble, Christian man whose story desperately needs to be heard across this land. You can’t help but be captured by his devotion to His Lord, family and country. I wholeheartedly recommend Kelvin Cochran to your church or organization.” - Dr. Brad Whitt, Senior Pastor at Abilene Baptist Church, Martinez, GA