Bishop Tracy S. Malone was assigned to the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church effective September 1, 2016. As resident bishop, she provides spiritual oversight; shares in equipping, teaching and encouraging mission, outreach, witness and service; and serves as a shepherd of the church in providing a prophetic witness of justice, mercy and unity. 

Malone serves on the Boards of Trustees at the United Methodist-affiliated colleges, seminaries and organizations in East Ohio. She also is currently the president of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the president-designate of the Council of Bishops, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Africa University.

Malone was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of the late Rev. Willie and the late April Smith. She grew up in The United Methodist Church and accepted her call to ministry at the early age of 13.

During her ministry, she has pastored several churches in the Northern Illinois Conference, represented that conference at four General and Jurisdictional Conferences, served as a district superintendent, and been dean of the Cabinet. She also has written chapters for several books, published articles, blogs and book reviews, and taught courses as an adjunct professor at Aurora University and at Northern Baptist Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. Malone has a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Sociology, with a minor in Computer Science, from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. While in college, she was the recipient of the Outstanding Major in Religious
Studies award, and received the following honors: George M. Pullman Scholar, Clarence Stein Ministerial Scholar, and United Methodist Bicentennial Scholar.

She holds a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where she was selected a Crusade Scholar, a Maceo D. Pembroke Scholar, and a Bishop Edsel A. Ammons Scholar. She earmed her Doctorate of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Malone received the Distinguished Leadership Award from Chicago Black Methodists for Church Renewal in 2007, and was the recipient of North Central College’s 2013 Outstanding Alumni Award. She received the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and in 2018 received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary. 

She and her husband Derrick are the parents of two daughters.