John Robert Kernodle Jr. graduated from Duke University School of Law and Andover Newton Theological School. He became an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ in 1971 and was a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro.
Kernodle founded and served as Executive Director of the Community Justice Resource Center at Guilford College. Many local organizations and agencies benefited from Kernodle’s membership and guidance, including the Guilford County School Board and the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union, both of which he served as chairman; the boards of directors of the Eastern Music Festival and One Step Further, Inc., both of which he served as president; and the United Arts Council, Greensboro Task Force to Reduce Family Violence and Leadership North Carolina, all of which he served as a member.
