William Pannell is professor emeritus of preaching at Fuller Seminary, where he taught from 1974 until his retirement in 2014. Fuller recognized his service to the school and the whole church with the January 2015 renaming and dedication of the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies.

Dr. Pannell previously served in leadership roles with Youth for Christ and Tom Skinner Associates. His books include My Friend, the Enemy and Evangelism from the Bottom Up. He and his wife, Hazel, live near Pasadena.