Picasso Nelson Sr

Dr. Picasso Nelson has lived four careers that all point in the same direction. A standout at Jackson State University, he was named the 1995 SWAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and was later inducted into the JSU Sports Hall of Fame. He went on to play professional football in the NFL with the Houston Oilers and New York Giants, and in the CFL with the BC Lions and Edmonton Eskimos.

After football, Dr. Nelson earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi and spent two decades in education. He taught at Jones County Junior College, where he also coached, and then served 13 years as a professor at Jackson State University. For the past 12 years, he has pastored South 28th Avenue Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he preaches, teaches, and leads a growing congregation.

Alongside it all, he has spent more than 20 years building a real estate business. He has purchased more than 500 houses, owns and manages 104 rental properties, and is now focused on ground-up development. He also uses AI to save hours every week in sermon preparation and in running his business.

Today, Dr. Nelson speaks to audiences in education, ministry, business, and real estate. He teaches leaders how to reinvent without starting over, communicate with power, and build systems that multiply what one person can accomplish. He is available for keynotes, workshops, and emcee work, and he travels from his home base in Hattiesburg and the Pine Belt.