Rev. Herman L. Gladney was born in Blair, South Carolina, and educated in the public school system. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina and Master of Arts degree from Atlanta-Clarke University, Atlanta, Georgia.  He earned his Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University, Richmond, Virginia.

After completing graduate school, Rev. Gladney was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the US Army Chemical Corps. He served for 20 years and assignments include the 5^th Infantry Division, Fort Polk, Louisiana; U.S. Army Chemical School, Fort McClellan, Alabama; 1^st Armored Division, Ansbach, Germany; 200^th Theater Army Material Management Center, Kaiserslautern, Germany; On-Site Inspection Agency, Dulles, Virginia; Chemical Biological Defense Command, Edgewood, Maryland, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is a Gulf War combat veteran and has received numerous awards and decorations for outstanding leadership and service to his Country. He currently works as a Department of Defense Contractor supporting the Product Manager – Force Protection Systems, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.