A member of the celebrated Winans family, Deborah Joy Winans has made a name for herself as a stage and screen actor and as a contemporary gospel vocalist. Born and raised in Detroit, she earned a fine arts degree from the city's Wayne State University, then attended California Institute of Arts, where she earned a Master's degree in acting. Her first screen appearance was made in the 2014 independent film Fragile World. The following year, she portrayed her aunt CeCe Winans in the Angela Bassett-directed Lifetime movie Whitney. Winans was subsequently cast as music minister Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee, one of the key roles in the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) series Greenleaf, and was featured throughout its soundtrack, released in 2016. ~ Andy Kellman