Dr. Michael L. Lomax Named GSV's 2025 Lifetime Achievement Recipient

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HBCU champion and transformational leader Dr. Michael L. Lomax will receive GSV’s 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award!

Dr. Michael L. Lomax is president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) – the nation’s largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to African American students and a leading advocate of college readiness.

Throughout his two decades of visionary leadership, UNCF has raised more than $4 billion to help 150,000+ students earn degrees and launch careers; 50,000 students annually attend college thanks to the 400+ scholarship programs that Lomax guides. A powerful voice for HBCUs through his daily work and in government forums, Lomax has also launched UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, which empowers their 37 member HBCUs to thrive as effective, self-sustaining institutions.

Before leading UNCF, Lomax served as the fifth president of Dillard University, increasing student enrollment by nearly 50% and alumni giving more than 2,000%. He was also a professor of literature for 20 years at both Spelman College and his undergraduate alma mater, Morehouse College.

Beyond his profound impact in education, Lomax has led a remarkable civic career in Atlanta, establishing the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Fulton County Arts Council, and the National Black Arts Festival. He was also the first African American to be elected chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

Lomax currently serves on the boards of the KIPP Foundation, Teach For America, Cengage Group, Handshake, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. He is also a founding member of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and was appointed to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities by President George W. Bush, among many other awards and accolades.

Dr. Lomax wholly embodies our mission of creating equal access to the future for ALL, and we are thrilled to celebrate him at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, April 6-9 in San Diego!

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