Lawrence M. Drake II has been selected to serve as interim president of Albany State University in Georgia. His appointment follows the recent resignation of President Marion Ross Fedrick, who transitioned to serve as executive vice president at Georgia State University.
Albany State University is a historically Black university within the University of Georgia System. The school enrolls about 5,800 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. African Americans represent roughly 80 percent of all undergraduates.
Dr. Drake brings over 40 years of experience to his new role, having held leadership positions in both higher education and private sectors. He has been serving as president and CEO of LEADing for Life Enterprise, an educational outreach organization, and chairman and CEO of HOPE360 Inc., an executive consulting firm. Before his consulting career, he served as division president of Coca-Cola Africa, where he worked for over two decades.
As for his educational experience, Dr. Drake recently served as interim president of Bethune-Cookman University, an HBCU in Daytona Beach, Florida. He previously served as dean of the university’s College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
“With my passion for expanding access to learning opportunities and helping individuals acquire 21st-century skills, I am honored to have this opportunity to work with Albany State’s faculty, staff and students in a time of positive transition,” said Dr. Drake. “There’s so much momentum thanks to the work of President Fedrick, and I’m looking forward to doing my part for the legacy of the largest public HBCU in Georgia.”
Dr. Drake holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Georgia State University, a second bachelor’s degree in elective studies from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and an MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. He received a master’s degree and Ph.D. in psychology from Fielding Graduate University in California.
