Michael C. Lomax, president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), has been awarded the Andrew Jackson Young Lifetime Achievement Award from 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., an African American volunteer organization dedicated to education, enrichment, and empowerment.
The award is presented annually to an individual who has created a positive impact on their community by giving back and representing a group of underrepresented people. The award’s namesake, Andrew Young, is a longtime member of the volunteer organization and a former mayor of Atlanta. He also served as a member of Congress and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Dr. Lomax is currently in his twentieth year as president and CEO of the UNCF. His background includes extensive experience in HBCU education and leadership. His career began in 1969 as an English instructor with Morehouse College and Spelman College in Atlanta. He taught at the two HBCUs for 20 years while expanding his career to public service. He served as director of research and special assistant to Maynard H. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta. Dr. Lomax was also the first African American chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
In 1994, Dr. Lomax was named president of the National Faculty, an Atlanta-based organization dedicated to connecting higher education scholars with K-12 teachers. Three years later, he became the fifth president of Dillard University, an HBCU in New Orleans. He served in this role for seven years before assuming his UNCF presidency in 2004.
“It was a true honor to receive the Andrew Jackson Young Lifetime Achievement Award from 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc.,” said Dr. Lomax. “For nearly half a century, Ambassador Young has dedicated his life to advancing the social, political and economic rights of oppressed communities worldwide. As a steadfast supporter of UNCF, he has championed education and opportunity for generations and receiving this award in his name was deeply meaningful.”
Dr. Lomax holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Morehouse College, a master’s degree in English literature from Columbia University in New York, and a Ph.D. in American and African American literature from Emory University in Atlanta.
