TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., today announced the appointment of alumnus John Michael Lee Jr., Ph.D., as assistant vice president for alumni affairs and university relations. He will assume his position with the University in May.
As the assistant vice president for alumni affairs and university relations, he will oversee the continued development of the relationship between the University and its estimated 70,000 plus alumni.
Lee has more than a decade of leadership experience in advocacy, outreach, and engagement. Since 2012, he served as vice president of the Office of Access and Success at the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU). He led the APLU’s efforts to provide access, diversity, and student achievements among its member institutions.
Prior to his tenure at the APLU, Lee served as policy director for The College Board Advocacy and Policy Center where he developed solutions for college access and preparation, college affordability, financial aid, college admission, retention, and graduation.
Lee also served as president and CEO of North Star Educational Consulting for five years. During his tenure at North Star, he created evaluative assessments for faculty, teachers, students, and administrators on matters related to achieving post-secondary success and providing support for low-income students.
He has lectured extensively at FAMU alumni, outreach, recruitment, and other key events around the nation, including having served as the keynote speaker at the University’s 2014 Homecoming Convocation. Lee is also the author of a publication titled “American Higher Education Without Public HBCUs,” which explores the impact that closing or merging these institutions will have on African-American students’ access to college. He is the co-author of the research brief entitled “Hispanic Serving Institutions: Challenges and Contributions.”
Throughout his career, Lee has garnered numerous honors and awards, including the New York University (NYU) Dissertation Award, the NYU Steinhardt Doctoral Research Grant, the NYU Steinhardt Doctoral Fellowship, the FAMU Horatio Alger Association Alumni of the Year Award, the FAMU NASA Scholar Award, and the Andrew Young School Service Award.
“We are fortunate to have a person with Mr. Lee’s understanding of and appreciation for FAMU’s legacy of providing access and opportunity to join our team,” President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., said. “Dr. Lee has worked closely with our alumni and other key University stakeholders over the past several years. He is poised to leverage these relationships to help us to achieve our vision of becoming a best-in-class university with a global reach.”
Commenting on his appointment, Lee expressed his anticipation about returning to “the Hill.”
“I am truly excited about the opportunity to serve my alma mater and to bring to bear my passion, dedication, and skills to help enhance alumni and University relations for the betterment of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters,” said Lee. “It is really a dream come true to be able to work at FAMU.”
Lee received his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from FAMU, a master’s degree in public administration from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from New York University.
He is a member of several professional associations including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Lee is also a life member of the FAMU National Alumni Association, treasurer of the D.C. Chapter of the FAMU National Alumni Association, a member of the FAMU Marching 100 Alumni Association, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.