Educator Spotlight: Dr. Lorenzo Lamar Esters

Dr. Lorenzo Lamar Esters assumed the role of Vice President in the Office for Access and the Advancement of Public Black Universities at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities on June 1, 2009. As the chief minority affairs officer for the organization, whose membership includes more than 220 public, research and land-grant universities and is headquartered in Washington, DC, Dr. Esters works with leadership of public historically black colleges and universities, 1890 and 1994 Land-grant institutions, and Hispanic-serving institutions. He also provides support and leadership with the Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence and works to promote and advance access and equity across all APLU institutions and all public higher education.

Dr. Esters formerly served as Senior Adviser to the President at Dillard University in New Orleans, LA. As a Senior Adviser, Dr. Esters’ work primarily involved evaluating the effectiveness of programs and operations, providing senior level advice and assistance to the President regarding faculty, staff and student issues and in addressing complex and sensitive issues regarding campus administration.

Prior to joining Dillard University, Dr. Esters served as Management and Program Analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. There he was responsible for drafting regulations, legislation and policy related to No Child Left Behind and K-12 education. He has over ten years of experience as a career federal public employee. This includes three years with the U.S. Department of Education as a Management and Program Analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, two years as Deputy Division Director with the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Chief Administrative Law Judge in Falls Church, Virginia and five years as a Claims Representative in Social Security Administration District Offices.

Dr. Esters has served as adjunct professor of English at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, and at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. He has also published several articles on the subject of Entrepreneurial Leadership in Higher Education and the vanishing African American male in Higher Education. Dr. Esters is currently leading an initiative at A.P.L.U. to launch a national conversation regarding the “American Male Imperative,” an initiative designed to bring attention to the low persistence and resilience rates of males in general and minority males in particular at America’s four-year institutions.

The Mississippi Delta native is a summa cum laude graduate of Rust College in Holly Springs, MS and holds a Master of Arts Degree in English from Jackson State University and Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. He is a member of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia and is former Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Northern Virginia Community College, the second largest community college system in the United States. Dr. Esters is also a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and was recently recognized by his alma mater as the Young Alumnus of the Year.