Page 8 - Campaign Council Meeting - September 2020

Michael Lomax Frank Fernandez

Since 2004, Dr. Michael L. Lo- Frank Fernandez was named the
max has served as president and President and CEO of the Com-
CEO of UNCF, the nation’s largest munity Foundation of Greater
private provider of scholarships Atlanta in August 2020, replacing
and other educational support to Alicia Philipp, who led the Foun-
African American students and a dation for 43 years and announced
leading advocate of college readi- her retirement earlier this year.
ness: students’ need for an educa- The Community Foundation is
tion, from pre-school through high a $1.2 billion community founda-
school, that prepares them for college success. tion serving the 23-county Atlanta region. It has been
Under his leadership, UNCF has raised more than leading and inspiring philanthropy to increase the
$3 billion and helped more than 110,000 students earn vitality of the region and the well-being of its residents
college degrees and launch careers. Annually, UNCF’s for 70 years. The Foundation expands its philanthrop-
work enables 60,000 students to go to college with ic reach and impact by providing quality services to
UNCF scholarships and attend its 37 member histori- donors and bold, innovative community leadership. It
cally black college and universities (HBCUs). is a top-20 community foundation among 750 and is
At UNCF’s helm, Dr. Lomax oversees the organiza- Georgia’s second largest foundation.
tion’s 400 scholarship programs, which award 10,000 Before his current role with the Community Foun-
scholarships a year. He also launched the UNCF dation of Greater Atlanta, Fernandez was Senior Vice
Institute for Capacity Building, which helps UNCF’s President of Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. In
member HBCUs become stronger, more effective and that position, he launched and led the community
more self-sustaining. revitalization efforts in Atlanta’s historic Westside and
Under Dr. Lomax’s leadership, UNCF has fought also directed the foundation’s efforts in global giving,
for college readiness and education reform through youth development and social justice, among other
partnerships with reform-focused leaders and organi- responsibilities.
zations and worked to further advance HBCUs with A Florida native born to Cuban immigrants, Fernan-
Congress, the administration and the Department of dez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, magna
Education. He serves on the boards of the KIPP Foun- cum laude, from Harvard University. After three years
dation, America’s Promise, Teach for America and the in New York with Salomon Smith Barney, he moved
Studio Museum in Harlem. to Austin to pursue a Master of Arts degree at the LBJ
Before joining UNCF, Dr. Lomax was president of School of Public Affairs, University of Texas.
Dillard University in New Orleans and a literature pro- In Atlanta, Fernandez is a member of the board
fessor at UNCF-member institutions Morehouse and of the Latino Community Fund and on the finance
Spelman Colleges. He also founded the National Black committee of KIPP. He has been on Atlanta Magazine’s
Arts Festival, was a founding member of the Smithso- Atlanta 500 list the past two years. He is a Civil Soci-
nian Institution’s National Museum of African Amer- ety Fellow of the Aspen Institute and was a German
ican History and Culture (NMAAHC) and served as Marshall Fund Fellow in 2011. While in Austin he was
chairman of the Fulton County Commission in Atlan- named Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur of the
ta, the first African American elected to that post. Year.

Christopher S. Taylor, Assistant V.P. & Campaign Director : (404) 752-1907 | : ctaylor@msm.edu |