Page 7 - IMPACT Campaign Council Meeting - September 2020
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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. dation for 43 years and announced
Under his leadership, UNCF has her retirement earlier this year.
raised more than $3 billion and The Community Foundation is
helped more than 110,000 students a $1.2 billion community founda-
earn college degrees and launch careers. Annually, tion serving the 23-county Atlanta region. It has been
UNCF’s work enables 60,000 students to go to college leading and inspiring philanthropy to increase the
with UNCF scholarships and attend its 37 member vitality of the region and the well-being of its residents
historically black college and universities (HBCUs). for 70 years. The Foundation expands its philanthrop-
At UNCF’s helm, Dr. Lomax oversees the organiza- ic reach and impact by providing quality services to
tion’s 400 scholarship programs, which award 10,000 donors and bold, innovative community leadership. It
scholarships a year. He also launched the UNCF is a top-20 community foundation among 750 and is
Institute for Capacity Building, which helps UNCF’s Georgia’s second largest foundation.
member HBCUs become stronger, more effective and Before his current role with the Community Foun-
more self-sustaining. dation of Greater Atlanta, Fernandez was Senior Vice
Under Dr. Lomax’s leadership, UNCF has fought President of Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. In
for college readiness and education reform through that position, he launched and led the community
partnerships with reform-focused leaders and organi- revitalization efforts in Atlanta’s historic Westside and
zations and worked to further advance HBCUs with also directed the foundation’s efforts in global giving,
Congress, the administration and the Department of youth development and social justice, among other
Education. He serves on the boards of the KIPP Foun- responsibilities.
dation, America’s Promise, Teach for America and the A Florida native born to Cuban immigrants, Fernan-
Studio Museum in Harlem. dez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, magna
Before joining UNCF, Dr. Lomax was president of cum laude, from Harvard University. After three years
Dillard University in New Orleans and a literature pro- in New York with Salomon Smith Barney, he moved
fessor at UNCF-member institutions Morehouse and to Austin to pursue a Master of Arts degree at the LBJ
Spelman Colleges. He also founded the National Black School of Public Affairs, University of Texas.
Arts Festival, was a founding member of the Smithso- In Atlanta, Fernandez is a member of the board
nian Institution’s National Museum of African Amer- of the Latino Community Fund and on the finance
ican History and Culture (NMAAHC) and served as committee of KIPP. He has been on Atlanta Magazine’s
chairman of the Fulton County Commission in Atlan- Atlanta 500 list the past two years. He is a Civil Soci-
ta, the first African American elected to that post. ety Fellow of the Aspen Institute and was a German
Marshall Fund Fellow in 2011. While in Austin he was
named Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur of the
Year.