Washington, DC, July 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UNCF Board Chair Milton H. Jones, Jr., announced Dr. Michael L. Lomax, who has served as president and CEO since 2004, will conclude his historic tenure in June 2027, completing a leadership journey that transformed UNCF into one of the nation’s most influential champions of educational opportunity for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
“This announcement reflects years of thoughtful succession planning between the UNCF Board of Directors and Dr. Lomax to ensure a seamless leadership transition while maintaining the organization’s strategic momentum and unwavering commitment to students and member institutions,” said Jones.
“Few leaders have shaped an institution as profoundly as Dr. Lomax has shaped UNCF,” said Jones. “For more than two decades, he has elevated HBCUs on the national stage, expanded educational opportunity for hundreds of thousands of students, strengthened our member institutions and positioned UNCF for enduring success. We celebrate his extraordinary legacy while looking forward to the organization’s next chapter with great confidence. Thanks to Dr. Lomax’s vision and leadership, UNCF is stronger than ever and exceptionally well positioned for the future.”
A Transformational Legacy
Under Dr. Lomax’s leadership, UNCF experienced unprecedented growth and national influence:
- Raising more than $4 billion from private and philanthropic sources to support students and HBCUs.
- Helping more than 300,000 students pursue and complete college degrees.
- Expanding scholarship opportunities for students across the country attending more than 600 U.S.-based colleges and universities, including 36 UNCF-member HBCUs.
- Strengthening innovative investments in UNCF-member institutions that build their capacity.
- Growing UNCF’s endowment almost 10x from $60 million to $500 million to date and anticipating it will reach $600 million before his departure.
- Elevating HBCUs as essential engines of educational excellence, workforce development, innovation and economic mobility.
Beyond these accomplishments, Dr. Lomax helped reshape the national conversation around HBCUs, strengthening partnerships across philanthropy, corporate America, higher education and government, while positioning UNCF as a leading voice for educational equity and student success.
Dr. Lomax will remain fully engaged through June 2027, leading the launch of UNCF’s 2030 Strategic Plan and advancing the organization’s historic capital campaign toward its next milestone of $1 billion. Following his retirement as president and CEO, he will serve the organization in a consultative role for one additional year to support the incoming president and CEO and help ensure a seamless leadership transition.
“Serving as president and CEO of UNCF has been the privilege of a lifetime,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax. “Everything we have accomplished has been made possible through the extraordinary partnership of our board of directors, our member institutions, our dedicated team members, our donors, our philanthropic partners and the countless champions who believe deeply in our mission. Together, we have expanded opportunities for hundreds of thousands of students and strengthened the institutions that have transformed generations of lives.
“While this marks an important leadership transition, it is not a pause in our work,” Dr. Lomax continued. “UNCF has tremendous momentum, an ambitious vision for the future and extraordinary support from the philanthropic community, our partners and government leaders. I remain fully committed to ensuring a seamless transition, and I have every confidence that UNCF’s greatest impact is still ahead.”
Building on a Strong Foundation
Throughout this transition, UNCF’s Board of Directors and executive leadership team will remain closely engaged with member institution presidents, donors, alumni, philanthropic partners and other stakeholders to ensure continued progress toward the organization’s strategic priorities, fundraising goals and mission.
The board has launched a national search for the organization’s next president and CEO and will conduct a comprehensive search to identify an exceptional leader who will build on Dr. Lomax’s extraordinary legacy while guiding the organization through its next era of growth, innovation and impact.
As UNCF prepares for its next chapter, the organization does so from a position of strength, with a bold strategic vision, record fundraising momentum, strong financial stewardship and an unwavering commitment to expanding educational opportunity for future generations.
Throughout the coming year, UNCF will celebrate Dr. Lomax’s extraordinary leadership and lasting contributions to higher education, HBCUs and the hundreds of thousands of students whose lives have been transformed through the organization’s work. Additional opportunities to recognize his remarkable legacy will be announced throughout the transition year.
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About UNCF
UNCF is one of the nation’s largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support students’ access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Each year, UNCF awards more than 13,000 scholarships to more than 10,000 students totaling more than $64 million. The scholarships support students attending more than 600 US-based colleges and universities including 36 UNCF-member HBCUs. Through its efforts, UNCF has helped generations of students to get to and through college. We believe a college education plays a vital role in strengthening the pipeline of leaders and professionals who advance our society. Our logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education, and our widely recognized trademark is, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Instagram.
- Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF