Kofi Lomotey, Ph.D.
“Each of us has a responsibility to recognize inequalities and to work to change them. We can either support inequities in society or participate in dismantling them.”
Biography
For 50 years, Dr. Kofi Lomotey (Ko-fee’ Low’-mow-tay) has been concerned about the limited academic, social, cultural, and spiritual success of Black children in U.S. schools. Virtually all of his research, publishing, experience in the academy, and practice have focused in one way or another on this longstanding crisis. As a researcher, his work has focused largely on the significance of Black principals for the overall success of Black children. He has published more than 50 books, journal articles and book chapters, most focused on aspects of Black education -- pre-k to professional school. Professor Lomotey’s most recent book is Justice for Black Students: Black Principals Matter (Myers Education Press, 2022). As an academic, he has been a professor, a department chair, a provost (Medgar Evers College & Fisk University), a president (Fort Valley State University), and a chancellor (Southern University).
Dr. Lomotey is a member of the executive committee of the Board of Directors of The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). He is also a member of the executive committee of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA).
Kofi is the Chancellor John Bardo and Deborah Bardo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University. In 2020, he received the Roald F. Campbell Award from UCEA, an annual award that recognizes a senior professor of educational leadership for a lifetime of excellent achievement. He is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Recently, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Division G of AERA.
Professor Lomotey earned a BA degree in economics from Oberlin College, an MEd degree in curriculum & instruction from Cleveland State University and MA and PhD degrees from Stanford University in educational administration and policy analysis.
Kofi has been married to A. Nahuja since 1977. They have a daughter, two sons and five grandchildren.
Work
As a practitioner, Kofi has helped to establish and led three independent African-centered schools. Since 1987, he has been the Secretary/Treasurer of the Council of Independent Black Institutions (CIBI), an umbrella organization for independent African-centered schools. Currently, he serves as a member of the Academic Council of the Pan African Heritage World Museum in Accra, Ghana. For nearly 50 years, he has been leading annual tours to West Africa, primarily to Ghana.
