San Mateo, FL
Bachelor of Arts, History; Master of Arts, History
Associate Vice President of Success and Engagement / Dean of Students, Edwards Waters College
As a double Eagle, Dr. Lanita Reesie Holsey has dedicated her work to advocating for HBCUs, educating and uplifting students for over 15 years. She had the pleasure of working in the Durham County and Chapel Hill Carrboro City school systems as a secondary education teacher and administrator.
Dr. Holsey’s career has allowed her to make an impact in the field of higher education, with appointments at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, at Bethune Cookman University and currently as the Associate Vice President of Students Affairs/Dean of Students at Florida’s first HBCU, Edward Waters College, founded in 1866 in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2019, while in her current role, she was appointed as the institution's Director of Title IX Compliance, facilitating the campus’s sex discrimination and sexual violence prevention initiatives to ensure Title IX compliance.
Dr. Holsey has a passion for community service and youth services, more specifically, adoption and foster care initiatives. As an adopted child herself, she feels it is her personal mission to give these children a voice. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Families for All, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing funding, support, and educational services to children and young adults impacted by the foster care system.