Biography

Born in the Chicago, Dr. Mary F. Lenox is a poet and retired university professor. Following the completion of her education in the Chicago Public Schools, she earned degrees from Chicago State University (B.S.), Dominican University (M.A.), and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Ed.D). Additionally, she has completed postgraduate studies at Harvard University and received a Certificate of Theological Studies from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2010. For twelve years, Dr. Lenox served as the Dean of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Missouri —Columbia, thus becoming its first African American Dean in its 168 year history. Over her thirty year professional career, she has been a Visiting Professor, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, Visiting Professor, University of Denver, Manager of the Circulation Department of Learning Resources and Faculty Member, Governors State University, and Teacher-Librarian Chicago Public Schools. Her research articles have been published in professional academic journals and she has completed books: -- A History of the Greater Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, (2008) -- Threads of Grace: Selected Poems (2015) As dean she served as grant writer and project director for Title IIB grants from the United States Office of Education and the Missouri State Library. She has been the recipient of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program (a three year leadership development program), and the Helen Wurlitzer Foundation. She was a Consultant —Evaluator for the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, Site Visitor for the American Library Association’s Committee on Accreditation, and Faculty -in-Residence, Chicago Public Library. She has served on the Editorial Board of the International Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, London, England, Member of the Board of Directors, New Wave Corporation (KOPN Community Radio Station, Col urn bia, Missouri), United Way Allocation Panel (Columbia, Missouri), Evaluator, Missouri Committee on the Humanities, Delegate, Missouri Governor’s Conference on Libraries and Information Services, and producer and moderator of a radio program, “Black Women: African Past to Columbia Present.” She has delivered more than 150 keynote speeches and workshops to national and international audiences on such topics as leadership, information futures, information literacy, cultural and ethnic diversity, interpersonal relationships, and trends and issues in higher education.