Lezli Baskerville

Lezli Baskerville served for two decades as outside counsel to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education before becoming its first female President and CEO in 2004. As the liaison between HBCUs and state and federal governments, corporations, foundations and non-profits, Baskerville rose to the defense of HBCUs in 2010, after a Wall Street Journal opinion piece questioned the need for such institutions. Baskerville was quoted as saying, “The data demonstrate clearly that HBCUs are doing the heavy lifting of educating black students, especially in growth and high-need disciplines.” Baskerville received her bachelor’s degree from Douglas College in New Jersey and a law degree from Howard University.