Nic Lott

Nic Lott is a public servant who was the first African-American student body president elected at the University of Mississippi. Lott defeated five other candidates in the history making event for the state's oldest university, once plagued by dark days of racism.

He has previously worked under Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, and U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts and has interned in The White House during President George W. Bush's first year in office. During the 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial campaign, Lott was director of youth outreach for GOP nominee Haley Barbour. Following Barbour's victory, Lott joined Barbour's administration as senior advisor for communications and public safety issues for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He also served as an administrator for the Office of Justice Programs under the Department of Public Safety.

He served in Governor Phil Bryant's Administration as director of special compliance operations for renewal recovery.

An alumnus of the US Senate’s African-American Leadership Summit, Lott has received numerous honors including being selected for Who's Who in Black Mississippi, Top 40 Under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal, VIP Magazine’s “Top 10 Fascinating People” and the Business Chronicle’s “Young Guns: Top Business and Community Leaders.” He currently serves on the US Commission on Civil Rights State Advisory Committee, Congress of Racial Equality Board, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi Board, America's Future Foundation - MS, Young Leaders in Philanthropy, and the University of Mississippi Central Alumni Board. He is a former member of the University of Mississippi ’s College of Liberal Arts Alumni Board .

Lott blogged for CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. He appears as a political commentator and guest on multiple outlets including CNN, Fox News, WRBJ, WJSU, and WMPN. Lott recently appeared on a CNN Special Series focused on successful innovators who are working to make improvements within African American communities around the country. He was a weekly contributor to WJSU's political radio show "Issues and Images", a winner of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Award for Excellence in a Series. He currently serves on the Washington Post Advisory Panel and CNN Community Advisory Panel.