Dr. Samuel L. Wright, Sr.

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Dr. Samuel Lamar Wright, Sr., the only son born to the late Samuel Louis and Rovina Deal Wright of Boynton Beach, has had the pleasure of working in government and the State University system. While in Palm Beach County, he worked for the Board of County Commissioners in the Community Action Agency. In Tampa, he worked as Director of Multicultural Admissions for the University of South Florida (USF) for 27 years. Upon completing his doctorate in 1999, he served as the Associate Dean of Student and Parent Relations, Director of Multicultural Affairs, and Student Ombudsman, respectively. Part-time, he taught as an adjunct professor in the Department of African Studies.

In February 2013, he retired after 35 years in the Florida Retirement System and was highlighted in the Congressional Record by Congresswoman Kathy Castor for his contributions both to USF and the Tampa Bay community. He is credited with changing the dynamics of the campus for non-majority students in a positive way and, because of that, the Black Alumni Society gives awards in his name each year. Since his retirement, Dr. Wright has become an entrepreneur and established the Dr. Samuel L. Wright Consulting, LLC.

At an early age, Dr. Wright accepted his calling as a freedom fighter. He fought for progress in his schools and continued the quest for justice at UF. In 1980, he was the first black person to be elected to Boynton Beach City Council. After relocating to Tampa, he founded the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival in 1999. He has held leadership positions in organizations such as the NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Hillsborough County Government, and the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Association. Currently, he serves as a board member for the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the Dr. MLK Parade Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Wright was educated in Palm Beach County public schools and earned degrees from the University of Florida and the University of South Florida. He is listed in many editions of Who’s Who in Black America and was named the Lightning Foundation Community Hero. Dr. Wright is also the father of two adult children: Samuel Lamar, Jr. and Samaria Elizabeth.