Guest Speaker and Honoree

John Wright, PhD
Author, Historian, Academic Leader

Dr. Wright has had a long and distinguished career as a St. Louis academic leader. His previous jobs include serving as the Interim Superintendent of Schools for St. Louis Public Schools, Interim Superintendent of Schools for the Normandy School District and Assistant Superintendent for the Ferguson-Florissant School District. Dr. Wright has been an engaged member of the education profession. He organized the first Teacher’s and Principal’s Academy for the Private School Federation in Bangkok, Thailand; established the first pre-teacher training program between a school district and St. Louis Community College (the first in the state); served as public hearing chairman for the Governor’s Vocational Education Advisory Council; established the minority recruitment program for St. Louis County school districts; and organized the Missouri Education Policy Fellowship Program for the Institute of Educational Leadership, located in Washington, D.C. Dr. Wright is the author of 13 books about regional history, including The Ville, St. Louis, Discovering African American St. Louis, and St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities.

2015 Lecture Photo Gallery

Photo by Lois Ingrum – Artists Media Co-op