Dr. Lawren M. Long is a native of Jackson, Mississippi, a proud mother, public servant, and millennial scholar-leader committed to justice, equity, and institutional transformation. She is a two-time graduate of Jackson State University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. She also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Leadership from Belhaven University.

Dr. Long currently serves as Interim Chair and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Tougaloo College, where she also directs the Eric H. Holder Public Policy Program. A skilled coalition builder, policy strategist, and educator, Dr. Long co-leads several research and community initiatives addressing food insecurity, labor rights, and public health disparities across the Deep South. Her leadership helped establish the EmpowerHub, the Delta GREENS Food is Medicine Initiative, Advocacy Training Program, and the Coalition of Clubs and Organizations at Tougaloo. She also serves as National Policy Coordinator for the National Black Worker Center, where she leads national campaigns such as the Black Worker Bill of Rights.

Her research and advocacy span non-profit management, food justice, public budgeting, economic development, workplace democracy, and childhood obesity. She is a 2025 fellow of the HEAL Food Alliance’s School of Political Leadership and was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated through the Jackson (MS) Alumnae Chapter in Spring 2025.

Dr. Long is a recent graduate and proud alumna of the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute, National Labor Leadership Initiative (NLLI), and the Mississippi Women’s Policy Institute. She was also an Emerging Leader through Rutgers University’s prestigious Women in Labor Leadership Program. Deeply committed to service beyond the classroom, she offers strategic guidance as a member of the Advisory Board for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFR) and the Delta GREENS Food Policy Council.

Her work is grounded in the belief that policy is not just a mechanism of governance but a powerful tool for liberation. Dr. Long resides in her hometown with her daughters Leah and Zuri.