Troy University Professor and Administrator Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims and television and film actor Sean Freeman will serve as the keynote speakers for the 2026 John Robert Lewis Leadership Conference on the campus of Troy University, Feb. 6 – 7.

Presented by the University and the City of Troy, the conference seeks to bring individuals together to promote dialogue that fosters multicultural collaboration to strengthen relationships and empower diverse leaders with the tools to better serve their organizations and communities. The theme for this year’s conference is “History as Power: Leadership Rooted in Legacy.”

Launched through the University’s Leadership Institute in 2002 as the vision of the late Lamar P. Higgins, Troy University Trustee and alumnus, the leadership conference was renamed to honor the memory of Lewis, a Troy native, in 2020.

Registration for the conference is available online at www.troy.edu/leadershipconference. Adult registration is $30 if completed online or received by Feb. 5.  Student registration is $15 if completed or received by Feb. 5.  A $10 late fee will be added to registrations after Feb. 5.

Rosser-Mims, who will speak during the conference’s opening session on Friday, Feb. 6, has been a member of the Troy University faculty since 2007 and has held numerous administrative positions throughout her tenure with the University. She has previously served as an Interim Site Director, Interim District Director and Associate Director of Academics within the University’s Global Campus operations, Assistant Department Chair, Associate Dean and Dean of the College of Education, Professor of Adult Education and Global Leadership and Campus Vice Chancellor in Phenix City. She was recently named Vice Chancellor of the University’s Montgomery Campus.

Rosser-Mims completed Harvard’s Women in Educational Leadership Institute and was the recipient of the 2023 East Alabama Chamber of Commerce Individual Leader of the Year Award, the 2021 Women in Leadership Member Community Outstanding Senior Scholar award, the 2013 Wallace D. Malone, Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award, and a Chancellor’s Fellow.

Rosser-Mims holds a Ph.D. in adult education and a master’s in public administration from the University of Georgia.

Freeman, a two-time TROY alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s degree in strategic communication, currently stars in the role of Andre Richardson in CBS’s “Beyond the Gates.” He will deliver the keynote address during the Conference’s closing luncheon session on Feb. 7.

Born in Ozark and raised in Dothan, Freeman discovered his niche for the performing arts when his mother had him and his siblings take part in events at the local Boys & Girls Club. After college, he did a brief but impactful stint at the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.

A multi-talented actor, singer and dancer, Freeman’s previous acting credits include “Finding Friday,” BET’s “Tales,” and Peacock TV’s “Boxed In.” His theatre credits include: the original production of “Poor Girl, Rich Girl” in Harlem, New York and “Selma The Musical” (workshop cast). Freeman has also done commercial work with companies like Volkswagen and The Home Depot.

In addition to the two keynote addresses, participants can take part in plenary sessions that begin at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 7. Plenary session speakers include Pastor Cameron Thomas of Montgomery, Troy University Title IX Coordinator Grace Wagstaff and Dr. Henry Terry of Montgomery. For more information about the conference, contact Stephen Scott Napoli at 334-670-3389 or Shelia Jackson at 334-670-2283.