Randy Wilkes, a Troy University alumnus and superintendent of Phenix City Schools, will discuss the qualities of an effective leader as a part of the Maxwell Rafferty Global Leadership Lecture Series at Troy University on Feb. 25.

The lecture, “Profile of an Effective Leader,” is presented by the Troy University College of Education and is supported by a grant from The Alabama Humanities Foundation, a state partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The lecture will begin at 10 a.m. in Hawkins Hall room 122 on the Troy Campus, and is free and open to the public.

Wilkes became superintendent of Phenix City Schools in 2014 after serving as superintendent of the Crenshaw County School System from 2011 to 2014. He was named Alabama Superintendent of the Year in 2018.

Wilkes is a 1985 graduate of Goshen High School and was a member of Troy University’s 1987 National Championship football team. He has more than 30 years of experience in education as a coach, teacher, principal and administrator.

The lecture series is named in memory of Rafferty, who served as Troy University’s Dean of Education from 1971-1981. Before coming to TROY, Rafferty served two terms as California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1968. Shortly before his death in 1982, Rafferty was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to a national advisory board on the financing of elementary and secondary education. He was the author of several books on educational philosophy and his newspaper column was syndicated nationally. 

“We are proud to be able to honor the legacy of the first named dean of TROY’s College of Education through this lecture series,” said Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims, Dean. “As we prepare to launch the College of Education’s first doctoral program in Global Leadership, we are proud to welcome TROY alumnus Randy Wilkes, whose leadership is helping to bring positive change, not only in Phenix City schools but in education throughout Alabama.”