When the University of Michigan–Flint School of Management recognized Lottie Ferguson, Vice President of Development and Donor Services, with its Early Career Alumni Achievement Award, it wasn’t simply honoring a degree or résumé. It was celebrating a story defined by determination, purpose, and the belief that every person’s journey has value, no matter how many chapters it includes.
Ferguson first arrived at UM-Flint as a teenager, already recognized for her leadership, having graduated high school at 16 and served as a youth ambassador across the state. She entered college with promise and ambition, but like many working students, she also carried the weight of family responsibilities and financial pressures. Despite her strong start, those obligations eventually demanded her full attention, and school had to wait.
What stands out in Ferguson’s story is not the pause; it’s her return. After 17 years of serving students in the public school system, she faced a job loss in 2010 that would have discouraged many. Instead, she chose possibility. Encouraged by her family, she re-enrolled at the University of Michigan–Flint, shifted her major to Business Administration, and committed to reclaiming a dream she had never abandoned. Two years later, after balancing work, family, and coursework, she earned her degree. For Ferguson, graduation was not a moment of catching up; it was a moment of rising into her purpose.
Her impact since then has been undeniable. Ferguson has built a career centered on strengthening communities, broadening opportunity, and creating pathways for others to thrive. Her leadership has included raising more than $20 million in funding to support Flint residents and shaping community resilience efforts through her role as Chief Resiliency Officer with the City of Flint. She works to advance educational access by serving on the Flint Promise Zone authority. Her work reflects a deep understanding of Flint’s strengths, its people, and the role that resource alignment plays in helping communities flourish.
Her growing influence was recognized nationally when she was selected for the Obama Foundation Leaders Program, an honor reserved for changemakers demonstrating exceptional commitment to community and civic leadership.
Throughout her career, Ferguson has combined her professional expertise with the insight that comes from lived experience. She understands what it means to navigate barriers and still pursues excellence, and she channels that understanding into every space she leads. Her story resonates with students, as a reminder that educational journeys do not have to be linear to be meaningful.
By honoring Ferguson, UM-Flint is uplifting a narrative rooted in possibility: that persistence is powerful, that learning happens throughout a lifetime, and that when individuals are supported and seen for their aspirations, they contribute immeasurably to the wellbeing of their communities. Ferguson’s recognition is well-deserved, but more importantly, it is emblematic of what happens when talent, opportunity, and purpose meet.
Her path is not defined by what interrupted it, but by what she has built because of it. And as she continues to lead, advocate, and elevate Flint’s resilience and brilliance, her journey stands as an invitation for others to claim their own next chapter, on their own timeline, and on their own terms.
