Mercer University held its annual Founders’ Day event in Toney Auditorium on Feb. 5, featuring alumnus and Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller as the keynote speaker.
Founders’ Day is a tradition in which prominent alumni return to campus to share their experiences at Mercer and how the University has impacted their lives and careers. It first began in 1891 as a celebration of Jesse Mercer’s birthday and was brought back to the Macon campus in the mid-1990s. The convocation is coordinated by the Heritage Life Committee of the Student Government Association.
“I’m so grateful to everyone that came to Founders’ Day to support SGA and hear about Mayor Miller’s journey in Mercer and Macon,” said Alisha Mitchell, junior class president and head of the Heritage Life Committee. “We had a really fun time, and we can’t wait to see everyone next year.”
Miller has served as mayor of Macon-Bibb County since 2020. He received his Bachelor of Science in political science from Mercer in 1991, as well as his Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 1994. His sons, Tyler and Landon, are also Mercer graduates. The mayor has practiced law representing the injured and disabled in Macon for nearly three decades. Prior to his election as mayor, he was elected twice to the Bibb County School Board, where he served as president.
Miller spoke about his experiences as a lifelong Macon resident, public servant and entrepreneur, as well as his time as a student at Mercer. He grew up in Macon in a low-income family struggling to make ends meet, and throughout his childhood he attended several different elementary schools where he met people in the community from different backgrounds but similar economic situations.
While taking business and political science classes at Mercer, Miller was inspired to become involved in ways to improve the Macon community.
“My younger days were full of many challenges and successes, but it was Mercer University and what I learned here, the people I met, the classes I took, that showed me what those experiences meant and how I use them to help other people,” he said.
Miller has owned several businesses in Macon, such as a beauty salon, a law firm, and Game On Training, a youth baseball training facility. He has also served as a member of the board of directors for organizations such as the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, NewTown Macon, the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, and the Brookdale Resource Center. In addition, Miller currently serves on the Legislative Policy Committee and the board of the Georgia Municipal Association. He has remained focused on public safety and equity in Macon.
“It’s a great day to be in Macon-Bibb County, especially when I can return to a place that helped me in my life, in my career and in my community. Everything I hold dear and everything I have been doing here in Macon to improve our community can be traced back to right here at Mercer,” Miller said. “We as leaders in our community need to be focused on more than just our own personal success. We can use that success to lift others up. We can use that success in many ways. That’s what I kept with me throughout my businesses and my positions. And that was learned right where you sit today.”
Callie Lowery, SGA leading senator at large, said Miller’s career in entrepreneurship and community service emphasizes a lot of the values she’s learned during her time at Mercer.
“I really enjoyed how Mayor Miller highlighted the avenue of service that we as Mercerians, and citizens of the world, should uphold in our daily lives,” she said. “I think the biggest thing I took from Mayor Miller is that it is true all Mercerians major in changing the world, and sometimes, it’s changing the world closest to us that makes all the difference.”
