Dr. Jerome Morris Elected Next AERA President, Continuing Legacy of Black Leadership

Dr. Jerome E. MorrisDr. Jerome E. Morris, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, has been elected as the next president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Morris will serve as president-elect for the 2025-2026 term before assuming the presidency following the association's 2026 Annual Meeting.

Morris brings a deeply personal perspective to his leadership role, drawing from his experiences growing up in public housing and attending predominantly Black public schools in Birmingham, Alabama. His research examines the complex intersections of race, social class, and geography in educational opportunity, with a particular focus on the U.S. South.

"My background directly informs my work and my approach to educational research," said Morris. "I believe authentic partnerships with historically marginalized communities are essential to creating meaningful change in our educational systems."

Morris's election continues a significant trend of Black leadership within AERA, an organization that remained exclusively white for nearly eight decades after its founding in 1916. Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond became the first Black president of AERA in 1995-1996, breaking a 79-year pattern of white leadership at the association.

Since then, AERA has seen a remarkable transformation in its leadership diversity. Dr. Tyrone Howard, the former president, is among a notable lineage of Black scholars who have led the organization in recent years. Following Howard was Dr. Janelle Scott for the 2024-2025 term, and then Dr. Maisha T. Winn, who will serve in 2025-2026 before Morris assumes the presidency.

The shift represents a dramatic change for an organization that Dr. James Banks, the first Black man to lead AERA (1997-1998), described as "pretty lily white" during his tenure. "I worked hard to transform the organization," Banks told Diverse in an interview last year. 

Morris's scholarly contributions include his latest book, Central City's Joy and Pain: Solidarity, Survival, and Soul in a Birmingham Housing Project, which combines historical analysis with memoir to document residents' efforts to sustain their community despite housing and educational inequities. His earlier work, Troubling the Waters: Fulfilling the Promise of Quality Public Schooling for Black Children, has been influential in educational research circles.