Lottie Ferguson attended her own Commencement in December 2015 as an observer. Unlike most students, it had taken her 20 years and two attempts to graduate from the University of Michigan-Flint. In her opinion, that was much too long to finish her degree, and she did not deserve to be celebrated. Instead, she wept in a bathroom stall while other graduates and their families celebrated.
Ferguson excelled as a teenager living in North Flint. She graduated from Flint Southwestern Academy in the top 10% of her class at just 16 years old in 1995. She visited London and Tolyatti, Russia as a student and youth ambassador. She earned UM-Flint’s Edgar B. Holt and Lois Van Zandt Scholarship, and she did her best to maximize this opportunity. She met many welcoming members of the faculty and staff, such as the late Tendaji Ganges and Mary Jo Sekelsky. She found a community of supportive peers in what is now the Black Student Union. Her fellow students elected her vice president of Student Government, and she began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science. She had taken the first steps toward achieving her dream: Lottie Ferguson — president of the United States.
“The pressure was on for me to be excellent, and then life happened,” Ferguson said.
She found herself caring for family members, working multiple jobs and still unable to afford tuition. She had no choice but to withdraw from college, a decision that would come to shape her worldview.
Ferguson spent the next 17 years working for Flint Community Schools. During this time, she mastered how to learn on the job, provide good customer service and network with professionals. She earned promotions from co-op student to secretary and network engineer, but her lack of a bachelor’s degree limited her career potential.
“Back then, I was very opinionated, and I wasn’t opinionated in a way that was productive,” Ferguson said.
In 2010, Ferguson lost her job at Flint Community Schools. She had fallen short of expectations — again.
“I did not realize it at the time, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Ferguson said. “I had gotten too complacent, and I would have stayed. I probably would not have gone back to get my degree.
“It was a hard push, but it was what I needed.”
After talking about it with her husband, Ferguson re-enrolled at the university, this time majoring in business administration. She also deepened her involvement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Flint board of directors, a role she began in 2001. This involvement included six months as interim executive director, giving her an inside look at the philanthropy sector.
Ferguson graduated from UM-Flint with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2015, thus beginning the second chapter of her career. She started out soliciting donations for the Ennis Center for Children. She also managed grants at the Flint & Genesee Chamber, which loaned her services to the City of Flint for a grant audit. This audit assignment resulted in an unexpected job offer to be the city’s chief resilience officer, and Ferguson accepted. In that role, she raised more than $20 million in about three years while also managing the Office of Public Health. The city used these funds to help residents persevere through social, economic and environmental challenges, and Ferguson enjoyed seeing the impact of her office’s efforts.
“I loved helping people, I really did,” Ferguson said. “I worked to help folks get their water turned back on, get something repaired or a question answered. That really filled my bucket.”
The COVID-19 pandemic made customer service more difficult, but Ferguson did not shy away. She raised the stakes by becoming chairperson of the Flint Promise Zone Authority. This public-private program grants scholarships to the city’s high school students, providing tuition-free access to Mott Community College, Kettering University and UM-Flint.
“I had a lot of barriers, but there is nothing compared to the barriers that some of these students are facing today,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson’s ability to raise funds, navigate complicated systems and overcome challenges caught the attention of many local leaders. In 2023, she joined the Community Foundation of Greater Flint as vice president of development and donor services. The following year, the Obama Foundation admitted her to its 2024-25 Obama Leaders program. Former Congressman Dan Kildee has since joined the community foundation as president and CEO, and it has Ferguson thinking.
“I could really do some amazing work in Flint by combining donor generosity with policy and advocacy work,” she said.
Ferguson’s journey to becoming a community leader is a testament to what people can accomplish when they finish their college education. Her service to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint, Flint Promise Zone Authority and others defies what most think is possible early in one’s career. For these reasons, the UM-Flint School of Management honored her with its Early Career Alumni Achievement Award on Dec. 5.
Those attending Commencement on Dec. 14 may see Ferguson volunteering, but they will not find her weeping. Instead, she will smile with confidence as she congratulates the graduates, no matter how many attempts they needed.
