Inspired by her many teachers in school, Neari Francois Warner, PhD always wanted to be an educator. In 1967, Dr. Warner graduated magna cum laude from Grambling State University with a Bachelor of Science. Following that, she received a Master of Arts in English education from Clark Atlanta University, and finally in 1992, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in curriculum and instruction from Louisiana State University. She began her career as an associate professor of English at Southern University in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1968 to 1976. She remained at Southern University until becoming dean of the Junior Division from 1989 to 1994. She then returned to her alma mater, Grambling State University, as the assistant vice president for academic affairs. From 2001 to 2004, she served as acting president of the university, making her the first woman to take on the position. Dr. Warner now serves as a visiting and clinical professor with the executive Ph.D. program at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.
Civically, Dr. Warner has faithfully served the education community throughout the years. Most notably, she served several terms on the Congressional HBCU President’s Task Force and on the Mayor’s Task Force for Education in New Orleans. Currently, she sits on the board of directors of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and is involved with the Task Force Six of the Louisiana Board of Regents. Dr. Warner is also a prolific author in her field, having written and co-authored numerous texts, and contributed to various articles, professional journals, and book chapters. Her most recent book, “Honoring the Call: Odyssey of an Acting University President,” was published by Xlibris LLC in 2016.
Throughout her career, Dr. Warner has been honored by countless organizations, including being the eponym of the Dr. Neari F. Warner Endowed Student Scholarship at Grambling State University. Most recently, she received the Superior Service Award from the Lambda Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. In her spare time outside of work, Dr. Warner enjoys reading and bowling.
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