Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation

Blackburn College Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation 2026
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 4:00 pm in Bothwell Auditorium

Keynote Speaker Dr. Margaret Lawler
Dr. Margaret “Margie” Lawler earned her bachelor’s degree in law enforcement administration from Western Illinois University in 1993 and her Master’s degree in College Student Personnel Administration from the University of Central Missouri in 1995. In 2019, she completed her doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Community College Leadership at Ferris State University.

Dr. Lawler’s professional foundation is in Housing and Residential Life, where she served for more than 18 years. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise in recruitment, hiring, staffing, diversity initiatives, and campus-wide programming. She credits her early work in student affairs for shaping her commitment to leading effective DEI spaces and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across organizations. Collaboration, relationship-building, and team
development remain central to her leadership approach. She has hosted large-scale programs, facilitated professional development training, and continues to mentor doctoral students and former staff.

In 2010, Dr. Lawler transitioned to corporate operations at Caterpillar, Inc., first serving as a Materials Specialist and later being promoted to User Technician at the Corporate Headquarters in Peoria, Illinois. During this time, she earned her Six Sigma Green Belt certification—an achievement she considers pivotal in strengthening her process-improvement and operational leadership skills.
Dr. Lawler returned to higher education in 2015 at Illinois Central College, where she served in two newly created full-time roles: Diverse Faculty Recruiter and Compliance Officer. She also taught freshman seminar courses as an adjunct faculty member, further supporting student success. In 2019, she joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as an EEO Investigator, conducting investigations involving discrimination, harassment, and other claims within the Office of Access and Equity.

Following a position elimination in 2021 due to national Title IX regulatory changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Lawler embraced an opportunity to shape a new role at Blackburn College. As the institution’s inaugural Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Chief Diversity Officer; and Title IX Coordinator, she developed both the institution’s compliance infrastructure and its DEI training programs. She also served as advisor to the Black Student Union and as the Designated School Official for the international student program.

Dr. Lawler’s career is defined by her willingness to lead with purpose and to build foundational programs from the ground up. In May 2023, she accepted her current inaugural role as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Deputy Director of Personnel for the Illinois Secretary of State, where she leads statewide DEI initiatives.

Dr. Lawler is a proud member of the Graduate Chapter of Epsilon Sigma – Sigma Gamma
Rho Sorority, Inc. in Springfield, IL – where she actively volunteers within her community,
partners with community leaders and supports programs for the local youth.