Elwyn C. Lee, J.D. 
Vice President for Neighborhood & Strategic Initiatives

Dr. Elwyn C. Lee is the Vice President for Neighborhood & Strategic Initiatives at the University of Houston.  Dr. Lee grew up in the historic Third Ward of Houston, attending public schools, including Yates senior high. He completed his last two years of high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, after which he attended Yale College, graduating magna cum laude. An internship with the New York Mayor’s office and a year with the McKay Commission investigating the New York Attica Prison Riot preceded study at Yale Law School. After graduation, Lee worked three years at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale), a prestigious large firm in Washington, D.C. prior to joining the University of Houston Law Center, where he later became the first tenured African American law professor. 

Moving into administration, Lee served three semesters as interim director of the UH African American Studies program. For the next twenty years, Lee served as vice president for student affairs, responsible for a comprehensive array of student and enrollment services. His achievements include developing the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center, four student housing facilities, the Disabilities Center as well as programs supporting first generation and foster students.   

In his current vice-presidential role, Dr. Lee facilitates mutually beneficial collaborations for the UH faculty and students with the neighborhood organizations that enhance their research, teaching, and academic interests while improving the quality of life for the neighborhood residents. He is a member of the UH President’s Cabinet and serves as chair of the UH State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC). Over the years Dr. Lee has been a member of the March of Dimes board, the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts Executive Committee, the NAACP and the Houston American Leadership Forum. In addition, he has held board positions in numerous non-profits, most notably Project Row Houses, SHAPE Community Center, the Riverside General Hospital and the SURE CDFI.