Lawrence W. Hamilton, MPA, Ed.S.

Lawrence W. Hamilton, MPA, Ed.S., SPHR/CCP, was most recently Senior Vice President, Human Resources-Worldwide, a corporate officer and member of the Executive Committee at Tech Data Corporation in Clearwater, Florida, a $20+ billion, 11,000 associate worldwide technology distributor. Mr. Hamilton joined Tech Data in 1993 as Vice President, Human Resources and was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources in 1996. Mr. Hamilton departed Tech Data in June, 2006 to pursue his board membership and HR consulting interests. Presently, he is an Executive Coach and Adjunct Faculty with the Center for Creative Leadership affiliate at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL.

Prior to joining Tech Data in 1993, Mr. Hamilton served in a variety of human resource management and executive level positions with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in Evansville, Indiana, New York, New York and Largo, Florida during the period of 1985-1993. Between 1991 and 1993, he was Vice President, Human Resources and Administration at Linvatec, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb in Largo, Florida. Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mr. Hamilton held professional positions with Monsanto Company, INROADS/St. Louis and the Civil Service Commission between 1980-1985.

Mr. Hamilton received a BA degree from Fisk University (cum laude), where he was an alumni member of the University’s Board of Trustees, 1979-83, and a MPA, Labor Policy degree from The University of Alabama (high honors) where he was an American Political Science Association funded Fellow and also where, today, he is a occasional Visiting Lecturer at the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. He is a life time certified Senior Professional in Human Resources- SPHR (Society of Human Resource Management) and has received the “CCP” designation (Certified Compensation Professional) from World at Work (formerly the American Compensation Association). He also completed the Harvard University, School of Business “Strategic Human Resources” course. He completed the coursework and comprehensive examination requirements for the Executive Leadership Doctoral Program (Ed.D.) at The George Washington University in June, 2002 but withdrew in the dissertation phase of the degree program for personal family reasons in the Fall, 2008, and was subsequently awarded the Ed.S. degree from the University (Human Resources Development) in January, 2009.

Mr. Hamilton has served as President of the INROADS/Tampa Bay, Inc. Policy Board of Directors and the local representative to the INROADS, Inc. National Council and later was a member of the INROADS National Board of Directors and chaired their HR committee. He was Secretary of the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of the Suncoast, Inc., served as Chairman of the Human Resources Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the Long Center (Clearwater). He was also co-founder of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the NAAAHR (National Association of African Americans in Human Resources). He was also a governor-appointed member of the PRIDE, Inc. Board of Directors and served as the chair of their human resources committee. From 2006 to 2012, he was a member of the Board of Advisors, and chair of the HR committee, for privately held Urban Ministries, Inc. in Chicago, IL, an African-American-centric, Christian media company.

In 2005, he was elected to the HomeBanc Mortgage Board of Directors (NYSE:HBMC) and served as a member of the N and G Committee, chair of the Compensation Committee and a member of the board’s Executive Committee until HomeBanc was dissolved in 2007. In 2007, he was elected to the Wright Medical Group, Inc. Board of Directors (NASDAQ:WMGI) and is currently a chair of the Compensation Committee, a former N & G Committee member and a member of the board’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Hamilton is also a Life Member of both the Fisk University Alumni Association and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was inducted into the Tampa Bay area Suncoast Girls and Boys Club Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2009, his undergraduate alma mater, Fisk University, awarded him the University’s highest alumni award, the Alumni Achievement Award for Professional Achievement. A widower, Mr. Hamilton is the proud father of a daughter, Lauren, and a son, Lawrence William.