Province Polemarch Profile
John T. Lanier, Sr.
John T. Lanier, Sr., was born and reared in Danville, Virginia, where he was educated in the public schools. He attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University in Greensboro, North Carolina, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia.
Prior to his initiation, John served as vice president of the Scrollers Club which was based at VCU. He is a 1974 initiate of the Virginia Union University Chapter, the Alpha Gamma (E) of Kappa Alpha Psi and is a charter member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Chapter, the Eta Xi (E) of Kappa Alpha Psi. He has remained an active and fully financial member at all levels since his initiation. Lanier is affiliated with the Richmond (VA) Alumni Chapter, where he has held key leadership positions: standing committee chairman, chapter director, chapter keeper of the records, chapter vice polemarch, and chapter polemarch.
John’s overall involvement has extended beyond the local level. To his credit, he has served and continues to serve the brotherhood of Eastern Province admirably: Province Director, Province Keeper of the Exchequer, Operating Assistant to the Province Polemarch, and Senior Province Vice Polemarch. This loyal Kappa son now holds the chief administrative position in the Flagship Province--Polemarch of the Eastern Province, a position he has held since Saturday, August 25, 2007.
He is the quintessential leader: one who is well known and well respected for his tenacity, his skilled hands and sharp mind, his sound reasoning, his hands-on approach, his dedication, and his common-sense strategy for involving others in the decision-making process. He has been honored with the Eastern Province’s Pillar of the Province Award (the highest recognition bestowed upon a member of the Flagship Province) and a service award presented by Samuel C. Hamilton, the 30th Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi.
He is a man of diverse talents who enjoys pursuing his diverse interests. Lanier is a member of the Advisory Board of the Richmond Children’s Hospital and is the Tournament Director of the Children’s Miracle Network, a golf fund-raising project that generates $25,000 annually. Although this avid tennis enthusiast entered the game late in his life, he has achieved recognition as an amateur player. At age 35, John was ranked the ninth best player in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has also won numerous tournaments. At age 50, our Christian brother had the good fortune to compete in and to win a national championship held in Tucson, Arizona, in October 2002. Lanier has won acclaim as a professional referee with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). In addition, this athlete has been the head referee for several of the top five college teams in Division I and has performed as a line judge for such tennis greats as Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Yannick Noah.
Presently, John Lanier is employed by the West Point, Virginia-based Smurfit Stone Container Corporation as an area operations manager. He and his wife, Joyce, are the proud parents of a son, John Jr. Mrs. Lanier is a public school administrator and holds memberships in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Links, Inc. Their son is enrolled at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.