Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller will deliver the University’s 2025 Founders’ Day address on Feb. 5 at 10:20 a.m. in Willingham Hall’s Toney Auditorium on the Macon campus. 

Each year on Founders’ Day, a prominent Mercerian returns to campus to share how the University has influenced his or her life. The Heritage Life Committee of the Student Government Association coordinates the annual convocation, which first took place at Mercer in 1891. 

“The Student Government Association is thrilled to have the mayor of Macon-Bibb County speak to Mercer students,” said junior and SGA Heritage Life Committee Chair. “He has a unique story to share, as he was once a Mercer undergraduate student, just like us, and is a proud double bear. We are eager to learn more about his journey and invite all Mercer undergraduate students, faculty and staff to join us for this ceremony.”

Elected as mayor of Macon-Bibb County in 2020, Miller received his Bachelor of Science in political science from Mercer in 1991 and his Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 1994. He has practiced law in Macon for 29 years, representing the injured and disabled. Prior to his election as mayor, Miller was elected twice to the Bibb County School Board, where he served as president. 

A lifelong Macon resident, Mayor Miller has served as a member of the board of directors for the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, NewTown Macon, the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, The Brookdale Resource Center, The Museum of Aviation and the 21st Century Partnership and as a trustee of the Museum of Arts and Sciences. He serves on the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, the Pedestrian Safety Review Board and the Central Georgia Development Authority.

Currently, Mayor Miller serves on the Legislative Policy Committee and on the board of the Georgia Municipal Association, which has highlighted his work in the areas of public safety and affordable housing.

In Macon-Bibb County, Mayor Miller is the founder and CEO of Game On Training, which began in 2012 and has now grown to six locations across Georgia serving more than 1,200 youths, and he is the sole practitioner in the Macon law firm that bears his name.

Mayor Miller has been married to Toby for 34 years, and their two sons, Tyler and Landon, are also Mercer graduates.