Lemuel Watson, Ed.D.
Senior Scientist
Dean and Provost Professor Emeriti
Co-Director, Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention
Lemuel W. Watson has been recognized as a scholar and researcher on underrepresented populations. He has consulted on public policy and talent management issues worldwide. He has obtained over $13 million in research funding from various organizations as a researcher. He has written books, monographs, and articles related to research on leadership, underrepresented populations, LGBTQ+, public policy, and human development. He is also a Series Editor for Contemporary Perspectives on LGBTQ Advocacy in Societies with IAP. His current research is focused on the intersection of spirituality, sexuality, and religion in addition to the intersection of leadership and mindfulness as a researcher and practitioner, Lemuel creates spaces for silence, awareness, and self-inquiry to help individuals align their strengths and intention to guide and lead. Through his integrative approach, he shares transformative, dedicated, and integrated tools for self-renewal, personal discovery, and capacity-building that ease clients on their journey toward peace, clarity, and freedom.
His latest scholarship can be found in The Routledge Companion to Drag – chapter titled - The Power of Black Drag Queens: How They Have Changed the World and Empowered Queer Communities (forthcoming); Exploring Personhood in Contemporary Times: From Leadership to Philosophy (2023); Unheard Voice: A Collection of Narratives by Black, Gay & Bisexual Men (2021), Queer and Trans Advocacy in Community College (2021), Authentic Leadership: An Engaged Discussion of LGBTQ Work as Culturally Relevant, Special Issue of Leadership Journal on Race and Leadership. He has been deeply engaged with the community as a personal and professional advocate through numerous arts, community, educational, and professional boards.
He helps the Kinsey Institute generate collaborative education, research, and fundraising related to LGBTQ+ lives and topics. This includes research on LGBTQ+ youth mental health as part of the partnership between Kinsey and other community agencies.
watsonlw@indiana.edu
(812) 855-7686
428 Lindley Hall
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Education
- Ed.D., Higher Education/Policy, Indiana University
- M.A., Adult Student Development, Ball State University
- B.S., Management, University of South Carolina
Research interests
- Education and policy
- Minority student retention
- Minority student experience
- Racial environments and educational outcomes
Selected publications
Books
- Watson, L. W. Exploring Personhood in Contemporary Times: From Leadership to Philosophy. (2023).
- Watson, L. W. Unheard Voice: A Collection of Narratives by Black, Gay & Bisexual Men. (2021).
- Johnson, J. M., Mitchell, E., & Watson, L. W. (2021). Queer & Trans Advocacy in the Community College. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
- Watson, L. W. Authentic Leadership: An Engaged Discussion of LGBTQ Work as Culturally Relevant, Special Issue of Leadership Journal on Race and Leadership.
Articles & Chapters
- Watson, L. W. (forthcoming). The Power of Black Drag Queens: How They Have Changed the World and Empowered Queer Communities. In Mark Edward, Stephen Farrier, and Garjan Sterk (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Drag. Routledge.
- Watson, L. W. (2017). Turbulent Times: Christian Homes, Gay Youth, and Homelessness. In R. G. Johnson III (ed.), Social Equity in a Time of Change: A critical 21st Century Social Movement. San Diego, CA: Birkdale Publisher.
- Watson, L. W. (2015). Finding a Place to Belong: China’s Rural Bachelors. In R. G. Johnson III (ed.), A Reader China’s New 21st Century Public Affairs: Human Rights in A Time of Change. New York: Peter Lang Publishers.
- Watson, L. W. (2014). The world through my eyes: A rural southern boy comes of age. In W. Reynolds (ed.), The Critical Studies of Southern Place: A Reader. New York: Peter Lang Publishers.
- Watson, L. W. (2014). Forward. C. P. Gause (ed.). Black Masculinity in America: Can I Get a Witness? Bradenton, FL: Book Locker Publishers
Selected awards & honors
- Senior Scholar Fellow, Antioch University Graduate School of Leadership and Change 2020
- Warrior Award, International Colloquium on Black Males in Education 2018
- Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree, American Fellowship Church 2018
- American Council on Education Leadership, Advancing to the Presidency,2 017
- Martin L. King Jr. Social Justice Award, The University of South Carolina (USC), Columbia, SC 2016
- Fulbright Scholar Program – The National Institute for Higher Education, Belarusian State University. United States Department of State Council for International Exchange of Scholars 2003-2004