Lamell McMorris, Founder

Lamell McMorris is a leader, visionary and lifelong advocate who has leveraged his opportunities to continue to improve the condition of our nation’s communities. Lamell McMorris is one of our nation’s most fascinating and influential unsung, young entrepreneurs at the age of 35. In 2002, McMorris started Perennial Strategy Group, a government affairs firm, with just a telephone, a desk and little experience in the field. But Lamell was fueled by the same sheer determination that led him from the Southside of Chicago to the halls of Congress.

McMorris’ beginnings are as unconventional as his professional success. The former Executive Director and CEO of SCLC and current NAACP SCF Trustee, has worked under the tutelage of the nation’s foremost civil rights leaders and advocates such as Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. and his cousin Rupert Richardson, a longtime NAACP activist. McMorris’ desire to effect change dates back to a city-wide walkout of Chicago schools he led as a teenager, and has known no limits since.

Lamell McMorris’ passion for justice, equality and the empowerment of all people is unmatched, and was the driving force behind the principals that led him to found Perennial Strategy Group. The firm specializes in providing consulting services for prominent Fortune 500 companies, non-profit and trade organizations, and grassroots and advocacy campaigns.

In just a few short years, Lamell McMorris also launched Perennial Law Group and Perennial Sports and Entertainment. The two sister firms are housed in the Willard Intercontinental Hotel Offices and collectively employ more than 10 attorneys, sports agents, marketing professionals, and government relations experts.

Perennial Sports and Entertainment is a bold, daring and innovative firm that is setting a new standard for the industry and blazing its new trail. Perennial Sports & Entertainment is not your average firm. Its young staff consists of men and women of every ethnicity, various expertise and professional backgrounds. This was done intentionally and reflects McMorris’s belief that the firm’s clients and work environment are best served with minds and ideals that are as diverse and rich as the organization’s mission.

At Perennial, McMorris is the Founder and CEO of a firm that manages the careers of professional athletes and personalities. As the former Lead Negotiator for the MLB Umpires Union and the National Basketball Referees Association, McMorris helped shape several collective bargaining agreements between the officials and their respective leagues. This includes an historic five-year agreement between the referees and the NBA. In addition, he served as a member of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee. Feature pieces about McMorris and the firm have appeared in the New York Times and Referee: The Magazine for Sports Officials, as well as on ESPN.

Under McMorris’ leadership, Perennial Sports and Entertainment recently held a total of 16 events during the Democratic National Convention and the 2008 Presidential Inauguration. At these “parties with a purpose”, the firm Perennial Sports & Entertainment contributed more than $45,000 to worthy charitable causes led by prominent athletes, entertainers and activists.

What distinguishes the Perennial family of businesses is its bold, innovative and daring philosophy, hand-crafted and led by Lamell McMorris. To work at Perennial or be one of its clients, you have to exhibit a commitment to something greater than your own self-interest. It’s not just about profit margin or the bottom-line at Perennial; it’s about leveraging success to benefit causes that contribute to a better quality of life for communities across our nation.

Career Highlights

• Founder and CEO of Perennial Strategy Group and Managing Partner of Perennial Law Group
• Executive Director, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
• National Coordinator, 37th Anniversary "Redeem the Dream" March on Washington, DC
• Director, Youth Development Initiative, Chicago Urban League
• Fellow, U.S. Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
• Aide, Newark, New Jersey Mayor Sharpe James
• Press Assistant for the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL
• Assistant to Tom Lowe, Fulton County (Georgia) Commissioner during 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta

Education

• Princeton Theological Seminary, M.Div., Concentration in Social Ethics and Public Policy (1998)
• Morehouse College, BA, Religion and Society Major (1995)

Associations

• Washington Government Relations Group
• Washington Board of Trade
• US Chamber of Commerce
• Rainbow PUSH Trade Bureau
• Chicago and Washington, DC Urban Leagues
• NAACP
• Morehouse College National Alumni Association
• Young Democratic Candidates Network
• Volunteer for Healthy Babies Project, Inc.
• Democratic National Committee Business Council, Member

Awards and Honors

• Top “30 Leaders of the Future, 30 and Under” by Ebony Magazine (1998)
• Kelly Miller Smith Interfaith Award for Leadership for “Redeem the Dream March”
• Student Empowerment Connection’s “Mark of Greatness Award for Civil Rights” for outstanding service to youth in the inter-city
• Board Member of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, a non-profit, arts-based, comprehensive youth development organization
• Member, Board of Trustees of Elmhurst College