Dr. John Lesaine is currently the Assistant Campus Site Coordinator For Call Me MiSTER (acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) after having served as the main site coordinator for a total of eight years. The objective of the initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader, more diverse background particularly among the state's lowest performing elementary schools. In his current role, he assists with the recruitment, daily operations, and mentoring aspect of the program.
Dr. Lesaine also provides vision and direction for the Newberry College Black Male Success Initiative, a project he built from the ground up with the blessing of the campus administration. The mission of the NCBMSI to provide individualized support and encouragement for African American males on the Newberry College campus to aid in the success and retention of our promising African American male scholars.
His other DEIB-related tasks include serving on the Newberry College President's first Diversity Task Force, the DEIB Advisory Committee, and the Newberry College Dufford Diversity and Inclusion Week Committee. Dufford Diversity & Including Week is an annual event designated to inspire appreciation for the multiplicities of humanity and bring people together on common ground.
Dr. Lesaine made the transition to an athletic focus in the fall of 2022 as he was named the new Associate Dean for Student-Athlete Success/Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee. In this role he is the main conduit between the student-athletes, the athletic department and the student success office on campus.
A native of Manning, SC and a Newberry College alumnus, Dr. Lesaine has taught in the Department of Sport Professions since August 2012. Before entering the classroom, he coached women’s basketball on the college level for eight years, including two stints at Newberry as a student assistant (2004-2007) and as a full-time assistant (2009-2012). As a college coach, he has been part of two South Atlantic Conference tournament championship teams (2006 and 2007) and coached in six consecutive NCAA Division II national tournaments.
Dr. Lesaine has received several campus awards during his tenure as a professor. He has been selected three times as NCSGA Professor of the Year (2015, 2016, 2021). He has also received the Dr. and Mrs. William S. Boyd Professorship for Excellence in Teaching (2016), the L. Grady Cooper Award for loyalty and dedication to Newberry College (2016), an Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Society for Leadership and Success (2016), and Campus Pastor’s Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service (2014).
In his spare time, Dr. Lesaine serves as a public address announcer for Newberry College athletics. He also officiates basketball on the high school, college, and semiprofessional levels.
