Dr. Darrell Ezell is an accomplished professor, administrator, author, and corporate strategist. He is the founder and principal consultant of Heritage Solutions, a full service management consulting firm. Notably, his recent appointment included serving as the inaugural Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville's Cummings Research Park. As an educator, he has extensive experience teaching in the Humanities and Social Sciences and previously serving as V.P. for Academic Affairs and Dean of Claremont Lincoln University.

A native of Alabama, Ezell earned his Ph.D. in England from The University of Birmingham with a focus on diplomacy and peacemaking. He completed additional studies at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University, and Alabama A&M University.  An expert in inter-cultural relations, Ezell begin his career as an intern at the Walt Disney Company, leading to his time at the U.S. Department of State and William J. Clinton Foundation/Clinton School of Public Service.  He later served on faculty at Louisiana State and Tulane Universities and Shaw University School of Divinity.  In 2017, Ezell was inducted into the Morehouse College MLK Collegium of Scholars and served as a United Nations Global Expert in conflict resolution. An Eagle Scout and servant leader, he is a Board Director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance and Innovate Alabama’s Council on Outdoor Recreation.