Vernon Strickland, Commencement 2025 Speaker
Mercer Law School is pleased to announce that Mr. Vernon Strickland, ’06 will serve as this year’s commencement speaker on Friday, May 9, 2025.
Vernon M. Strickland is a distinguished attorney, accomplished engineer, and former professional athlete whose life and career exemplify resilience, perseverance, and excellence. A native of Newnan, Georgia, Vernon is an alumnus of Mercer University School of Law and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Vernon’s journey has been marked by extraordinary challenges that have shaped his steadfast commitment to hard work and determination. At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and given less than a 15% chance of survival. Just two years later, he endured the tragic loss of his younger sister in a car accident for which he was the lone driver. With the unwavering support of his community, Vernon defied medical odds, overcame profound personal loss, and pursued his education and athletic ambitions with remarkable tenacity.
At Georgia Tech, Vernon earned a degree in textile engineering while walking on to the football team beginning as a sixth-string weakside linebacker. Through perseverance and dedication, he rose to become a team captain, ultimately securing a professional football career with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, as well as the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
Following his career as a professional athlete, Vernon transitioned into the fields of engineering and law. He began as a mechanical engineer with Panasonic Automotive before earning his law degree and joining the prestigious international law firm Holland & Knight LLP, where he practiced for a decade in the areas of complex civil litigation, intellectual property, and sports & entertainment law.
Today, Vernon is the managing partner of Strickland Debrow LLP, a firm he co-founded in 2022. His practice focuses on civil litigation, intellectual property, and business law, representing high-stakes matters both in Georgia and nationwide. In addition to his legal practice, he has served as an adjunct professor in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech since 2018, contributing to the education and mentorship of future leaders.
Vernon’s leadership and contributions extend beyond his professional endeavors. He serves on the Mercer Law School Board of Visitors and the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce executive committee. He is a member of Leadership Georgia (Class of 2020-21). He was awarded the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization Leaders & Legends Athlete Award in 2023 and was honored by Georgia Tech during the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Black Student Excellence in 2021. He was inducted into the Coweta Sports Hall of Fame in 2023 and was previously recognized as a Georgia Tech Living History honoree. In 2012, he was selected as a Southeastern Regional Finalist for the White House Fellows Program.
Above all, Vernon is a devoted husband to his lovely wife of over 25 years, Mak Strickland, and a proud father to Drake (16), a professional child actor, and Emmerson Rose (14), a three-time USATF Junior Olympic All-American in track and field.
