Lee Rhyant was raised in the Jim Crow South and overcame numerous obstacles to reach the executive ranks at General Motors, Rolls-Royce Aeronautics, and Lockheed-Martin. From 2000 to 2011, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager for Lockheed-Martin Marietta. Since leaving the aerospace industry, Lee has been highly sought after as an executive coach and confidant to Fortune 500 executives across the industrial spectrum. In the spring of 2022, UGA Press will publish his book, Soaring: Eleven Guiding Principles on the Path from Segregation to Success with Dr. Catherine Lewis.

Rhyant has served on the Coles College Advisory Board, has been an executive-in-residence, and is a member of the Coles College Hall of Fame. He is currently the president of LER Solutions consulting firm.