Women of Color Online is honoring the accomplishments of women who have made significant contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as part of their celebration of Black History Month.
Since 1997, the Women of Color STEM Conference has recognized outstanding women in STEM, with 28 women receiving the top award. Of these, 14 have been of Black heritage.
In 2022, Valerie S. Ashby, the president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), made history by becoming the first college president to receive the Technologist of the Year Award at the Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference. She is the fourteenth woman of African American descent to receive this top honor.
Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, the 2020 Technologist of the Year, was announced as the sole finalist for the position of president and CEO of The University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth, making her the first Black woman to hold this role.
Dr. Trent-Adams has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the International Red Cross Florence Nightingale Medal and the Surgeon General's Medallion for service as acting surgeon general.
Donna L. Bell, who received the Technologist of the Year Award at the 2018 Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference, was recognized for her excellent contribution to educating and developing students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
She held leadership positions in various professional organizations, such as the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Society of Women Engineers.
Pamela McCauley, the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering in Oklahoma, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2022.
She was recognized as the Technologist of the Year at Women of Color magazine's 24th annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference in 2019.
Dr. McCauley was the first academic to receive the top award in almost twenty-five years. She was announced as the new dean of the School of Engineering at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, effective July 1, 2023.
Denise Gray, a respected technologist and engineer, has made remarkable contributions to the automotive industry. She was awarded the Technologist of the Year at the Women of Color Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference in 2017 for her leadership in developing and producing electronic controls and battery systems for electrified passenger car propulsion system applications.
In 2022, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
