The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) announced Thursday that Dr. Pamela McCauley, the 2019 Women of Color Technologist of the Year, has joined the Board of Trustees.

According to the announcement, McCauley was elected in May 2020 and she officially joined the board on July 1. WPI’s Board of Trustees includes educators, and leaders of manufacturing, pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations.

Currently, McCauley is associate dean for academic programs in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., where she also serves as a full professor in the Department of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management.

Prior to joining NC State in May, she spent 27 years at the University of Central Florida, where she served as professor and director of the Ergonomics and Human Factors Laboratory in the Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Department.

“We are so excited to have Dr. McCauley join the Board of Trustees at WPI,” says President Laurie Leshin. “She has deep expertise in engineering higher education and research. Her academic experience and values are highly aligned with our priorities at WPI. And I share Dr. McCauley’s strong commitment for advancing diversity in STEM.”

In 2017, McCauley was tapped by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to be program director for its Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program, managing a $15.5 million annual budget and engaging the innovation community. In 2015 the U.S. State Department awarded McCauley the Jefferson Science Fellowship, given to distinguished academics who are tasked with lending their knowledge to Department of State and USAID policy discussions.

“I absolutely love the leadership style of Laurie Leshin," McCauley said in a statement. "She’s such a forward thinker and seems to truly value diversity, inclusion and equity. I’ve seen that bold leadership and how it’s shaped and impacted so many people at WPI. I’m hoping to be another voice supporting that. Being on the board, I feel I can positively impact the future for WPI students and help position them to be world leaders.”