Carolyn Winstead Meyers is the former president of Jackson State University. Meyers, a native of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. She earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

in 1979, and a doctorate in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1984. She completed post doctoral work at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Early career

Meyers held the position of steam generator and systems analyst for

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

. She has also held faculty and administrative positions at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta University Center Corporation, and National Science Foundation. She served as provost, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Engineering at

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

, where she was also a tenured professor in the College of Engineering. She was the Associate Dean of Research for the Georgia Tech College of Engineering.

Later career

On February 3, 2006, Meyers was named as President of

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 ...

, and she assumed her duties on July 1, 2006. As president, Meyers raised more funds than any previous president in the history of the institution, including an anonymous donation of $3.5 million just last year. Additionally, under her leadership, Norfolk conducted more research than at any other time in its history. On November 3, 2009, Meyers was announced as one of three finalists as the president of

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known ...

. Meyers resigned her position as president of Norfolk effective June 30, 2010. On November 22, 2010, Meyers was named as the next president of

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

Awards and honors

Meyers has been inducted into the Georgia Tech Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni,

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

honor society,

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

honor society, and

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

honor society. She is also the recipient of the NSF

Presidential Young Investigator Award The Presidential Young Investigator Award (PYI) was awarded by the National Science Foundation of the United States Federal Government. The program operated from 1984 to 1991, and was replaced by the NSF Young Investigator (NYI) Awards and Presiden ...

, the Society of Automotive Engineers' Ralph A. Teetor Award, and the National Society of Black Engineers' Golden Torch Award. She was named an

ASME Fellow The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

in 1993.

Personal life

Meyers is the parent of three adult children and the grandmother of three.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyers, Carolyn W. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American academics Georgia Tech alumni Harvard University alumni Howard University alumni Jackson State University faculty Presidents of Jackson State University Presidents of Norfolk State University People from Newport News, Virginia 21st-century African-American people Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers