THE CONSERVATOR

You’re originally from Cleveland. How does it feel to be back in the Midwest?

Very good. I have been super welcomed. I’m an Ohio State graduate, a true Buckeye, a true Midwest girl. My mother is in the Dayton area, so it feels good to be closer to her. While I had a very good journey as president of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, I felt very far away from her. I was deeply rooted in Austin, and even received a key to the city. I miss my friends and my work there, but I don’t miss the heat. I worked hard to close my chapter down in Texas, and I’m excited about this next one.

You studied industrial engineering. Yet much of your career has been spent at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. What sparked your curiosity in engineering, and what are the threads that tie in with higher ed?

I studied industrial and systems engineering, which today is affectionately known as information technology. Now, I don’t think I ever really wanted to be an engineer; that’s what all the adults in my life told me I should do. I was a Black female born into the 1960s and graduated in 1980 when every corporation was looking to hire a female engineer, especially a Black female engineer, as a way of diversifying the workplace. I really think