The Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Awards are rewarded annually by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) to recognize the contributions of African American Women in scientific and technological fields of study and work. The award is named for Winifred Burks-Houck, environmental chemist and the first female president of NOBCChE.
The award seeks to highlight achievements in science, technology, engineering and math; leadership; creativity; community service; and entrepreneurship.
History Winifred Burks-Houck was a notable leader in the NOBCChE having established its West Coast branch and serving as its first female president for four consecutive terms. She was credited with positive change within the organization such as the increase of its chapters by more than 100%, partnerships with other scientific and engineering-related organizations, increasing NOBCChE visibility and advancing the interests of Black chemists. Though Burks-Houck had died in 2004, the NOBCChE in 2010 decided to honour her legacy through the creation of the Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Awards and Symposium where recipients are recognized.
Awards The Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Awards are awarded to three categories of recipients: Professional Leadership, Graduate Leadership, and Undergraduate Leadership. Professional women in STEM who exemplify leadership while contributing to the community and students pursuing a degree in a STEM field are considered for this award. Distinguished Lecturers are the speakers at the annual Winifred Burks-Houck Professional Leadership Symposium selected based on their status as thought leaders on STEM and roles in leadership, organizational development, entrepreneurship, and other success enabling areas.
Distinguished lecturer 2010: Dr. Margaret E. M. Tolbert 2011: Dr. Mae C. Jemison 2012: Maggie Anderson 2014: Dr. Noreen Mayberry-Khan, “The Tox Doc” 2015: Dr. Pamela McCauley-Bush 2016: Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy 2017: Carroll A. Thomas 2018: Dr. Alveda Williams Dow 2019: Dr. Zakiya Wilson-Kennedy 2020: Dr. Christina Jones
Professional leadership awardee 2010: Ms. Sandra Parker 2011: Dr. Christine Grant 2012: Dr. Sharon Barnes 2013: Dr. Rashida Weathers 2014: Dr. Sharon Kennedy 2015: Dr. Jeanita Pritchett 2017: Dr. Maria Curry-Nkasah 2018: Dr. Connie Watson 2019: Dr. Zakiya Wilson-Kennedy 2020: Dr. Christina Jones 2021: Sharon L. Walker
Graduate leadership awardee 2010: Kari Copeland 2011: Tova Samuels 2012: Dr. Racquel Jemison 2013: Bria Dawson 2014: Alicia Bowen 2015: Dr. Ketura Odoi 2017: Dr. Treva Brown 2018: Dr. Viridiana Herrera 2019: Otega Ejegbavwo 2020: Sondrica Grimes 2021: Dayna Patterson
Undergraduate leadership awardee 2010: Sharon Patrice Anderson 2011: Kaetochi Okemgbo 2012: Dr. Trishelle M. Copeland-Johnson 2013: Dr. Edikan Archibong 2015: Ashley McCray 2016: Samantha Mensah 2017: Patience Mukashyaka 2018: Raven Richardson 2019: Jaquesta Adams 2020: Jordan Alford
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