Staff

Director, Professor Christine Grant

Dr. Christine Grant is a tenured full professor of Chemical and Biomolecular (CBE) engineering at North Carolina State University. As one of only eight tenured female African-American chemical engineering faculty in the nation, Grant is working to change the underrepresentation of minorities on engineering and science faculty. Grant, an NSF Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) awardee , was recently selected as a Senior Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering’s Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education (CASEE). As a CASEE Senior Fellow her project involved strategic planning, and infrastructure development that will catalyze existing resources and develop new resources to enhance the recruitment, retention, and advancement of faculty drawn from underrepresented minority (URM) populations in engineering and science. A critical aspect of her project is to develop a strong collaborative effort between university administrators (e.g., engineering deans, department heads) and senior URM faculty in engineering and science that will address this opportunity based on the wisdom of their own experiences.

The PURPOSE Institute is the culmination of Grant’s over 20 years working on the development of URM scientists and engineers. The Institute will use as a foundation the wealth of knowledge and experience that Grant has with synthesizing and coordinating national programs focused on increasing the presence of successful URM engineering faculty. She has been a facilitator of an active network of chemical engineering faculty through: leadership of the Minority Affairs Committee in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), organization of NSF sponsored workshops for minority engineering faculty, and numerous presentations as a speaker or a panel member for programs focused on excellence in the academy. Her progress in this arena was also recognized with the AIChE Minority Affairs Committee Distinguished Service Award.

Executive Assistant Director (EAD), Janet Schumacher

Janet Schumacher brings a background in technical writing, business operations, and budget management to the tasks integral to the successful development of the Institute. Her experience in the public sector strengthened her information organization and synthesis skills and allowed her to forge successful relationships with clients, vendors, and associates. She brings to the Institute a drive to get to the right answers and always seek improvement.

Institute Event Coordinator (Open position)

Web and Graphic Designer, Keon Pettiway

Keon Pettiway is a Post-Baccalaureate Studies student at North Carolina State University. He is responsible for the maintenance and additional features of the Purpose Institute web site.