Hollylynne Lee

Hollylynne Lee, distinguished professor of mathematics and statistics education in the North Carolina State College of Education, has been named the recipient of Baylor University’s 2022 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching.

The Cherry Award program is designed to honor great teachers, stimulate discussion in the academy about the value of teaching, and encourage departments and institutions to value their own great teachers.

Lee will receive a prize of $250,000 and teach in residence at Baylor University during an upcoming semester.

Leona Harris

Leona Harris has been hired as director of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) at the American Mathematical Society (AMS). She recently completed her term as executive director of the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) and is concluding a position as a program analyst at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Harris started at the AMS on January 24, 2022, in the AMS’s Washington, DC, office.

In her new role, Harris will lead efforts to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion at the AMS and within mathematics. Reporting to Executive Director Catherine Roberts, Harris will oversee the design and implementation of EDI initiatives, examine historical trends and data, and cultivate relationships and trust within the mathematics community. She will also support the AMS Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

“Throughout my professional life, I have been an advocate for underrepresented, underserved, and marginalized populations, and I am deeply honored to have been selected to do this extremely important work with the AMS and the broader mathematics community,” Harris said. “I am passionate about and fully committed to this work, and I strongly believe that, together, we can make the mathematics community more diverse, equitable, and inclusive through community engagement, collaboration, and institutional partnerships.”

The creation of a high-level staff position on EDI was a recommendation of the AMS Task Force on Understanding and Documenting the Historical Role of the AMS in Racial Discrimination. “As evidenced by the task force report, racism is a concern in our mathematics community and true inclusion will strengthen the advancement of research,” said Roberts. “Clearly, the AMS has a role in addressing racism in our profession.”

Harris is an applied mathematician specializing in mathematical biology, with expertise in data analysis, modeling, programming, and simulation. She earned her PhD in applied mathematics from North Carolina State University in 2001 after completing undergraduate studies at Spelman College. She finished a postdoc at the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory of the US Environmental Protection Agency and went on to hold faculty positions at Bennett College, The College of New Jersey, Georgetown University, Marymount University, and the University of the District of Columbia.

Harris spent 10 years at The College of New Jersey, where she was promoted to associate professor of mathematics and held several leadership roles. From 2017 to 2020, she was an associate professor at the University of the District of Columbia, also serving as chair of the division of sciences and mathematics for two years. Since 2020, Harris has worked as a program analyst in the Office of Science at the Center for Tobacco Products of the FDA. In this role, she led the data strategy, reporting, and analysis efforts for a team that implements and supports the Office of Science’s strategic planning and process improvement initiatives.

Harris is a cofounder of the Infinite Possibilities Conference, which promotes, educates, and supports minority women interested in the mathematical sciences. She also served as a member (2010–2017) and cochair (2016–2017) of the Diversity Committee for the Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI), aiming to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in PCMI’s programs for students, college faculty, and secondary school teachers.

“I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and beginning the work with AMS leadership, staff, governance, membership, and community to develop and implement an agenda that focuses on breaking down barriers that hinder success in the profession, creating a more inclusive climate in the mathematics community, and moving the organization toward full participation,” Harris said.

Harris served as executive director of NAM from 2019 to 2022 and was the organization’s interim president from June 2020 through January 2021. A two-time instructor in the Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) Summer Program, she coedited the 2019 book A Celebration of the EDGE Program’s Impact on the Mathematics Community and Beyond.