Board Members

Elected 1999

Shirley Malcom is senior advisor and director of SEA Change at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). For almost 30 years, she oversaw education and human resources development programs at AAAS. She now leads an ambitious new initiative (SEA Change—STEM Equity Achievement) to transform colleges and universities in ways that support excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. Internationally recognized for her leadership on issues facing underrepresented minorities and women in the sciences and engineering, she has published numerous research articles and monographs on diversity challenges in scientific and engineering fields.

Malcom received a bachelor's degree with distinction in zoology from the University of Washington, a master's degree in zoology from UCLA, and a doctorate in ecology from Pennsylvania State University. She served on the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation from 1994 to 1998 and was a member of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology from 1994 to 2001. She is currently co-chair of the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development, and has also chaired numerous national and international committees addressing education reform and access to scientific and technical education, careers, and literacy.

Malcom is an honorary trustee of the American Museum of Natural History and a regent of Morgan State University. She sits on the board of the Heinz Endowments. She holds 17 honorary degrees and is a fellow of AAAS and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2003, she received the National Academy of Sciences' prestigious Public Welfare Medal.

Standing Committees: Finance, Facilities, and Infrastructure; Student Experience; Technology Transfer and Innovation