White House Honors Alumna
Angela Byars-Winston is recognized for her work in building the ranks of women in math and science.
Two-time San Diego State University alumnae Angela Byars-Winston (’91, ’92) was one of 12 men and women honored by the White House as 'Champions of Change.' The event recognizes leaders in the effort to recruit and retain girls and women in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields.
Byars-Winston, who received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SDSU, is a counseling psychologist and associate professor in the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine, section of general internal medicine and the UW Center for Women’s Health Research. Her research examines cultural influences on academic and career development, especially for racial and ethnic minorities and women in the sciences, engineering and medicine, with the aim of broadening their participation in STEM.
Champions of Change
“These ‘Champions of Change’ are community heroes, helping to build the ranks of women in the nation’s STEM workforce and ensuring that America’s science and engineering enterprise is fueled by the diverse talents of all of its citizens,” said John Holdren, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
“The bold work of these champions epitomizes the president’s vision of an ‘all hands on deck’ effort by government, academia, non-profits and industry to maintain America’s leadership in STEM fields for decades to come.”
The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Barack Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different issue is highlighted and groups of champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists, are recognized for the work they are doing to better their communities.
About Byers-Winston
Byars-Winston has translated her research into evidence-based, culturally relevant interventions to increase the persistence of underrepresented groups in STEM, working with middle school students to early career professionals.
She is currently principal investigator for a grant from the National Institutes of Health to measure the impact of mentored research experiences on career outcomes for diverse undergraduates in biology and biomedical science and co-investigator of another NIH grant to promote retention of racial and ethnic minority doctoral students in the biological and behavioral sciences.
Byars-Winston is a member of the STEM Equity Pipeline National Advisory Board, the Wisconsin Career Development Association Executive Committee and the National Career Development Association Diversity Committee. In addition to her degrees from SDSU, Byars-Winston received her doctoral degree from Arizona State University.
