HLS 22RS-5183 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 220
BY REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER
COMMENDATIONS: Commends the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd on her
accomplishments
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd on her accomplishments.
3 WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd is an engineer and a
4prominent advocate for STEM education; she is also recognized as a dynamic and relevant
5leader, prolific motivational speaker, and powerful preacher; and
6 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd is a native of Montgomery, Alabama; she received a full
7scholarship to attend Alabama State University where she earned a bachelor of science
8degree in mathematics with a double minor in physics and music; and
9 WHEREAS, after graduating summa cum laude from Alabama State University,
10Rev. Dr. Boyd accepted a full fellowship to pursue graduate studies at Yale University and
11became the first African American woman to earn a master of science degree in mechanical
12engineering at the institution; and
13 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd also attended Howard University in Washington, D.C.,
14where she earned both a master of divinity degree and a doctor of ministry degree;
15additionally, she has been awarded honorary doctor of humane letters degrees from Lincoln
16University, Bennett College, and Kentucky State University, and an honorary doctor of laws
17degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and
18 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd worked at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
19Laboratory for more than three decades, and her professional career was highlighted by her
20exemplary leadership and dedicated service as a member of the laboratory's engineering
21teams; she began as an analyst in the Strategic Systems Department and was later promoted
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HR NO. 220
1to serve as the assistant for development programs and the executive assistant to the chief
2of staff; and
3 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd was also selected to serve on the inaugural team of the
4Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council in 1996, and she served as the council's chair
5from 2001 until 2013; as chair, she reported directly to the president of Johns Hopkins
6University as the council worked on issues related to diversity, inclusion, civility, and
7respect across all of the university's departments; and
8 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd is a nationally-recognized champion of STEM education;
9in 2009, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a trustee to the Barry M.
10Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation; on January 16, 2014,
11President Obama appointed her to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on
12Educational Excellence for African Americans; and
13 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Alabama State
14University, in January 2014 to serve as the university's first female president; during her
15three-year tenure as president, the university welcomed its largest freshman class, and she
16secured the university's first engineering degree program; she and her team also helped
17secure the removal of the university's accreditation warning status with the Southern
18Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, which had been imposed as
19a result of financial instability; and
20 WHEREAS, outside of her professional life, Rev. Dr. Boyd is a minister and an
21ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church; she serves on the
22ministerial staff of Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland; her incredible
23intelligence, infectious charisma, and extensive professional experience has made her a
24sought-after speaker and lecturer on topics including STEM, higher education, HBCUs,
25leadership development, and nonprofit board development; she also mentors young people
26who are interested in careers in science and engineering; and
27 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd is also an active and highly involved member of Delta
28Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; in 2000, she was elected to serve as its twenty-second national
29president; during her four-year tenure, her achievements included the launch of "Project
30Science in Everyday Experiences", an initiative funded by a $1.6 million National Science
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HR NO. 220
1Foundation grant with a goal of promoting math and science for middle school African
2American girls; and
3 WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd has received countless awards and honors including The
4Carver Medal from Simpson College, the Chancellor's Award from North Carolina Central
5University, and numerous congressional, state, and municipal recognitions; she is most
6deserving of the highest recognition for her impressive and inspiring accomplishments.
7 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
8Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth
9Boyd on her accomplishments and does hereby extend sincerest wishes that she continue to
10uplift future generations of students through her inspiring work and promotion of STEM
11education.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
13Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 220 Original 2022 Regular Session Carpenter
Commends Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd on her accomplishments.
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