ENROLLED
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 220
BY REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd on her accomplishments.
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd is an engineer and a
prominent advocate for STEM education; she is also recognized as a dynamic and relevant
leader, prolific motivational speaker, and powerful preacher; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd is a native of Montgomery, Alabama; she received a full
scholarship to attend Alabama State University where she earned a bachelor of science
degree in mathematics with a double minor in physics and music; and
WHEREAS, after graduating summa cum laude from Alabama State University,
Rev. Dr. Boyd accepted a full fellowship to pursue graduate studies at Yale University and
became the first African American woman to earn a master of science degree in mechanical
engineering at the institution; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd also attended Howard University in Washington, D.C.,
where she earned both a master of divinity degree and a doctor of ministry degree;
additionally, she has been awarded honorary doctor of humane letters degrees from Lincoln
University, Bennett College, and Kentucky State University, and an honorary doctor of laws
degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd worked at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory for more than three decades, and her professional career was highlighted by her
exemplary leadership and dedicated service as a member of the laboratory's engineering
teams; she began as an analyst in the Strategic Systems Department and was later promoted
to serve as the assistant for development programs and the executive assistant to the chief
of staff; and
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WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd was also selected to serve on the inaugural team of the
Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council in 1996, and she served as the council's chair
from 2001 until 2013; as chair, she reported directly to the president of Johns Hopkins
University as the council worked on issues related to diversity, inclusion, civility, and
respect across all of the university's departments; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd is a nationally-recognized champion of STEM education;
in 2009, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a trustee to the Barry M.
Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation; on January 16, 2014,
President Obama appointed her to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on
Educational Excellence for African Americans; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Alabama State
University, in January 2014 to serve as the university's first female president; during her
three-year tenure as president, the university welcomed its largest freshman class, and she
secured the university's first engineering degree program; she and her team also helped
secure the removal of the university's accreditation warning status with the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, which had been imposed as
a result of financial instability; and
WHEREAS, outside of her professional life, Rev. Dr. Boyd is a minister and an
ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church; she serves on the
ministerial staff of Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland; her incredible
intelligence, infectious charisma, and extensive professional experience has made her a
sought-after speaker and lecturer on topics including STEM, higher education, HBCUs,
leadership development, and nonprofit board development; she also mentors young people
who are interested in careers in science and engineering; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd is also an active and highly involved member of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; in 2000, she was elected to serve as its twenty-second national
president; during her four-year tenure, her achievements included the launch of "Project
Science in Everyday Experiences", an initiative funded by a $1.6 million National Science
Foundation grant with a goal of promoting math and science for middle school African
American girls; and
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WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. Boyd has received countless awards and honors including The
Carver Medal from Simpson College, the Chancellor's Award from North Carolina Central
University, and numerous congressional, state, and municipal recognitions; she is most
deserving of the highest recognition for her impressive and inspiring accomplishments.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth
Boyd on her accomplishments and does hereby extend sincerest wishes that she continue to
uplift future generations of students through her inspiring work and promotion of STEM
education.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Reverend Dr. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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