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Career Development ProfileWanda Ward, PhD
Wanda Ward, PhD was recently appointed deputy assistant director for the Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Ward has had unique opportunities to influence the diversity of the science and technology workforce throughout her career. She attained her B.A. in Psychology and the Afro-American Studies Certificate from Princeton University in 1976 and her PhD in Psychology from Stanford University in 1981. Her graduate training was in social and personality psychology and early research interests were twofold: 1) examining self-evaluation and social comparison processes; 2) and challenging prevailing notions in the traditional research literature on interethnic/racial group differences along various psychological constructs. "Unlike many degree recipients in the behavioral and social sciences as characterized in the research literature, I realized in the tenth grade that I wanted to be a psychologist!" Following her education, Ward entered academia in 1981 as Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma, where she subsequently earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. While at Oklahoma, she founded the Center for Research on Multi-Ethnic Education, remaining its Director for almost 10 years. During this time she was also Visiting faculty in the Center for the Study of Reading with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1984/85, and Visiting Scholar to Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Social Organization of Schools in 1990. Ward believes her educational and professional experiences could be characterized as starting slowly, but proceeding successfully. "Part of this may have been due to ‘swimming upstream’ in often unnurturing and chilly climates. It is important to learn how to successfully navigate through systems and to try to contribute to making them better for everyone. What this has required is a sponsor or mentor at every stage of development who saw my potential and advocated for me to at least have the chance to try, to get my bearings, and build a strong and lasting stride. While one should never depend upon another to make one’s way, historically, few have ever really made it on their own. The role of effective mentoring is critical for everyone, but especially for those from diverse backgrounds. " Although she was elected Chair of the Department of Psychology at Oklahoma, she left academe in 1991 to accept a new position as Program Director of Career Access Programs with the National Science Foundation (NSF). In this role, she directed national precollege programs to increase the participation of underrepresented ethnic/racial minority groups in science, engineering, mathematics and technology fields. Issues of increasing access to underrepresented groups and facilitating networking partnerships are near and dear to Ward, who believes that a major and common challenge faced by many women and underrepresented minorities in their fields has been finding and/or maintaining a voice at the table. "To the extent that one does get a place at the table, it is important to use one’s voice well and meaningfully. It is important to create opportunities for others from underrepresented groups. These groups bring important diversity of perspectives that strengthen the scientific enterprise and the Nation overall." Ward moved on to join the Education and Human Resources Directorate at NSF in January 1992, where she held increasing positions of leadership, from program officer to senior associate for policy and planning and where she played a major role in the development and implementation of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring Program (the nation’s highest award for mentoring, established by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and administered by NSF). In 1997 Ward was appointed Assistant to the Deputy Director in the Office of the Director, serving as principal advisor to the Director, Deputy Director and various management officials in promoting the goal of a diverse, globally-oriented workforce of scientists and engineers and a more scientifically and technologically literate U.S. citizenry. She was advisor on Foundation-wide program integration and human resource development and played a key leadership role in the establishment of a new NSF initiative to strengthen the national resource of information technology expertise by increasing information technology access and networking partnerships between smaller, minority-serving colleges and selected larger research universities. She also served as the NSF representative to the Interagency Working Group on the U.S. Science and Technology Workforce of the Future of the President's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Science (COS). She co-chaired that Working Group’s 1998 national workshop on the workforce and managed the publication of the Proceedings of a Workshop on the U.S. Science, Engineering and Technology Workforce of the Future: National Strategy, National Portfolio, National Resource Base (1999). In addition, Ward serves as the executive liaison to the Congressionally-mandated Committee for Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, and the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development. In her new role as Deputy Assistant Director for SBE, Ward is the primary assistant to the Assistant Director in providing leadership and direction to the SBE Directorate. Budgeted at approximately $146 million, the Directorate is comprised of four major units: the Division of Social and Economic Sciences, the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, the Division of International Programs and the Division of Science Resources Studies. She is also actively engaged in promoting the full participation of underrepresented minorities and women in the social and behavioral sciences at the national and international levels, including developing nations in Africa, Latin America and the Carribbean. Asked what helped her to achieve her current position, Ward offers, "My professional base of tenured faculty status in academe has provided me a keen appreciation for the predominant (though increasingly changing and expanding) academically-oriented culture of NSF. Other critical factors are more personal -- they include critical sponsors and mentors (both within my field as well as broader social support); significant others who instilled high expectations of me, and who demonstrated consistent and unconditional faith over the long-term in my ability to make it (e.g., parents, relatives, friends, church community, etc.). I have also developed faith and confidence in myself; and acquired the ability and mindset to turn adversity into advantage. I have learned when to cut my losses and move forward to new, if unexpected, opportunities. This often requires taking a deep breath and summoning up the courage to move forward into unknown and uncertain terrain." Ward is a member of the American Psychological Association, where she served as NSF Liaison to the APA Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training in Psychology; the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the Association of Black Psychologists; and the American Educational Research Association.
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