Fatima Alleyne

As the recently named Chief Diversity and Ethics Officer for the American Physical Society (APS), Dr. Fatima Alleyne was tapped due to her great experience as a leader of transformative change in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the academic sector, as well as experience in the non-profit and public sectors as an elected official. An early part of that journey began at Medgar Evers College, where she graduated magna cum laude while earning an associate’s degree in Science in 2000. With Dr. (First name?) Flowers and Dr. Leon Johnson serving as mentors, went on to earn her B.A. in chemistry from Hunter College before moving on to UC Berkeley to earn her M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering.

Before her appointment at APS, Alleyne was the first director of Community Engagement and Inclusive Practices in the College of Engineering (COE) at UC Berkeley. She led strategic initiatives around DEI for the college’s faculty, staff, and 6,800 students. During her time in this role, Alleyne used a multi-stakeholder engagement approach to deliver a plan ultimately recognized by the American Society of Engineering Education with a Diversity Exemplar Bronze Award.

Alleyne is an experienced DEI and multicultural competency consultant and has previously held elected office. For six years, she was the primary consultant for the Center for Restorative Solutions, a nonprofit organization that served Bay Area community needs by developing STEM-focused k-12 curricula for urban youth. As an elected official for the Contra Costa Board of Education, a district with 173,000 public school students, Alleyne managed a budget of $68 million and served as president of the school board.

Throughout her career, Alleyne has brought her passion and love for science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and education into her work to develop programs that promote equity, foster a positive, inclusive culture, and increase access and opportunities to those who have been historically underrepresented in STEM. Alleyne has said that her dedication to her work emanates from her experience as an underrepresented person of color who completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in the physical sciences.