SHE THRIVES
Dr. Carla Cotwright-Williams proves that every challenge you overcome only makes you stronger C
arla Denise Cotwright-Williams grew up in Los Angeles and attended public schools in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest school district in the U.S. She attended Westchester High School, as well as a summer enrichment program for minority students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at the University of California, Los Angeles. One STEM summer trip included a visit to the space shuttle at NASA’s Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base. In 1991, the hardworking student graduated from high school, but she knew little of the obstacles and challenges that lay ahead. While at California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Cotwright-Williams struggled as a math major after changing from civil engineering. Because of low grades, she was academically disqualified (“kicked out”) from the university after being on academic probation for two semesters. Undaunted, she returned and eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2000. Despite the adverse experience, she went on to pursue a master’s degree in mathematics from historically Black Southern University in 2002. Initially intending to follow a teaching track, she was persuaded to shift to the study of pure mathematics by Professor Stella R. Ashford, who became the advisor for her master’s thesis. In her Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) profile, Dr. Cotwright-Williams said that as an undergrad, she was focused on careers in education and teaching. She thought only engineers did engineering work or scientists only did science. But she quickly discovered that math touches so many areas. While doing her Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi, she was also active on campus and was elected vice president of the UM Graduate Student Council. In 2004, she earned a second master’s and completed her Ph.D. in 2006, becoming the second Black woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics at the institution. She is also part of a famous group of four African Americans who were granted Ph.D.s in mathematics at one commencement. Dr. Cotwright-Williams began her career in academia— spending more than a decade in research and teaching.
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WOMENOFCOLOR | SPRING 2020
Carla Denise Cotwright-Williams Acting Chief of AI at Joint Artificial Intelligence Center
Among her many stellar achievements, she has conducted research with NASA and the U.S. Navy. In her first faculty position, she learned about science policy and participated in new research areas to broaden her applied mathematical experiences. She also learned about the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship after attending a conference and meeting a former fellow. The American Association for the Advancement of the Sciences (AAAS), which is the largest scientific society in the world, provides opportunities for outstanding scientists and engineers to learn firsthand about federal policymaking while using their knowledge and skills to address today’s most pressing societal challenges. In 2012, Dr. Cotwright-Williams was named an American Mathematical Society (AMS-AAAS) Congressional Fellow. As a fellow, she worked as a congressional staffer/legislative aide. During her time on Capitol Hill, she worked as a staffer on the majority staff of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a House personnel office. She had the distinction of being the only fellow to travel to Boston to
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