She Thrives

Dr. Carla Cotwright-Williams proves that every challenge you overcome only makes you stronger

Carla 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 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.Ds. in mathematics at one commencement. Dr. Cotwright-Williams began her career in academia— spending more than a decade in research and teaching.

Carla Denise Cotwright-Williams Need title

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

interview first responders and law enforcement for the Senate hearing on the emergency preparation for the Boston Marathon Bombings. Three years later, she served as the Hardy-Apfel information technology fellow at the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, MD. The Hardy-Apfel IT Fellows Program is a two-year leadership development program involving information security, systems policy and management, software design and development, and database administration. As a fellow, you can choose four- to eight-month rotational assignments on several the agency’s top IT projects and receive executive networking and mentoring, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits. Currently, she is the outside academia representative for the National Association of Mathematicians, a nonprofit professional organization in the mathematical sciences with membership open to all persons interested in promoting excellence in the mathematical sciences and promoting the mathematical development of all. Recently, she was elected to the Association of Women in Mathematics Executive Committee, the governing body of the nonprofit organization founded in 1971. The AWM currently has more than 3,500 members (women and men) representing a broad spectrum of the mathematical community—from the United States and around the world. As her career continues to evolve, the award-winning mathematician is said to be taking steps to prepare for subsequent stages of her career based on things she has learned about the larger math/science community and the world around us—to use her math to have a broader impact on society.

In a recent publication entitled A Mathematician’s Journey to Public Service from the book A Celebration of the EDGE Program’s Impact on the Mathematics Community and Beyond (Springer), Dr. CotwrightWilliams discusses her personal story describing her career path from academia to government. At the time of this article, she shared some additional advice to people looking to establish or change their career:

Be open to change —changing careers paths is difficult. Most people don’t do it. It will take grit. You will have to take risks. But you don’t have to go it alone. Identify trustworthy people in your personal and professional circles with whom you can share your goals and dreams.

“Do your research—explore other areas of interests and talk to people in those areas. Set up informational interviews to learn about key aspects of their line of work to help decide on your options. Network. Meet people in the sectors you want to work in. Meet people who know people in the sectors you want to work in. Your network can come in handy at times when you least expect it.”

“Be open to change—changing careers paths is difficult. Most people don’t do it. It will take grit. You will have to take risks. But you don’t have to go it alone. Identify trustworthy people in your personal and professional circles with whom you can share your goals and dreams. Seek their feedback and recommendations. Utilize helpful tips as you make your career transitions.”

“Treat everyone well—whenever you meet new people or engage with people you know well, do your best to treat them with the same level of respect you wish to be treated with. You never know if you will need the help of the assistant you came across as rude to. Only being nice to those people you think can help you may mean you miss out on being nice to the career enablers whose path you likely will have to traverse often.” 