Dr. Kandis Y. Boyd Wyatt was presented the 2022 Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony in Ames, Iowa on Nov. 3, 2022. The award recognizes alumni from Iowa State University’s Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences who have made significant contributions to their field and their community.
Boyd Wyatt is an advocate and renowned expert in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). She has nearly 30 years of experience leading, teaching, advising and mentoring students and early career enthusiasts in environmental and atmospheric science.
Boyd was the first African American female to receive an undergraduate degree in meteorology from Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. in public administration with a specific concentration in interorganizational leadership and cultural values from Nova Southeastern University.
Boyd is currently the director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay program office in Annapolis, Maryland. She has also served as the strategic advisor for the National Science Foundation’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights, in the Office of the Director; as the first deputy division director of the National Science Foundation’s Division of Grants and Agreements; and served as both the acting director and deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Program Office.
Among her many honors and awards, Boyd received the American Meteorological Society Charles E. Anderson Award in 2021 for her career-long efforts of mentoring, education, and community service to champion diversity for women and underrepresented individuals to promote a more inclusive workplace.