In a historic move, Ohio State University’s College of Engineering is embracing diversity in a major way. Jamie Simmons welcomes and congratulates OSU’s new dean of Engineering: Ayanna Howard!

Ayanna Howard is a roboticist, entrepreneur and the current chair of Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing.  Outside of her career in academia, Howard is hailed for her accomplishments in the private sector, with highlights including her founding of Zyrobotics.  Oh, and did I mention her portfolio is also polished with professional experience at NASA?  That’s right:  Ayanna Howard is one heck of a powerhouse in the engineering realm!  It’s certainly no surprise that Howard was even named on Forbes America’s Top 50 Women in Tech in 2018.

Now, the accomplished electrical engineer is adding a new title to her resume:  Dean of Engineering at Ohio State University.  It’s a historic move for OSU, in more ways than one.  Ayanna Howard will be the first woman to ever hold this role on the campus.  But while she’s excited about the road ahead as Dean of Engineering, Howard is most excited that she’ll be able to maintain something that has been integral to her identity.  At Ohio State, Howard will not have to “fit into a box” — an idea that is emphatic of how she has always operated as a professional in the tech world.