Donna Washington Stokes

University of Houston | Houston, TX | 2023

Donna Washington Stokes Portrait Photo

Mentoring is ingrained in who I am, and it is an honor to be recognized with the Presidential Award as it highlights the commitment of mentors who are preparing a diverse STEM workforce. My dedication to mentoring comes from my experiences with supportive mentors throughout my academic and professional career. I hope my mentoring philosophy will be carried forward by my mentees to create a never-ending network of support for students, post-docs, and junior faculty in STEM.

The official biography below was current at the time of the award. Awardees may choose to provide their latest biographical information on their profile page.

Donna Stokes is a tenured professor of physics and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Student Success in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston (UH). Before joining the faculty at UH, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Naval Research Laboratory. Donna has mentored undergraduate and graduate STEM majors, especially those in physics, postdoctoral students, and junior faculty for over 23 years through 12 National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, serving as undergraduate academic advisor and advisor for physics student organizations. As part of an NSF scholarship program, she launched a parent academy to engage parents and supporters of low-income students to build an academic and family support system through multilayered mentoring of parents and students in order to improve resiliency in STEM. As academic advisor in physics for 13 years, she increased the number of minority majors, graduates, and certified physics teachers through recruitment and intentional mentoring. Donna has presented sessions at universities and national conferences on negotiation skills for women in STEM and she published a book chapter on how she has found her best-loved self as a mentor. She emphasizes the impact mentoring had on her trajectory and highlights its importance for improving STEM student success for underrepresented groups. Donna received the 2023 UH Honors College Outstanding Fellowship Mentor, the 2011 UH Provost Academic Advising and Mentoring, and an NSF Early Career Award. Through her leadership, the physics department received the 2019 American Physical Society Improving Undergraduate Education Award. Donna received her B.S. in physics from Southern University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in physics at UH.