The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering named Michele Lezama president and CEO. Her new post will be effective on March 26.
“NACME is delighted to have Michele join the organization as president and CEO,” said Ray Dempsey, NACME board chairman. “Her transformational leadership style, and history of dedication and support of access to education for underrepresented minorities, is a great fit for NACME.”
Lezama’s career history includes serving as CEO and executive director of The National GEM Consortium, an organization dedicated to?increasing the number of underrepresented individuals who pursue and receive a masters or PhD in engineering, computer science and other applied science fields.
Before that, she held the position of executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers whose mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. During her tenure with NSBE, the organization received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring awarded by the White House Office of Science and Technology.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as NACME’s President and CEO,” Lezama said. “As a proud NACME Scholar Alum, I am excited to work with the NACME team to dramatically increase the number of high performing students who gain access to our nation’s most rigorous engineering and computer science undergraduate programs, to deliver exceptional outcomes for our university and corporate partners and to actively showcase the opportunities and successes of our nation’s diverse STEM community.”
Lezama earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University, and both her M.S. in Industrial Engineering and MBA in Finance and Accounting from Columbia University.
