Leyte L. Winfield is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Spelman College, where she serves as Division Chair for the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. She received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Dillard University and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of New Orleans. She completed a postdoc in Medical Chemistry from Florida A&M University and received an Academic Leadership PostGraduate Certificate from the Chicago School for Clinical Psychology.

In addition to her primary duties at the College, Dr. Winfield also chairs the internal steering committee for the newly established Center of Excellence for Women of Color in STEM. Funded by the Department of Defense, the Center builds upon Spelman’s legacy for preparing women of African descent to excel in STEM careers. The Center’s focus complements her dedication to gender equity in STEM careers and creating culturally responsive initiatives and curricula that result in the productive engagement of minorities and women in various academic settings. In line with this, she is leading NSF-funded research to characterize how students of color demonstrate agency in pursuing STEM careers and the ecosystems that nurture such agency. For these collaborative efforts and other research and leadership initiatives, she has received more than $20 million.

Dr. Winfield’s publications, both as a corresponding author or shared first author, detail curriculum revisions in Chemistry and Biochemistry to increase the participation and success of women and minorities, using strategies such as community-based-interactive-engagement. She is the lead editor of the book Growing Diverse STEM Communities: Methodology, Impact, and Evidence, published by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2019. Dr. Winfield has served as a coach for the AAC&U PKAL STEM Leadership Institute and holds a postgraduate certificate in academic leadership from the Chicago School of Clinical Psychology. She chairs the Minority Chemist Subdivision of the ACS Division of Professional Relations and serves on the leadership board for OrganicERs, a learning community for developing and disseminating organic chemistry pedagogies and learning resources. In addition, she is a member of the ACS Committee on Professional Training and Society Committee on Education’s subcommittee on Supporting Excellence in Education–Higher Education (SEE–HE). Dr. Winfield currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Chemical Education and is the Managing Editor for the Understanding Interventions Journal.