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Jeanita Pritchett (Fed)
Director (Acting) of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Dr. Jeanita Pritchett [she | her | hers] is the Acting Director of the NIST Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Office. In this role, she is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the NIST Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan and supporting the development and implementation of the DOC Equity Action Plan and the DOC DEIA Strategic Plan. She also curates DEIA-related learning opportunities for NIST staff and recently launched the Inclusive Leadership through Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity (iLEAD) workshop series. She began her career working as an NRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Analytical Chemist focused on developing reference materials for clinical, food, and forensics-related programs. After spending years at the bench, she decided to pivot her career to pursue her passion: Motivating others to gain clarity and confidence as they navigate their careers while elevating DEI in STEM. She notably is the architect behind a career coaching program developed for postdocs at NIST to help them gain clarity about their goals and elevate them towards the next step in their careers. Since its inception in 2018, there have been over 100 participants in the career coaching program. Additionally, she is the Vice President of the NIST Association for Black Staff (NABS) and an executive board member of Women in STEM (WiSTEM).
Dr. Pritchett obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from Tennessee State University, a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an executive certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University, an executive certificate in Diversity and Inclusion at Cornell University, and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. She is an executive board member for the DC Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance Higher Education Committee. Additionally, she is a member of the African American Federal Executive Association and the Federal Chief Diversity Officers Steering Committee Council.
Awards
- Material Measurement Laboratory Accolade for Service and Support to MML (National Institute of Standards and Technology; 2022)
- Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equal Employment Opportunity Award for Strategic Outreach and WiSTEM Board Initiatives (2021)
- 40 under 40 Alumni of the Year Award (Tennessee State University, 2020)
- Reader's Choice Award for Scientific Communication (Chemical and Engineering News, 2020)
- Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Recognition Award (Optical Society Award, 2019)
- Educator of the Year (DC Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance; 2017)
- Material Measurement Laboratory Accolade for Educational Outreach (National Institute of Standards and Technology; 2017)
- Excellence Award (National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development; 2017)
- Henry McBay Outstanding Teacher Award (National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; 2016)
- Material Measurement Laboratory Accolade for Educational Outreach (National Institute of Standards and Technology; 2016)
- Winifred Burke-Houck Professional Leadership Award (National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; 2015)
- Inaugural Part-time Faculty of the Year Award (Montgomery College; 2016).
- Best Workshop Award: Curriculum (SciFest Africa; 2015)
- US Embassy Science Fellowship Award (US Department of State; 2014-2015).
- National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow Recipient (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; 2011).