Shirley Ann Jackson, noted physicist and former head of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), was one of the first two Black American women to receive a doctorate in physics in the U.S. and the first to receive a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jackson was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society for her work in the interaction of electrons on liquid helium films with surface excitations as a polaron problem. As the first Black American woman to serve on the NRC and the first woman and Black American to lead the NRC, Jackson reaffirmed that agency’s commitment to public health and safety.

She enhanced its regulatory effectiveness and initiated a bottom-up strategic assessment of all NRC activities. Committed to promoting social justice, she organized MIT’s Black Student Union and worked to increase the number of Black students entering MIT. After only one year, the number entering rose from 2 to 57. On numerous educational and corporate boards, she works to advance science and the role of women in science. She has led a transformation of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in her role as President.

Jackson’s numerous awards demonstrate the capability of women and minorities to join the leadership ranks in science and technology, education, and public policy. Time magazine has called her “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science.”

Granville was one of the first two Black women in the United States to earn a Ph.D in mathematics. Her degree, despite hardships, led to positions working on NASA's early human spaceflight missions and a long career in education.

As shown in the group of Black women featured in the book and 2016 film "Hidden Figures," Granville rose up, despite racial adversity, to contribute significantly to NASA's early human spaceflight missions, including the Mercury and Apollo programs.

Kimberly Bryant is the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls CODE, a non-profit organization focused on introducing girls of color (ages 7-17) to the field of technology and computer programming with a concentration on entrepreneurial concepts. Ms. Bryant's has enjoyed a very successful professional career as a Biotechnology Engineer in a series of technical leadership roles for various Fortune 100 companies such as Genentech, Merck, and Pfizer. Ms. Bryant serves on the National Champions Board for the National Girls Collaborative Project, and the National Board of the NCWIT K-12 Alliance. In August 2012, Kimberly Bryant was also given the honor of receiving the prestigious Jefferson Award for Community Service for her work to support communities in the Bay Area with Black Girls Code and was selected by Business Insider in 2013 on its list of BusinessInsider.com’s list of The 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology.