Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail Named President and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) McPhail calls for systemic change in science and engineering curricula and offers support through NACME to underrepresented minority students WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., -- The National Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME), today announced that Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail has been named its sixth President and CEO, replacing the recently retired Dr. John Brooks Slaughter. Dr. McPhail's tenure begins immediately. Dr. McPhail has articulated a vision for NACME and wide-ranging expectations for necessary changes in education and political institutions to help maintain American competitiveness in a global economy. "As NACME celebrates its 35th Anniversary during 2009, we will continue to play a central role in building the overall number of underrepresented minority engineering graduates," said Dr. McPhail. "We will continue to provide scholarships to deserving youth and we will continue to form partnerships with K-12 schools to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Increasing the number of underrepresented minority engineering students is not only the right thing to do, but an economic imperative." Dr. McPhail outlined several goals, which he said NACME would consistently and continuously measure, including: -- Positioning NACME at the forefront of policy discussions that include STEM careers; -- Driving systemic change in STEM curricula from middle school through higher education; -- Assisting employers to develop more effective practices in recruiting, retaining, developing, and promoting underrepresented minority engineers. A native of Harlem, Dr. McPhail earned an academic scholarship to Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in development sociology. He holds a master's degree in reading from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was a National Fellowships Fund Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his doctorate in reading/language arts. Dr. McPhail served as Chancellor of The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), one of Maryland's largest and most-powerful higher education providers, from 1998 to 2005. Under his leadership, CCBC successfully reorganized from three separate community colleges into a single, multi-campus, public college that has benefited people, families, and businesses in the region. Dr. McPhail also served as president of St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and president of LeMoyne-Owen College. He has held senior tenured faculty appointments at Morgan State University, Delaware State University, LeMoyne-Owen College, and Pace University, and served for one year as chief operating officer of the Baltimore City Public Schools. Dr. McPhail currently serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of the National Council on Black American Affairs/Northeast Region, an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges, and the board of directors of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation. He is a founding member of the National Engineers Week Foundation Diversity Council. He is married to Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail, managing principal of The McPhail Group LLC, a global higher education consulting practice. McPhail is the father of Dr. Kamilah McPhail McKissick, a board certified clinical psychologist, and the grandfather of Connor Pressley McKissick. About NACME Since 1974, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, American Indian, and Latino women and men in engineering and technology, math-, and science-based careers. Over the past 35 years, more than 20,000 underrepresented minority students have received in excess of $100 million in scholarships grants and program support at 160 colleges and universities in all regions of the United States.
SOURCE NACME