Dr. Fay Cobb Payton is a Visiting Scholar and Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Inclusive Innovation at Rutgers University – Newark. She is a Full Professor Emerita (with Tenure) of Information Technology/Analytics at North Carolina State University where she was named a University Faculty Scholar for her leadership in turning research into solutions to society’s most pressing issues. She currently is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Expert and was a Program Director at the agency where she worked on several science, technology, engineering and technology initiatives. Dr. Payton received the NSF Director’s Award during her tenure as a Program Director. She has been recognized for her health care technology, tech innovation, ecosystem partnerships and tech inclusion expertise. She has presented her research at national and international conferences. She serves on several advisory boards, including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (where she provided the initial NSF funds to support the Women of Color in Tech Consensus Study and now its Action Collaborative), Association of Computing Machinery, American Society for Engineering Education and American Council on Education (Council of Fellows). She is often a keynote speaker or panelist for industry and higher education groups, and serves as an executive coach for corporate professionals and C-suite leaders.
Dr. Payton has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference publications and book chapters. She has appeared in or cited by Scientific American, Issues in Science & Technology, Essence Magazine, IEEE Spectrum, Insider Higher Ed, CBS Radio Network, Sunrise America, Financial Review and others to discuss tech inclusion. She has served as a keynote speaker and/or participated in AI bias and ethics industry, higher education, nonprofit and government events. She is the author of Leveraging Intersectionality: Seeing and Not Seeing (Richer Press), an anthology of her research on STEM education and experiences in both academe and corporate environments. She serves on several non-profit boards and advisories.