Dr. Whitney Gaskins
Founder of The Gaskins Foundation Cincinnati, OH Award Year: 2021Dr. Whitney Gaskins is the Assistant Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement in the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science, where she is the only African-American woman on the faculty of the College of Engineering. She serves as the Principal Investigator for both the Choose Ohio First Program and The Ohio Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation grants. Through these grant programs, students receive competitive scholarships and participate in professional development workshops that prepare them to enter the STEM workforce. Dr. Gaskins founded The Gaskins Foundation, a nonprofit that educates and empowers the African-American community, and launched the Cincinnati STEMulates, a free year-round program that is introducing more students to math and science. Her awards include: 2017 K12 Champion (National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates), 2019 Black History Maker (Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce), and 2021 Career Woman of Achievement (YWCA). She earned her BS in Biomedical Engineering, MBA in Quantitative Analysis and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering / Engineering Education.
Dr. Gaskins has used her award to expand her foundation’s work throughout the Midwest, helping The Gaskins Foundation launch summer programming in six schools, serving over 350 students.
The Gaskins Foundation forged a new partnership with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and hosted STEM programming at 5 centers, with a goal of incorporating STEM programming at all 35 recreational centers.
Dr. Gaskins was honored as the 2021 Career Woman of Achievement by YWCA Cincinnati and previously spoke with the University of Cincinnati Engineering & Applied Science on the importance of diversity in engineering.