About The Speaker
Dr. Mary L. Good, founding Dean and Donaghey Professor, is well known for her distinguished career. She has held many high-level positions in academia, industry, and government. The 143,000-member American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) elected Dr. Good to serve as the president, following Dr. Stephen Jay Gould. In 2004, Dr. Good was recipient of the National Science Foundation’s highest honor, the Vannevar Bush Award. She was also the first female winner of the AAAS’s prestigious Philip Hogue Abelson prize for outstanding achievements in education, research and development management, and public service, spanning the academic, industrial, and government sectors. Two of her more than 27 awards include the National Science Foundation Distinguished Service medal and the esteemed American Chemical Society Priestly Medal.

During the terms of Presidents Carter and Reagan, Dr. Good served on the National Science Board and chaired it from 1988-1991. She was the Undersecretary for Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce and Technology during President Clinton’s first term. This agency assists American industry to advance productivity, technology, and innovation in order to make U.S. companies more competitive in the global market.

Dr. Good has received 21 honorary degrees. Her undergraduate degree in chemistry is from the University of Central Arkansas. She earned her doctoral degree in inorganic chemistry from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, at age 24. Dr. Good spent 25 years teaching and researching at Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans before becoming a guiding force in research and development for Allied Signal. In addition, She serves as the managing partner of Venture Capital Investors, LLC in Little Rock. Dr. Good was voted one of Arkansas’ Top 100 Women by Arkansas Business.